Patients across Norfolk and Suffolk are reporting a better-than-national experience of GP services, according to the latest GP Patient Survey, providing encouraging evidence that the NHS’s continued focus on prevention, earlier intervention and delivering more care closer to home is translating into a better experience for local people.
The independent annual survey, which gathers feedback from hundreds of thousands of patients across England, found Norfolk and Suffolk performed above the national average across a range of measures, reflecting the dedication of general practice teams and the strength of partnership working across the local health and care system.
The findings support the ambitions of both the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan and NHS Norfolk and Suffolk’s Population Health and Commissioning Strategy, which share a commitment to improving health outcomes, reducing health inequalities and providing more personalised care closer to home.
The survey found:
- 80% of patients rated their overall experience of their GP practice as good, compared with 77% nationally.
- 61% said it was easy to contact their practice by telephone, compared with 57% nationally.
- 62% said it was easy to contact their practice online, compared with 58% nationally.
- 74% said they waited about the right amount of time for their last appointment, compared with 69% nationally.
- 92% said their needs were met at their last appointment, compared with 90% nationally.
Ed Garratt OBE, Chief Executive of NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board, said:
“These results are encouraging and are a real credit to colleagues working across general practice and the wider health and care system, who continue to provide compassionate, high-quality care despite increasing demand.
“They demonstrate the difference that can be achieved when organisations work together with a shared focus on improving outcomes for local people. That reflects our values of kindness, collaboration and ambition, and the direction set out in both our Population Health and Commissioning Strategy and the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan – preventing ill health wherever possible, intervening earlier and delivering more care closer to home.
“While it’s positive to see patients reporting a better experience than the national average across many aspects of general practice, we also recognise there is more to do, particularly in improving access to NHS dentistry. This remains one of our highest priorities and we’re investing in both immediate improvements and long-term solutions to ensure more people can access the care they need.”
The ICB is continuing to invest in improving NHS dental services, supported by a £112 million ring-fenced dental budget for primary, community and hospital dental services across Norfolk and Suffolk.
Current work includes:
- progressing a procurement to increase NHS dental capacity across Suffolk, including Eye;
- reinvesting funding released through dental contract changes and contract terminations to increase access across Norfolk;
- developing longer-term investment plans to maximise the impact of future dental funding across the newly merged ICB;
- reviewing urgent dental care provision to ensure services continue to meet population need;
- supporting recruitment through national and locally developed Golden Hello schemes; and
- investing in the future workforce through the new University of East Anglia Dental School, where applications have now opened for the first cohort of students due to begin training in September 2027.
The new dental school will be based at a £3 million dentistry centre at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, creating 25 government-funded undergraduate training places each year and helping more dentists train, qualify and build their careers in the region. Together, these initiatives represent a significant long-term investment in improving access to NHS dentistry across Norfolk and Suffolk.
NHS Norfolk and Suffolk ICB will continue working with dental providers, local authorities, NHS England, higher education partners and local communities to improve access to NHS dental services while building on the strong performance already being achieved across general practice.