The level of satisfaction that patients in the UK experience with their GPs varies significantly between the home nations, according to new data released by the Office for National Statistic (ONS) today.
In England, the percentage of patients reporting a positive overall experience of GP practices has seen a marked decline from 83% in 2021 to 72% in 2022, after remaining relatively stable at 82% to 84% between 2018 and 2021.
The fall in Scotland was even steeper over the same period.
In Scotland, a gradual decline in positive overall experiences of GP practices is shown between 2010 (90%) and 2020 (79%), before a sharp drop to 67% between the 2020 and the 2022 survey.
But in Wales, it was a different story.
In Wales, the percentages reporting positive experiences were relatively stable between 2010 and 2020, ranging from 86% to 93%.
Difficulty of comparing findings
But the ONS noted the difficulty of comparing findings between the various home nations.
The ONS said: “The devolved nature of UK healthcare policy means that data on healthcare services, including official data on patient experience, are measured and recorded differently between England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
“Patient experience measures can provide cross-UK comparisons on some health themes, but are limited by differences in survey content, methods, and frequency.”
Of those who tried to make contact with their GP, half of people in Scotland (50%) reported finding it “easy” or “very easy” to access their GP practice, compared to just 43% in England and only 39% in Wales (39%).
Brett Hill, head of health and protection at independent consultancy Broadstone, said: “The devolved nature of UK healthcare inevitably will lead to a degree of postcode lottery both within and across the four home nations.
“Cross-comparisons across the devolved nations are difficult given there are also differences in the way data is collected and provided so this publication provides helpful insight.
“What is clear is that since the pandemic, satisfaction in the GP experience has seen a statistically significant decline across the UK as mounting pressures in the public health system impact patients’ ability to access these crucial services.
“As we enter the election campaign the NHS will be a key battleground, with Labour yesterday pledging to hit the 18-week target for patients within five years should the party be elected.
“In the short-term, the dual challenges of rising demand and limited capacity suggest we are unlikely to see drastic improvements in NHS performance, meaning the shift to private treatments funded through workplace healthcare benefits is only likely to accelerate.
“Demand for private healthcare continues to grow among employees with more businesses looking to expand their coverage of these services to support the health of their workforce.”