Access Standards

What to expect from your local surgery

• When you contact your surgery, you will be treated fairly regardless of the contact method you choose. 
• If you choose to contact the surgery by telephone, calls will be answered by a trained member of staff who will assess your clinical needs. To make sure you get the best support, you may be signposted to another service - the reasons for this will be clearly explained to you.
• Where access to a service (e.g. a consultation) is clinically appropriate, you will be assessed and offered an appropriate consultation, at an appropriate time without the need to ring back. This may mean that an appointment is booked for a date in the future but will be consistent with your assessed clinical need.
• You will be able to contact your surgery via an online service and receive a similar service to those who choose a telephone route.
• Your surgery will be open and honest about the services offered, how to access them and how to access additional or alternative services when required.

What are the new standards?

A new set of standards were announced by the Minister for Health and Social Services in March 2019 that are aimed to raise and improve the level of service for patients in Wales from their GP practices.

These standards are:

• People receive a prompt response to their contact with a GP practice via the telephone.
• Practices have the appropriate telephony systems in place to support the needs of people avoiding the need to call back multiple times and will check that they are handling calls in this way.
• People receive bilingual (Welsh and English) information on local and emergency services when contacting a practice.
• People can use a range of options to contact their GP practice and to make an appointment.
• People are able to email a practice to request a non-urgent consultation or a call back.
• 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 that is based on their needs.
• Practices understand the needs of their patients and use this information to anticipate the demand on its services. 

Swansea Bay University Health Board will be supporting your GP practice to ensure these standards are achieved.