Swansea East Assembly Member Mike Hedges has called on the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board to follow suit and introduce a GP surgery access grading system so patients living in South West Wales can tell how easy it is to get an appointment with their local GP.
The Assembly Member’s call comes after the news that the Aneurin Bevan Health Board, which covers the Gwent and Newport area, has introduced a grading scheme designed at providing patients with better information about receiving medical appointments with their local GPs.
Under the grading system used by the Aneurin Bevan Health Board, GP surgeries are assessed on accessibility of appointments, the availability of lunchtime openings, the last routine appointment times, phone calls being answered by staff instead of recorded messages, and by the patient’s ability to book appointments over the phone or online. A certificate, displaying the surgery’s overall rating, is then displayed at each practice for patients to view.
Mike Hedges AM, said:
“I am contacted on a regular basis by constituents concerned over the availability of appointments at their GP surgeries. It is a Welsh Government manifesto commitment to improve access to GP surgeries, particularly at evenings and on weekends.
“I am passionate about seeing this commitment delivered so that the people of South West Wales can benefit from not just from a better patient experience, but also can benefit from accessing medical advice at a convenient time for them.
“I also believe that providing patients with information about how easy it is to get an appointment with their local GP is an important step towards improving the overall patient experience, and I commend the work being done by the Aneurin Bevan Health Board through their introduction of the GP surgery access grading system.
“I have now written to the Chief Executive of AMBU Health Board asking him to look into introducing a similar access rating system for GP surgeries across the Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot and Bridgend area so that the people of South West Wales can also receive better information about booking and accessing an appointment, which in turn will help greatly towards improving both patient care and the patient experience.”
Health Minister Lesley Griffiths AM said:
“The new access scheme will, I am sure, lead to an improvement in the continuity and quality of patient care.”
“I am also pleased to see that an aspect of the new access scheme seeks to extend routine doctor appointments in the evening which will help to improve the accessibility of GP services, in particular, for working people.
“Improving the accessibility of GP services for working people in the evening is a key Welsh government priority.”
