More patients in mid and south Essex are reporting positive experiences and taking advantage of new ways to access their GP practice.
The recently published national GP Patient Survey reveals that overall patient experience in mid and south Essex has improved compared to 2024, up to 72%.
Around seven million appointments were delivered in mid and south Essex GP practices in 2024, 5% more than 2023. The survey results show that modern general practice access initiatives launched in May 2023 are delivering benefits for residents. GP surgeries have been supported to improve their online and telephone services, hire more staff and introduce new, more efficient ways to access GP services.
William Guy, Director of Primary Care at NHS Mid and South Essex said: “We’ve been supporting GP practices to deliver more appointments, recruit hundreds of new clinical staff and introduce digital tools. This is helping patients contact their practice in ways that work for them and quickly see the right healthcare professional for their needs.
“While we recognise there’s still work to do to meet growing demands on our services, the positive increases in survey results show that local initiatives are benefitting patients, and we will continue to rollout improvements across mid and south Essex. These improvements are a direct result of the continued efforts of practice clinical and administrative staff to improve the services they offer to their patients.”
Contacting GP practices easier than ever before
In mid and south Essex, practices have been adopting digital tools like online portals and telehealth platforms. These tools provide more options and increased flexibility for patients when they need to contact their practice to request care and make enquiries. Over £1.6 million has also been invested to move GP practices over to cloud-based telephony which includes a call back option, so patients don’t lose their place in the queue.
These digital systems make contacting practices easier. Instead of an 8am rush to call, patients can submit online requests at a more suitable time for them, which in turn frees up phonelines for patients who still need to call.
The survey results show that more patients are reporting it is easy to contact their GP on the phone, via the website or through the NHS App, with each improved by 4% compared to the previous years’ survey.
Hassengate Medical Centre in Stanford-le-Hope is a local example of how the transformation is taking place across Thurrock. In March 2025, the practice introduced ‘total triage’ – a system in which patients provide information and are reviewed by a clinician to decide next steps for their care.
