Almost nine out of 10 Scottish people continue to be pleased with their GP surgery, the latest official poll has shown.
Responding to the Scottish Government’s Health and Care Experience Survey 2013/14, 87% of patients said the overall care they received from their GP surgery was either ‘excellent’ or ‘good’.
However patient satisfaction with access to appointment was down on the previous year’s survey, from 75% of patients saying this was satisfactory, to just 65% this time around.
Scottish GPC chair Dr Alan McDevitt said it was important for people to understand the reasons why it had become harder to book a routine appointment with their GP practice in advance at a time to suit them.
He said: ‘While this has led to lower levels of satisfaction it is important that the public and politicians understand the pressure that general practice is under. With an increase in complex care needs, a rise in demand for GP appointments, and the shift of work to general practice from hospitals, practices have to balance the number of appointments available in advance and for urgent cases on the day.’
However, he was pleased that a large majority of patients were still happy with the service they receive overall.
He said: ‘These survey results are a testament to the hard work of GPs and their teams.’
