Struggle for GP appointments worst for north Kent patients
Report reveals people living in northern part of county have longest waits
Patients in north Kent are struggling more than others to make appointments at their doctors’ surgery, a study has revealed. Those living in Swale, Dartford, Gravesham, Maidstone and Medway are also waiting longer when they do secure one, according to the Access to Primary Care in North Kent report. Published this month by Greater North Kent – a collective body representing local authorities – the study looked at the results of the 2022 NHS GP Patient Surveys.
On the whole, patients in north Kent had considerably worse experiences with accessing healthcare than either national level or for the rest of the county. There was a national decline between 2021 and 2022 but this hit north Kent harder as more patients failed to make appointments compared to the national average.
Only 35% found it easy to get through to their practice by
phone compared to 53% in England, in 2022. This had dropped from 53% and 68% in 2021.
In a joint statement, leaders of Greater North Kent said: “The results from these surveys make sobering reading. As well as the headline findings, they show some disappointing variation
in patients’ experiences.
“For instance, it is not fair that whilst in some practices in north Kent, 99% of patients have found it easy to get through to their GP practice by phone, in others it is amongst the lowest in the country at only 5%. “Overall, north Kent patients
are less likely to be able to see their preferred GP than in England as a whole, confidence in healthcare professionals seems to be declining, and the gap between well and less well performing practices seems to be widening.”
There were also lower satisfaction rates for getting appointments when they were wanted and patients typically had to wait longer for them.
Around one-in-five north Kent patients described their overall experience of their GP practice as poor compared with only onein-seven nationally. In particular, patients in Gravesham rated their experiences the worst in the area but those in Maidstone disagreed with the practices being rated highly.
Almost everyone surveyed said they had confidence and trust in the medics and their needs were being met at appointments. Leaders of Greater North Kent added: “The reports we are publishing are not an attack on hard-pressed GPs, nor on other staff working in practices or the NHS generally.
“But we make no apology for highlighting the picture these surveys reveal about patients’ experience in north Kent, our determination to see things improve, and our desire to play a constructive role in that process.”