All GP surgeries work in different ways, according to the needs of their local population and many surgeries are now able to offer appointments with a range of healthcare professionals who can support patients, without the need to see a doctor first.
In 2024, more than 11.4 million appointments took place in Sussex, a 7% increase on those delivered in the previous year – equivalent to 65,400 additional appointments each month.
In December, 51% of appointments were carried out by a professional other than a GP, which includes appointments with advanced nurse practitioners, physiotherapists, clinical pharmacists, among many others.
Many practices are working together to offer appointments with mental health care coordinators and social prescribers, who are able to patients in a holistic way, often referring them on to more specialised services or community groups to improve their overall wellbeing, as well as supporting them with any medical issues they are living with.
Dr Andy Hodson, who is a GP working in Sussex and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for NHS Sussex, said:
We have diverse teams working in surgeries in Sussex who are highly qualified to help with certain health issues and all work together to provide the best service for patients.
“We know that many patients are living with complex and interconnected health issues and as part of their ongoing care, they can access support from various team members without always needing to see the doctor every time.
“For example, Clinical Pharmacists are there to support patients with medicine queries and issues with the medicines they might be taking. While doctors are highly trained in medicines management, Pharmacists are sometimes better placed to give advice about medicines and any side effects, freeing up GPs to focus on the more complex cases.
“Additionally, physiotherapists are experts in supporting patients with any aches, pains and strains they might be dealing with, and can refer on to specialist services for diagnostics, if they are needed.”
Access to general practice services has been a focus for the NHS both locally and nationally following the publication of the Government’s delivery plan for recovering access to primary care. The national plan aimed to address two key objectives:
To tackle the ‘8am rush’ and reduce the number of people struggling to contact their practice and;
For patients to know on the day they contact their practice, how their request will be managed.
As well as empowering patients to take control of their healthcare using tools such as the NHS app and raising awareness of self-referral services, the plan aims to support practices to implement ‘modern general practice’ services including upgraded phone systems and improved GP systems, as well as increasing the capacity of services and reducing bureaucracy.
Amy Galea, Chief Integration and Primary Care Officer, NHS Sussex, said:
We know our patients and communities can sometimes find it challenging to access some healthcare services, including general practice. However, a record number of appointments last year were delivered across general practices in Sussex. This is evidence of the hard work being done by staff in GP surgeries in Sussex to improve access.
Our priority across Sussex is to maintain the focus on improving the experience of access to general practice, by supporting surgeries to ensure everyone who needs an appointment can get one within two weeks, and those who contact their practice urgently are assessed the same or next day according to clinical need. We have had feedback from people that pre-booking appointments for routine healthcare services is helpful, therefore some appointments may go beyond the two-weeks to accommodate this.
As well as improving access, we also want to work with patients and communities to improve understanding of how General Practice works.”
Information about how GP teams work together and the roles you might find in your local surgery is available on the NHS Sussex website, where you can hear from some local healthcare professionals working in surgeries across Sussex.
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It is important to remember that every GP practice is unique, and you can find out exactly what services are available by speaking to your surgery team or going to the practice website.