Patients would rather see a GP than pharmacists and nurses, study finds

Leader Live

07-07-2025

A study found that people often like to see a GP and still prefer in-person appointments, considering them the 'gold standard'.
The review of 33 existing studies, from the University of Southampton, also found patients often like to choose a specific doctor to maintain continuity of care.
Trust and confidence decreased when patients wanted to see a GP but were directed to a nurse or other health worker instead, it added.
The study noted people also wanted easier ways to book GP appointments, clearer phone options, shorter recorded messages, and simple online routes with quick responses.
It comes after the Government published its 10-year health plan which intends to massively increase use of the NHS App, as well as recruit more GPs.
An improved app will give patients more control over booking, moving and cancelling appointments, as well as quicker access to medics and other forms of care.
The new study, published in the British Journal of General Practice, suggested confidence and trust scores appeared to be lower when people wanted a face-to-face appointment and received a call instead.
The public also wanted clear details on the roles of different NHS workers, it found.
Lead author Helen Atherton, professor of primary care research, said: 'Patients want a deeper connection with their doctor's practice, better communication, and the choice to see the right professional in the best way for them.
'The NHS needs to better understand what people want so it can shape its services to work for patients.
'Ignoring these fundamental needs will only exacerbate the issues it currently faces.'
Writing in the journal, Prof Atherton and colleagues added: 'Patients wanted a nearby practice, with clean waiting rooms, easy appointment booking using simple systems and with short waiting times, and to be kept informed about the process.'
In particular, researchers found that, for medication reviews and long-term conditions, patients preferred seeing someone they were familiar with.
The research also suggested that, where a patient's condition was worsening, 69.5% of patients reported preferring to consult a GP than a pharmacist and 42.7% strongly agreed or agreed that they would prefer to consult with a GP rather than a pharmacist.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: 'It's really encouraging to see how much patients value the care, and continuity of care, their GP provides – there are some things that only a GP can do for their patients, but it's also important that patients don't feel somehow short-changed if they're offered an appointment with another member of our highly-skilled multi-disciplinary team.
'Not all patients need to see a GP. Procedures such as blood tests, routine management of non-complex long-term conditions, the monitoring of repeat prescriptions, or assessment of a painful joint, for example, can be carried out by some of the various other members of the team who now work in general practice, such as nursing staff, mental health professionals, clinical pharmacists and physiotherapists.
'This also alleviates workload on GPs, allowing us to spend time with those patients with complex health needs who really do need our expert medical attention.
'However, we know that even when working as part of multi-disciplinary teams, patients often struggle to access their GP when they need to – and we share their frustrations.
'This is due to decades of under-funding of general practice and poor workforce planning, which has meant patient need for our care has escalated in recent years, while GP numbers have sadly not risen in step.
'We need thousands more GPs, and the recently published 10-Year health plan commits to providing these.
'We're now looking ahead to the revised long-term workforce plan, due later this year, to see how the Government plans to recruit more GPs and keep more GPs in the profession for longer – but also address some of the nonsensical issues GPs are reporting that they can't find appropriate employment upon qualification.'
Henry Gregg, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association, said: 'It's not surprising that people want to see a GP when they go to a GP surgery but all our research and experience shows that people are very happy to visit a pharmacy if they can access treatment or advice quickly without having to wait to see a GP.
'Pharmacists are highly trained medical professionals who offer first-class care for a range of ailments quickly and conveniently and will send patients to a GP or hospital if needs be.
'Increasingly people will be able to pop into a community pharmacy and see a highly qualitied pharmacist for things like screening, check-ups, HRT, weight management or ongoing care without lengthy waits, freeing their NHS colleagues in hospitals and GPs to do more and offering patients the choice and convenience we all want to see.'
Royal College of Nursing chief nursing officer, Lynn Woolsey, said: 'Nursing staff are an integral part of any general practice delivering a range of services to patients.
'They lead public health clinics, run screening and vaccination programmes, support patients in the management of chronic disease and can diagnose and prescribe.'