Once again, the results of this year’s national GP Patient Survey (GPPS) show high overall levels of patient satisfaction (81%) with Gloucestershire GP practices – well above the national (England) average of 77%.
They also indicate that 89% of patients had positive experiences of community pharmacy services and 69% of patients felt similarly about NHS dental services, an improvement from last year.
The annual survey assesses patients’ experiences of healthcare services provided by GP practices, including access to GP practices, contacting the practice, the quality of care received from healthcare professionals, experience of services when their GP practice is closed and patients’ experiences of NHS pharmacy and dental services.
The survey also captures information about patient health, including patients with long term conditions, disabilities, or illnesses and the support they receive to manage these.
Results are presented at GP practice, Primary Care Network (PCN), Integrated Care System (ICS) and national level. In the One Gloucestershire ICS (county) area, 21,739 questionnaires were sent out and 7,211 were returned completed.
This year’s feedback shows that confidence and trust in the county’s GP practice teams remains high at 95%, with 93% of patients feeling that their needs were met during their most recent appointment and 94% reporting that they felt involved in decisions about their care and treatment. Eighty-nine percent of patients felt that they were treated with care and concern.
Dr Hein Le Roux, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, said:
“Our hard-working GP surgery teams have been doing their absolute best to provide the best possible care to patients, often under great pressure, so it is great to see that patients’ overall experience with Gloucestershire GP practices is positive.
GP surgeries are continuing to face high volumes of requests from patients – the latest available data shows that more than 383,000 appointments were offered in one month.
Surgery teams deserve huge recognition for their dedication to patient care and their focus on making it easier for patients to get help quickly, including same-day care where needed.
However, we know that not all patients report a positive experience. The high levels of need are putting sustained pressure on services, and practices are balancing the need to offer quick access to appointments with maintaining continuity of care, particularly for people with long‑term conditions.
NHS Gloucestershire will continue to work with local and national partners to tackle the underlying pressures on GP practices and their teams and improve how patients are directed to the most appropriate service.”
Dr Emma Crutchlow, Chair of the Gloucestershire GP Collaborative, said:
“It is great to see general practice in Gloucestershire receiving such positive feedback from the public and it is recognition of the hard work that our teams in general practice are doing every day.’’
Dr Bob Hodges, Chair of Gloucestershire Local Medical Committee (LMC), said:
“It is encouraging to see such positive feedback from patients, reflecting the hard work of general practice teams across Gloucestershire.
Despite increasing demand and ongoing financial pressures, practices continue to provide outstanding care. To build on this success, general practice must receive the investment needed to meet future patient needs.”
NHS Gloucestershire is continuing to take forward long-term GP premises development and delivery plans to improve patients’ experiences.
Pharmacy and NHS dentistry
This year’s survey also asked patients about their experiences with community pharmacies and NHS dentists.
Eighty-nine percent of patients expressed satisfaction with community pharmacy services, which they used for prescriptions, medications, advice, blood pressure checks and vaccines.
Whilst overall patient experiences of NHS dental services falls below the national average in the county, there has been an improvement over the last twelve months, with the percentage of people reporting a good experience of dental care increasing from 66% to 69%.
Improving access to NHS dentistry remains a key priority for NHS Gloucestershire and its partners.
A new dental facility in Gloucester City opened on 1 July, providing much-needed urgent NHS dental services to Gloucestershire residents through NHS 111.
Meanwhile, the University of Gloucestershire and NHS Gloucestershire ICB have agreed funding for a new Dental School and Treatment Hub in the heart of Gloucester, set to open later this year.
NHS Gloucestershire is continuing to provide urgent dental appointments at clinics across the county each week, including on weeknights and at weekends. The number of available urgent dental care appointments has increased from just 10 appointments per week in 2023/24 to on average 100 appointments per week in 2025/26.
We are continuing to work closely with local dentists and Public Health colleagues, in partnership with community and voluntary organisations in the county, to increase the number of NHS dental places for local people, including children.
The full 2026 GP Patient Survey results can be found at: www.gp-patient.co.uk.