Upbeat report on GP access in Luton doesn't reflect patients' bad experiences, meeting told

An update to the borough council’s scrutiny health and social care review group on developments to improve patient experience lacked some input from GP practice users, according to a local councillor.

BLMK integrated care board (ICB) deputy chief primary care officer Amanda Flower told the group: “If we can encourage the population to use the NHS App, it supports others to access services in different ways, essentially keeping telephone lines free for those unable to use digital offers.

“We’ve had a positive response and uptake through ‘pharmacy first’ in Luton,” she said. “We want to encourage residents to use community pharmacy services where it’s appropriate. That frees up access to general practice for complaints and issues, which really require the expertise of that practice team.

“There’s modernisation work with the practices in Luton. What modern practice access intends to do is embed a triage approach, so that clinical need is assessed.

“We now have 13 practices in Luton delivering a triage-based modern access model. Early feedback from residents is positive, with appointments being made throughout the day at those practices which have gone live.

“We’re working hard with the remaining ten practices to mobilise this and it’s a requirement of the GP contract they must be delivering that modern access model by March 31, 2025.

“A period of high demand for 111 services saw a reduction in its performance or the speed with which calls are answered, and we know that leads to frustration for residents who might go elsewhere to access their services.”

Labour Central councillor Fatima Begum said: “It would have been good to see some of the comments by residents because what the report says doesn’t match what we get told.”

She listed concerns of residents, including ‘no phone call, can only use online system’, ‘the receptionist was rude and suggested they were unable to help someone who couldn’t speak English and couldn’t access online’ and another warned ‘it feels as if the receptionists run the surgery, not the practice manager or GPs’.

“That’s not easy access to GP services,” she explained. “It seems for the new generation like myself it’s not accessible for the most vulnerable, especially those who can’t use the online system.

“When we book an appointment, we get sent a link. I can use it, but many people can’t do that. The pharmacies are helpful.”

Ms Flower replied: “I’m happy to receive the feedback the councillor has summarised, as it’s really important to us.

“We need to continue to enable equity of access and it seems there’s some evidence where our teams aren’t achieving that.

“The best examples involve residents being supported where they can walk into the practice and a team member has a version of the form to guide the patient through the completion of that triage document.

“If practices aren’t doing that, we need to understand it and do some more work with those surgeries.”