GP access for inclusion health groups: perspectives and recommendations

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Medicine
• Health Services Research
• Health Equity

Background:

• General practices have widely adopted remote consulting and triage systems.
• Evidence on the impact of these changes on inclusion health populations is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore post-pandemic general practitioner (GP) access for inclusion health populations from the perspective of individuals with lived experience.
• To identify practical recommendations for enhancing GP access for this vulnerable demographic.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods study was conducted in 13 east London practices.
• A mystery shopper exercise involved 39 in-person visits and 13 phone calls.
• A multidisciplinary stakeholder group reflected on findings to identify recommendations.

Main Results:

• Only 31% of mystery shopper visits resulted in registration and an urgent GP appointment offer.
• No appointments were booked via phone, though 10/13 shoppers believed they could if guided.
• Most shoppers felt respected and understood; 46% of practices had accessible and supportive spaces.

Conclusions:

• Persistent challenges in general practitioner (GP) access for inclusion health populations were identified.
• Practice- and system-level recommendations were developed to improve access for this vulnerable group.