PATIENTS in Wales should expect to receive a prompt response when they contact their GP surgery by telephone - and practices should have appropriate systems in place to ensure people do not have to call back multiple times.

These are two key new standards - among seven overall - unveiled by the Welsh Government today, and designed to improve the level of service patients get from their GP practices.

But they have received a lukewarm reception from a GPs' representative in Wales, who says that "imposing standards on an already overstretched workforce is not the best way to achieve the shared aim of improving access".

The new standards follow a recent Wales-wide survey of patients that showed a decline in satisfaction with GP services last year (86 per cent) compared to 2016/17 (90 per cent).

The survey also revealed that last year, 42 per cent of survey participants said they found it difficult to make an appointment at their practice, up from 38 per cent the previous year.

The new standards are designed to ensure that people know what to expect when they need health and wellbeing advice, when they need to consult a GP or other healthcare professional, and what other options are available to them. The full set of new standards will sek to ensure that:

• People receive a prompt response to their contact with a GP practice via telephone;

• Practices have the appropriate telephony systems in place to support the needs of people, avoiding the need to call back multiple times;

• People receive bilingual information on local and emergency services when contacting a practice;

• People are able to access information on how to get help and advice;

• People receive the right care at the right time, in a joined up way which is based on their needs;.

• People can use a range of options to contact their GP practice;

• People are able to e-mail a practice to request a non-urgent consultation or a call back.

All GP practices in Wales, supported by health boards, are expected to be meeting standards by March 2021, and financial support - yet to be announced - will be available too.

“I know GPs and their practice teams are under pressure to meet demand, but I also know people’s expectations on GP access are not currently being met," said health minister Vaughan Gething.

“(This) is not about putting additional pressure on our GP services - it is about them delivering a level of service patients in Wales should expect as a minimum.

"For many practices across Wales, the standards I’ve announced today will already be in place, but for others this will be a journey of improvement. Over time I would like to see these standards developed further so that services are continually improving for the citizens of Wales.”

Dr Charlotte Jones, who chairs the British Medical Association's Welsh GPs committee, said GPs in Wales work "extremely hard - often to the detriment of their own health - to ensure that patients are seen in a timely manner, and this is reflected in the still very high satisfaction ratings".

“Whilst we accept, welcome and strive for better access for patients, recognising the challenges patients face, the way to address this is to support GP practices to release capacity for patients who need their care," she said.

"This can be achieved through improving recruitment of GPs, practice nurses and ensuring the wider multi-disciplinary primary and community care workforce are in place.

"It can be achieved through ensuring patients are empowered to self-care when appropriate. It can be achieved through resourcing supporting infrastructure for practices to take forward different ways of providing access; through properly supporting practices and enhancing the partnership model so that we have sustainable services available to patients.

"Imposing standards on an already overstretched workforce is not the best way to achieve the shared aim of improving access.

“We will continue to work with the Welsh Government to ensure that patients are seen in a way that is most suitable and appropriate for their need.

"This work needs to also include robust support for practices so that they have the resources they need to address the challenges they face on a day to day basis, where they are fire-fighting to meet ever increasing demand and thus enable them to have capacity to develop their access arrangements for patients.”