A new set of standards was announced by the Minister for Health and Social Services in March 2019. These standards aim to raise and improve the level of service patients in Wales receive from their GP practices.

The standards are set out below.

General Practice Access Standards
  • People receive a prompt response to their contact with a GP practice by telephone.
  • Practices have the appropriate telephone systems in place to support people’s needs, avoiding the need to call back multiple times, and will check that they are handling calls in this way.
  • People receive bilingual information on local and emergency services when contacting a practice.
  • People can access information on how to get help and advice.
  • People receive the right care at the right time in a joined-up way, based on their needs.
  • People can use a range of options to contact their GP practice.
  • People can email a practice to request a non-urgent consultation or a call back.
  • Practices understand the needs of people within their practice and use this information to anticipate demand on their services.

Access standards poster

General Practice Access Standards poster