GP urges people to take advantage of check-ups
Healthwatch North Somerset has warned that health services across North Somerset could be stretched further due to an ageing population declining free check-ups.
The local, independent watchdog surveyed a representative sample of 659 people across North Somerset for their opinions on their GP practice and discovered that 68% of 40- to 74-year-olds were putting their health at risk by neglecting to take advantage of a free health check.
All 40- to 74-year-olds without a pre-existing condition are entitled to a free ‘midlife MOT’ that measures circulation and provides an early warning for a range of conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Eileen Jacques, chief officer of Healthwatch North Somerset, explained that ignoring the offer to discover health issues at an early stage could impact the NHS in the near future.
She said: “I’d strongly urge people to take advantage of the NHS Health Check. It gives people the opportunity to speak with their GP and receive valuable advice for free in order to transform their lifestyle with a personalised wellbeing plan. More importantly, it can also dramatically prolong someone’s life by identifying serious health issues that may have previously gone unnoticed.
“Failing to take the free check-up now may mean failing to identify a condition that can be getting progressively worse. Unfortunately, this will usually mean relying on accident and emergency services that are already overloaded in addition to outpatient and social care provisions that wouldn’t have been needed if it had been discovered early.”
As well as highlighting the need for more people to take a free health check, the survey revealed that residents of North Somerset are pleased with the service they receive from their GP practice, with 89% rating it from satisfactory to good.
29% of respondents also admitted that they were too scared to complain to their GP practice due to the fear of repercussions.
Avon Local Medical Committee responded to the survey on behalf of GPs with Philip Kirby, chief executive, commenting: “All North Somerset surgeries are proud of the role of GPs for being responsible for overall patient care. Practices’ complaints procedures include always being happy to listen and they always encourage patients to feedback about their services because this is how they learn and improve.”
Dr Mary Backhouse, Chief Clinical Officer of North Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group welcomes the Healthwatch report on General Practice in North Somerset. “Healthwatch is a valuable independent voice for the people of North Somerset to express their views on Health and Social Care Services. It is good to see that GP services are valued. We welcome the action points and will work with NHS England who commission GP services to make sure these are acted on”.
Eileen added: “It’s a testament to the hard word of everyone who works at a GP practice that so many people are pleased with the service they receive so, luckily, the practices shouldn’t be receiving much negative feedback. If people do wish to complain, however, the process can be hugely complex. As the local health and social care champion, Healthwatch North Somerset can help guide people through the complaints process, and we also publish public feedback regarding GP practices and other health and social care services on our website.”
To share feedback about your GP practice you can phone us on 01275 851400 or e-mail contact@healthwatchnorthsomerset.co.uk. You can download the full report here or find out more about the free NHS Health Check here
