Solving the maze

A joint project by the RCGP and the Patients Association

A woman with short hair and a man sitting parallel to her looking into the distance.

For many people, accessing care through general practice can feel like opening the door to a maze. Equally, GPs find themselves in a tangled web of administrative burdens, mounting time pressures and are navigating a maze of referrals to get patients specialist help when they need it. That's why we worked together with the Patients Association to highlight how general practice can be made truly accessible and navigable for all.

Sign the Patient Campaign petition

Real change is not possible without significant commitment from the Government. That's why we've set up a petition, so that the concerns of GPs and their patients are taken straight to heart of Parliament.

We need 10,000 signatures to receive a response from the Government. Help us make that happen and take a step forward towards an accessible and navigable general practice for all.

Click here to sign the petition

What needs to change

Share our campaign in your practice

Read our report

What needs to change

For patients, administrative and procedural barriers can make the NHS feel like a maze of dead ends and detours. At the same time, GPs have been left to grapple with a broken system and in some cases struggling to provide the care their patients deserve. This has led to a system that is confusing, frustrating and demoralising for all parties.

Both GPs and patients feel strongly that something needs to change; that is why we launched this campaign.

We want a general practice that is truly accessible and navigable for all. Our campaign sets out the first steps that should be taken towards achieving that:

1. Every patient should find the NHS easy to navigate

  • The NHS must provide clear and consistent information to support patients as active partners in decisions about their healthcare, including knowing where to go to get help.
  • Patients and GPs must be equal partners in co-designing care pathways so that they reflect their real experiences and needs and are easier for everyone to navigate. Patients with complex health or communication needs must be equally supported to navigate NHS services and participate as partners in decisions about their care.

NHS-easy-to-navigate

2. Every patient should be able to see their GP when they need to

  • Governments must set out clear plans to train, employ and retain enough GPs so that patients can access care from their GP when they need it, addressing both the workforce numbers, the employment structures and funding models that determine where and how GP’s can work.
  • To make it easier for patients to see a GP who they know and knows them, practices should be resourced to offer continuity of care.

patient-campaign-margaret-molly

3. Every patient should be able to access their information and track referrals via user-friendly systems

  • Patients and GPs must be equal partners in the design of simpler, user-friendly systems which allow patients to see key information about their care, including being able to easily track specialist referrals. This can only be achieved with significant government investment in systems that are easier to use, better connected, and that reduce administrative burden.
  • A diverse and representative group of patients must be active and equal partners in the co-production and review of the systems, including those who cannot access online systems to mitigate digital exclusion.

Easy-to-use

Read our report

You can read our joint report with the Patient's Association here.

"It shouldn't be this hard": Solving the NHS maze for patients and GPs (PDF file, 323 KB)

Molly's story

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Patient campaign practice toolkit

This toolkit contains resources to support members in engaging with their patients about RCGPs joint report “It Shouldn’t be This Hard”, and the accompanying petition.  

This report and petition emphasise what our members have been saying for years - that GPs and patients are face the same frustrations and want the same things: an NHS system which is well resourced, easily navigable, and patient centred.  

Both GPs and patients can sign our petition. We need 10,000 signatures by 14th October to secure a response from Government. By sharing the resources below, we can demonstrate to the Government that patients and their doctors agree that: 

  • Every patient should find the NHS easy to navigate. 
  • Every patient should be able to see their GP when they need to.  
  • Every patient should be able to access their information and track referrals via user-friendly systems.  

Please ensure compliance with all applicable data protection laws when contacting patients. Direct outreach is only permitted where patients have consented to receive marketing communications from your practice, such as newsletters. Toolkit materials must not be shared through SMS or the NHS App. 

Ways to share the campaign with your patients

Display our ‘Navigating the NHS Maze’ animation on the screens in your surgery, which outlines the campaign recommendations.  

The 'Petition waiting room graphic' 

The 'Petition flyer for practices' PDF

Please use the website copy provided below to show your practice’s support for the campaign. 

Website text copy 

(Insert name of surgery) is supporting RCGP and the Patients Association in sharing their report “It shouldn’t be this hard”: Solving the NHS maze for patients and GPs. 

The report draws upon engagement with patients and GPs and makes the following recommendations: 

  • Every patient should find the NHS easy to navigate. 
  • Every patient should be able to see their GP when they need to. 
  • Every patient should be able to access their information and track referrals via user-friendly systems. 

These changes would help us spend more time focusing on what matters most; providing you and your family with the care you need. 

RCGP have launched a petition calling for the Government to involve patients and GPs in the co-design of better NHS pathways, and employing enough GPs to be able to make this happen. Please consider adding your signature- 10,000 signatures are needed to secure a Government response: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/762586. 

If your practice has X, Facebook, LinkedIn and/or Instagram, adapt the templates here.

Social media copy text:

For LinkedIn and Instagram

For too many patients and GPs, accessing care can feel like a maze of dead ends and detours.

Join us in calling on the Government for:

A health system that easy to navigate for all

Enough GPs so patients can see their GP when they need to

User-friendly systems so patients can access their information and track referrals

Sign RCGP’s petition today
Require Government to co-design better NHS care pathways and to employ more GPs - Petitions 

(Insert animation)
Graphics for Instagram posts

Graphics for Linkedin posts

For X

For too many patients and GPs, accessing care can feel like a maze.

Join the RCGP in calling on the Government for a health system that is easy to navigate for all.

Sign RCGP’s petition today. ➡️ https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/762586 

(Insert animation)

For local Facebook groups

Hello everybody. My name is (name and title) I wanted to let you know about a recent report from the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Patients Association.

I’m sure all of you will have experienced the frustration of trying to navigate the NHS maze. This is a frustration shared by GPs, who just want to care for their patients but instead find themselves putting out fires and fighting against dead ends and detours.

This report, and the accompanying petition, call for the Government to listen to the patients and GPs who are asking for

A health system that easy to navigate for all

Enough GPs so patients can see their GP when they need to

User-friendly systems so patients can access their information and track referrals

You can read the full report, as well as hear patient stories, here: https://www.rcgp.org.uk/representing-you/patient-campaign 

If you agree with what we’re asking for, you can sign the petition here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/762586 

(Insert animation) 
Graphics for Facebook posts

If you have a patient newsletter you can use the copy below to let patients know about the campaign.  

Patient newsletter copy 

(Insert name of surgery) is supporting the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and the Patients Association in sharing their report, “It shouldn’t be this hard”: Solving the NHS maze for patients and GPs. 

This report is based on feedback from both patients and GPs and highlights some important priorities for improving care: 

  • Making the NHS easier for patients to navigate  

  • Ensuring patients can see their GP when they need to  

  • Providing simple, user-friendly systems so patients can access their information and track referrals  

These changes would help us spend more time focusing on what matters most; providing you and your family with the care you need. 

The RCGP has also launched a petition calling on the Government to involve patients and GPs in designing better NHS services, and to ensure there are enough GPs to meet demand. If you would like to support this, you can add your signature. Reaching 10,000 signatures will secure a Government response: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/762586. 

 

At the next meeting of the Patient Participation Group you could talk about the report and petition and their reflections of the issues raised from their local perspective. You can use our invitation copy below.

PPG invitation

Dear (PPG member name),

On behalf of (name of surgery) I would like to invite you to attend an upcoming PPG meeting to discuss the recent report “It shouldn’t be this hard”: Solving the NHS maze for patients and GPs, published by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and the Patients Association.

The report highlights key challenges patients face when accessing NHS services and sets out recommendations to improve access and navigation. We will also be sharing information about the related petition, which calls for patients and GPs to be involved in designing better NHS pathways and for sufficient GP staffing to meet demand.

Meeting details:

  • Date: (insert date)
  • Time: (insert time)
  • Location: (insert location/online link)

Your views as a PPG member are very important to us. This meeting will be an opportunity to:

  • Share your experiences of accessing NHS services Discuss the report’s recommendations
  • Help shape how our practice can support improvements locally
  • Consider whether and how to support the petition

We hope you can join us and look forward to hearing your views.

Kind regards,
(Your name, your surgery)