RCGP on British Social Attitudes survey

Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “GP teams are working incredibly hard to deliver care for patients under intense and sustained pressure. We’re now delivering record numbers of appointments, more than 367 million in the last year and over a million every day, and caring for patients with increasingly complex needs, yet with only a small increase in the number of fully qualified GPs compared to five years ago.

“It’s encouraging that more recent, experience-based data, such as the ONS Health Insight Survey, shows high levels of satisfaction among people who have actually contacted their GP practice. This reflects what we hear every day: patients value the care they receive from general practice.

“The British Social Attitudes survey captures broader public perception, including views from people who may not have had recent contact with GP services. That means it can be influenced by wider pressures across the NHS and difficulties accessing care, rather than direct experience of a GP consultation itself.

“Demand for GP services continues to outstrip capacity, and when patients face challenges accessing care, that understandably affects overall perception, even though once people are seen, satisfaction tends to be high.

“General practice is the front door to the NHS, delivering the vast majority of patient contacts and keeping people well in their communities. If we are to improve both access and patient experience further, we need sustained investment in general practice, alongside urgent action to grow and retain the GP workforce so we can meet rising demand and deliver the care our patients need."

Further information

RCGP press office: 0203 188 7659
press@rcgp.org.uk

Notes to editors

The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 54,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.