Access to GP services for children and young people in west Essex

This report aims to capture the thoughts, emotions and lived experience of those people trying to access GP services within west Essex for themselves or on behalf of a friend or loved one. From this, we aim to provide key learnings and recommendations in order to help develop policies and processes to match the needs of the local population.

Publication date

October 2022

Key findings

Children and young people often need immediate assessment and treatment for various health issues, causing high concern for parents. GP surgeries should prioritise this demographic by using technology to improve access and offering a flexible, healthcare centre approach with various professionals.

The growing population in south and east England is increasing pressure on NHS services. Surgeries need more staff and should educate young people on the different ways to receive appropriate treatment, not just face-to-face GP visits.

Additional information

Survey by Healthwatch Essex.

Healthwatch Hertfordshire and Healthwatch Essex have been commissioned by the Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) Primary Care Workstream to undertake a series of engagement projects.

The aims of the engagement projects include:

Gathering lived experiences to feed directly into the Hertfordshire and West Essex ICS
Primary Care Workstream.
Supporting and enabling the Hertfordshire and West Essex ICS to achieve wider
participant engagement.
Engaging patients and the public on programmes covering key priorities and areas of
importance at a regional and local level.
Making recommendations to the Hertfordshire and West Essex ICS Primary Care
Workstream so improvements can be implemented.