Survey shows frustration with how difficult it is to make a doctor’s appointment in Chiswick

Chiswick Health Centre, where three of the eight surgeries in Chiswick are based

‘A significant portion of patients’ have trouble getting in touch with their local GP in Chiswick, and a quarter of them say they can’t get an urgent appointment

A survey of GP patients in Chiswick shows a significant number of patients are having trouble getting in touch with surgeries during opening hours, and as many as a quarter found they could not book a same day or next day appointment for something that was urgent.

The survey was carried out by the NHS North West Integrated Care Board, whose job it is to plan and commission local health services to improve the population’s health and reduce inequalities.

They received 5,233 answers from people in Chiswick in October 2024, who answered several questions to assess the ‘accessibility, quality, and user experience’ of our GP surgeries.

The survey asked patients about ease of contact with surgeries, appointment booking efficiency, the importance of continuity with GP providers, and the usefulness of online consultation.

It covered eight GP surgeries in Chiswick, listing the three which have merged to create Chiswick Medical Practice (CMP) separately.

The surgeries covered in the report were: West 4 GPs, Wellesley Road Practice (CMP), Holly Road Medical Centre, Grove Park Surgery (CMP), Glebe Street Surgery, Chiswick Health Practice, Chiswick Family Doctors (CMP) and Grove Park Terrace Surgery.

The majority of patients could reach their surgeries without too much difficulty, but 23% said they could not

The majority of patients (59%) either agreed or strongly agreed that they were able to reach their surgeries without too much difficulty but the dissatisfaction rate (23% either disagreed or strongly disagreed) indicates that ‘a significant portion of patients still face challenges in reaching surgeries during opening hours’, said the North West London Integrated Care Board.

The remaining 18% were neutral, which suggests that their experiences were mixed or inconsistent.

Fewer than half the people surveyed said they were able to book urgent appointments

When asked about the ability to book same-day or next-day appointments for urgent matters over 41% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that they could book urgent appointments.

‘The dissatisfaction rate (26% either disagreed or strongly disagreed) ‘highlights that a quarter of respondents face ongoing issues in the availability of urgent appointments’, said the Board.

The remaining 33% were neutral, suggesting mixed or variable experiences.

Only half those surveyed were satisfied with the system for booking non-urgent care

When asked about the ease of booking non-urgent appointments, only 53% of respondents expressed themselves satisfied. This indicated that ‘some surgeries may have more effective systems or greater capacity for booking non-urgent appointments’, the Board concluded.

Almost a quarter of respondents (24%) expressed dissatisfaction. The remaining 23% were neutral.

The data also showed that patients valued continuity of care. They like to see a GP who they know, but they also see the value of their local surgery collaborating with neighbouring GP surgeries.

GP practices have a way to go to convince patients that online consultation services are a good idea.

The use of online consultation services such as PATCHS and eConsult met with mixed reactions. The majority of respondents (43%) were neutral about online consultation services.

A smaller proportion, 34%, expressed satisfaction (23% satisfied and 11% very satisfied), suggesting that these platforms meet the needs of some patients.

However, 23% were dissatisfied (12% dissatisfied and 11% very dissatisfied), ‘with many citing technical issues and usability challenges as primary concerns’.

More than a third of respondents (36%) said they did not want to use an online tool and would prefer to speak to someone instead, while 9% said they did not know how to use it and 2% said they did not have access to digital technology.

Chiswick patients the least happy in the borough

NHS North West Integrated Care Board carried out similar surveys across all five Primary Care Networks in LB Hounslow, which they call ‘Brentworth’ (Brentford and Isleworth together), ‘Great West Road’, Feltham & Bedfont, Hounslow Heath and Chiswick, which represent the 46 GP surgeries across the borough.

Chiswick patients express the least satisfaction when asked to rate their overall experience of contacting their GP practice. Chiswick consistently comes bottom when comparing the levels of patient satisfaction with how easy it is to contacts GPs on the phone, through their website or through the NHS app.

Whether that means our services are worse or whether we just complain more, is open to debate, though when asked about our actual treatment – ‘In the last 12 months, have you had enough support from local services or organisations to help you manage your conditions or illnesses?’ 68% people said they had, which was the highest rating in the borough.

Map showing the locations of the eight GP surgeries in Chiswick; Chiswick Primary Care Network

Breakdown of the figures by individual GP practice in Chiswick

The NHS North West Integrated Care Board does not break down the figures further, to show the results for each individual surgery, preferring to present the aggregated results for Chiswick as a whole.

The Chiswick Calendar has now seen the raw data and has been able to see how it breaks down. Though three of the practices have merged and the names have changed,  the names here are as they were written in the survey.

Holly Road Medical Centre, 2A Holly Road, W4 1NU; Photograph Chiswick PCN

Holly Road Medical Centre

Holly Road is the standout performer across all metrics. An exceptional 91.4% of patients were satisfied with ease of contact (61.8% strongly agree), and only 3.2% expressed dissatisfaction.

Patients expressed satisfaction with both urgent appointments (65% positive) and advance booking (88.9% positive, with just 1.3% negative).

Patients consistently described the service in positive terms such as “efficient,” “excellent,” and “professional.” One patient stated they felt  “lucky to have such an efficient and professional doctors’ surgery,” while another described staff as “unbelievably helpful”. Several patients said they have “never had a problem” getting appointments.

Chiswick Health Practice – Second floor of Chiswick Health Centre, Fishers Lane, W4 1RX

Chiswick Health Practice

The second-best performer overall is Chiswick Health Practice, with 77.3% satisfied with ease of contact, and only 8.8% dissatisfied. While 62.9% were satisfied with the advance booking system, only 47.6% were as positive about the system for booking urgent appointments (same day or next day).

Patients were largely neutral about online consultation (51% expressed themselves neither satisfied nor dissatisfied); 36% said they were happy with it and 12.1% said they were dissatisfied.

Staff were consistently described as “helpful” and “supportive” by patients. A couple of patients specifically praised the availability of emergency appointments. While phone access works for many, some patients found it difficult to get through. Requests from patients for improvements included more evening slots and greater choice of GP when booking.

Grove Park Terrace Surgery, 25 Grove Park Terrace, W4 3JL; Photograph Chiswick PCN

Grove Park Terrace Surgery

Patients at Grove Park Terrace Surgery ranked their surgery in the middle, with 62.6% positive contact ratings and 67% satisfied with advance booking (second-best). However, they were less happy with access to urgent appointments (just 33.7% positive and 29.3% dissatisfied).

Patients frequently reported that phone lines were “busy” or that they were kept on hold for a long time. One patient noted the difficulty of calling at 8am “when you have young children to get ready for school”.

Several patients requested the ability to see the same doctor consistently.

Glebe Street Surgery, 1 Glebe Street, W4 2BD; Photograph Chiswick PCN

Glebe Street Surgery

Glebe Street surgery performed reasonably, with 58.9% patients expressing satisfaction with ease of contact, and 62.2% positive about the ability to make advance bookings.

However, urgent appointments are problematic as 31.3% said they were dissatisfied. 27.5% said they were satisfied with online consultation, though one patient described the online system as “appallingly complicated” with the NHS App failing to connect.

Staff were generally described positively as “friendly” and “professional”, though a couple of patients reported negative experiences.

Chiswick Family Doctors Practice, Chiswick Health Centre, Fishers Lane, W4 1RX (Renamed Chiswick Medical Practice at Chiswick Health Centre)

Chiswick Family Doctors Practice (Branch of Chiswick Medical Practice)

Middle-of-the-pack with 49.8% contact satisfaction but a concerning 31% expressed themselves dissatisfied. Urgent appointments scored 35.8% positive. Online consultation showed high dissatisfaction at 32.1%.

One patient noted “it was a lot easier to just call and make an appointment before the practice moved and amalgamated.” Several patients expressed the view that contacting the surgery was acceptable, but “trying to make appointments can be trying – not like it used to be”.

One patient reported that wait times had “increased significantly lately”, waiting 50 minutes on one occasion to get through on the phone.

A few patients expressed a desire for continuity and seeing the same doctor.

West 4 GPs, First floor of Chiswick Health Centre, Fishers Lane, W4 1RX

West 4 GPs

Satisfaction was underwhelming. Contact satisfaction was just 44.8% positive, with 32.5% negative.

Urgent appointments performed relatively better at 44.3% positive, but advance booking was poor at only 32.8% positive, with 36.3% negative.

The 8am rush was a very common complaint, with patients noting you must log into the PATCHS system at exactly that time to have any chance of an appointment. Several patients reported getting “cut off” while waiting in phone queues, and long waits were frequently mentioned.

A few patients expressed frustration at not being able to see the same GP for their appointments, with one mentioning a relationship of “30 years”.

Wellesley Road Practice, 7 Wellesley Road, W4 4BJ (Renamed Chiswick Medical Practice at Wellesley Road); Photograph Chiswick PCN

Wellesley Road Practice (Branch of Chiswick Medical Practice)

This surgery showed a poor performance across most metrics. Only 42% contact satisfaction, with 36.5% dissatisfied.

Urgent appointments scored worst at just 28.7% positive, with the highest dissatisfaction rate of all the surgeries, at 38.6%. Advance booking was similarly weak, at 35.1% positive and 37.7% negative.

Dissatisfaction with online consultation was the highest of all the surgeries, at 34.3%. Several patients described it as “impossible” to get through, and a number complained about difficulty reaching a “human”.

When asked about potential improvements, a couple of patients requested weekend services.

Chiswick Medical Practice, Grove Park (formerly Grove Park Surgery) 95 Burlington Lane, W4 3ET; Photograph Chiswick PCN

Chiswick Medical Practice (Grove Park surgery)

The surgery with the lowest contact satisfaction score was the Chiswick Medical Practice Burlington Lane surgery, with just 40.4% positive, and the highest dissatisfaction rate at 37%.

Urgent bookings were 30.8% positive and advance booking was 37% positive. Online consultation satisfaction was above average at 38.9%, though 31.1% said they were dissatisfied.

Patients frequently mentioned “busy” phone lines, with one noting a “small window to call” that’s “always busy.” One patient raised accessibility concerns, explaining they are deaf but still received phone calls despite this being recorded on their file.

One patient requested more consistency with GPs rather than seeing locums. One patient reported feeling “interrogated” by reception staff, while another praised receptionists as “fabulous at helping the elderly.”

Link to the data

If you would like to have a look at the data in full, you can find it here:

NHS North West Integrated Care Board survey of Chiswick GP patients

Read more stories on The Chiswick Calendar