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A 3rd of North West patients don't
know the name of a single GP at their surgery
PRESSURE at GP surgeries, in the North
West England, now means ⅔ of patients never see the same doctor, according to:-
'The
State of Britain's GP Services Report.' The report, which examined the experiences of 1,000 patients, also found that 1
in 3 residents in the North West of England were so distanced from the providers of their primary
care that they were unable to name their GP.
The report by AKEA Life, which offers home visits from dedicated family doctors,
uncovered that just 36% of patients see the same GP every time they go to their
surgery.
Dr. James Palaweck, chief medical officer at AKEA Life, said:- "A lot of
GP services are under so much pressure to deal with increasing numbers of
patients that it is no longer the norm for patients to be seen by the same
family doctor every time they go. Instead they often see a nurse
practitioner or locum GP who might only be at the surgery for a short period of
time. It's sad to see that so few patients know their GP or have a long term
relationship with them these days."
► 21% of patients in the North West England now see up to 3 different GPs per year.
► 53% of North West England residents say
that they agree that they would feel more comfortable
attending appointments if they were to see the same GP every time.
Dr. Palaweck added:- "Having a good relationship between patients and
doctors is important to help with diagnosis, particularly with more serious
cases such as cancer or mental wellbeing. If a patient is uncomfortable
discussing their symptoms with their GP because they've never met them before,
this can draw out the diagnosis and delay treatment."
The research also found that 18 to 24 year olds are least likely to know the name
of their doctor, while for those aged over 55, 69% said they know the name of
their regular GP, the highest percentage.
AKEA Life is a new GP service that provides quick, convenient and quality access
to health advice in patients' own homes, workplaces or wherever they are, via a
dedicated family doctor.
To find out more information please visit:-
AKEALife.Co.UK.
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