Health Foundation responds to GP Patient Survey 2017

The findings of the annual GP Patient Survey 2017 are published today. Commenting on the findings, Tim Gardner, Senior Policy Fellow at the Health Foundation, commented: 'Given the pressures that GPs are under, it is encouraging that the vast majority of people continue to report a good overall experience of their GP surgery.

'However, it is concerning that the number of people always or almost always able to see their preferred GP has fallen from 65.3% to 55.6% over the last five years. Health Foundation research has found that older patients who saw the same GP more consistently experienced fewer hospital admissions for conditions that can be managed in primary care.

'GPs and commissioners need more support to provide both prompt access to a GP and the greater continuity valued by GPs and patients alike.'

Media contact

Liz Skinner
liz.skinner@health.org.uk
020 7257 8027

Additional information

• The Health Foundation published a briefing in February 2017 about continuity of care of older people. A key finding was that patients seeing their usual GP two more times out of every 10 was associated with 6% fewer avoidable hospital admissions.

• GPs in the UK report higher levels of stress and lower satisfaction with practising medicine compared to 10 other similar countries, according to the Health Foundation's Under Pressure report.