GP Access Standards for Patients in Wales
A new set of standards were announced by the Minister for Health and Social Services in March 2019.
These standards aim to raise and improve the level of service patients in Wales receive from their GP practices.
What the access standards cover
The standards explain what GP practices must have in place to help patients contact services, request appointments and access appropriate care.
Telephone and digital access
Practices are expected to:
- Have a telephone system with a recording function for incoming and outgoing lines, which can stack calls and allow call data to be analysed.
- Have a telephone introduction message recorded bilingually in Welsh and English, lasting no longer than 2 minutes in total.
- Ensure that patients and care homes can order repeatable prescriptions digitally.
- During core hours, ensure that patients can digitally request a non-urgent appointment or a call back, with the necessary governance arrangements in place.
Information for patients
Practices are expected to publish information online about access requirements and how patients can:
- Access the contractor’s services
- Request an urgent consultation
- Request a routine consultation
- Request an advanced consultation
Appointments and consultations
Practices are expected to:
- Offer a same-day consultation for children under 16 with acute presentations.
- Offer a same-day consultation for patients clinically triaged as requiring an urgent assessment.
- Offer pre-bookable appointments to take place during core hours.
Signposting to appropriate services
Practices are expected to actively signpost patients to appropriate services:
- Available from members of the contractor’s cluster
- Provided or commissioned by the Local Health Board
- Available locally or nationally
Access standards poster
The poster below provides further information about the Access Standards for General Medical Services in Wales.
