GP website health check
Members of the public have been telling us that they struggle to contact their GP practice by phone. However, GP practice websites don't always support people to use online services instead. We wanted to explore the range of information provided to patients online, as well as what services they are able to access.
What did we look at?
We looked at a range of information and services that patients might want to access online, including:
- Contacting the surgery and making an appointment
- Registering as a new patient
- Ordering prescriptions
- Making complaints and giving feedback
- Patient Participation Groups (PPGs)
- Information and support for carers
- Self-care information
- Website accessibility and usability
We found some significant barriers to accessing GP practices.
In the report we share examples of good practice, where GP websites provide clear information and a range of choices to meet their patients' needs. However we also found some significant barriers to accessing GP services, including:
- Only 11 of the 74 websites allowed new patients register entirely online - most patients will have to visit the practice to fill in paperwork. This can be difficult for some people.
- 46 of the 74 websites asked patients for proof of ID/address in order to register - requiring this evidence isn't in line with NHS guidance and leaves some of our most vulnerable communities, such as homeless people or refugees, without access to a GP.
Downloads
Read all our findings in the report below.
If you need these documents in a different format, please email info@healthwatchsheffield.co.uk or call 0114 253 6688.
What next?
We have written to each GP practice, sharing our findings about their individual website. We've highlighted areas where we think their online services are good, as well as making suggested improvements.
We also shared our findings with South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) - making recommendations about how they can support GP practices in Sheffield to improve their websites.
The ICB have responded to this report outlining what they plan to do in response. They have committed to completing an in-depth audit to further understand the issues, and the creation of template information pages, amongst other actions. You can read their response below:
