New figures have shown how many people in Nottingham were able to get a same-day GP appointment.
There are 385,978 patients registered in Nottingham, spread across 43 practices.
In the 12 months to June there were 2.13 million appointments, and 953,000 patients were seen on the same day.
Of the patients not seen on the same day, 85 percent were seen within 14 days.
At Nottingham City Council health scrutiny committee meeting, Nick Blake, the programme director for primary care for the Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) cluster, said the improved position was due to a number of factors.
One was a marked up-tick in the number of online consultations.
Monthly online consultations have risen from 26,040 to 47,108, an 80 percent rise over the same period to June this year.
“In terms of improving access we are seeing a significant increase in online consultations, numbers are relatively small overall but that is something that is growing,” he told the committee.
However, some councillors raised concerns about the use of online services.
Cllr Nick Raine (Lab) said: “In terms of the access and online consultations, there are limitations.
“Some people can’t access online consultations or the internet. I think in our city something like one in four households struggle with that, in terms of they don’t have access.”
Similarly Cllr Georgia Power (Lab), the chair of the committee, said surveys were typically done with people who have lots of contact with their GP, not necessarily those who struggle with access and who may be hidden in communities.
“The only way you can complain to the ICB is by email,” she said. “So you can’t get through on the phone, so that is going to limit who can contact the ICB with a complaint.”
Cllr Maria Joannou (Lab) also raised concerns regarding people from deprived areas struggling to get access to a GP.
Mr Blake acknowledged online routes do not work for everybody, and said the ICB had engagement leads who go out in communities and work with the voluntary sector to understand patient experiences.
The ICB is also in the process of commissioning neighbourhood teams that will work in specific local areas.
These teams will bring together GP surgeries, community nurses and therapists, pharmacists, optometrists, dentists, acute specialists, local mental health teams to provide what the ICB claims will be better coordinated care.
However Mr Blake admitted there was still work to be done in this area.
The ICB areas of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Lincolnshire are being merged into one cluster, which has prompted concerns over area-specific care and local oversight worsening.
Other improvements made to GP services include 18 practices now using what’s known as “total triage”, whereby a very senior clinician will review people’s appointment requests before deciding what route to take, as well as receiving £1.76 million from a GP reimbursement fund.
This money, re-purposed by NHS England, has been going towards improving GP capacity at surgeries across the city.
“That is a really positive development,” Mr Blake said.
By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter