National GP patient survey: the results are in
The latest results of the national GP Patient Survey were published recently. Find out what people are saying about their local GP surgery.
The latest results of the national GP Patient Survey offer the first indication from the public of how easy they find it to use the NHS App or websites to contact their GP practice since contractual changes introduced in 2025 required practices to keep online booking systems open throughout normal working hours.
The survey findings, answered by more than 650,000 people in the first three months of 2026, show:
- Over half (58%) of people said it was easy to use their GP practice's website to get in touch, up from 51% the previous year. Similarly, 54% found it easy to contact their practice using the NHS App, a notable increase from 49% in 2025.
- More people (31%) contacted their practice through online methods this year, compared with 22% in 2025.
- Improvements in the 8am phone rush, with 57% saying it was easy to get hold of their practice on the phone, compared with 53% in 2025.
- Most people felt listened to by their health professional in their last appointment (87%) and treated with care and concern (86%), in scores similar to those in 2025.
- In a new question, only three in ten (31%) people referred by their GP for specialist care said had been offered a choice of hospital, and only one-third (34%) said they knew about this right to choose before their appointment.
- 13% of people who find it difficult to see, hear, speak, read or understand what is being said, said they never or almost never received help from practices to communicate or understand the information they are given about their care, an increase from 11% the year before.
Healthwatch England have responded to the survey results on their website.
If you would like to share with us your recent experience of your GP surgery, we'd love to hear your take on things. Tell us more in our Have Your Say form.
