Updated 22 March 2024
We carried out an announced assessment of one quality statement, equity of access, under the key question Responsive on 12 April 2024. This focused assessment was carried out remotely to help us understand what the practice was doing to try to meet patient demand and the current experience of people who use this service. We recognise the great and often innovative work that GP practices have been engaged in to continue to provide safe, quality care to the people they serve. We know colleagues are doing this while demand for general practice remains exceptionally high, with more appointments being provided than ever. In this challenging context, access to general practice remains a concern for people. This assessment of the quality statement Equity in Access in the responsive key question includes looking at what the practice is doing to improve patient access to primary care and sharing this information to drive improvement. The provider was aware that people could not always access services when they needed to and were taking appropriate action to improve access to services. The provider had considered what barriers there may be (physical or digital) and thought how to remove them so that people could access services on an equal basis to others, The practice understood the challenges to patient access and responded to patient needs. We found that leaders used people’s feedback and other evidence to actively seek to improve access for people. Services were designed to make them accessible and timely for people who were most likely to have difficulty accessing care. The provider prioritised, allocated resources and opportunities as needed to tackle inequalities and achieve equity of access.