GP Patient Survey 2026: What the latest results tell us about North Yorkshire

The latest results

The latest results from the GP Patient Survey 2026 have been published, providing one of the biggest annual snapshots of people's experiences of primary care.

The survey, carried out independently by Ipsos on behalf of NHS England, asked more than 700,000 people across England about their experiences of primary care – the NHS services people use most often, including GP practices, community pharmacies and NHS dentists. It covers access to appointments, communication, overall experience and support for people with different communication needs.

North Yorkshire is part of the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care System, so local results are reported at that level alongside information for individual GP practices and groups of neighbouring practices.

The findings help GP practices, NHS organisations and Healthwatch understand what matters most to patients and where improvements may still be needed.

Want a quick overview? NHS England has published a simple infographic summarising the key findings from the GP Patient Survey 2026 before you explore what the results mean for North Yorkshire.

View the GP Patient Survey 2026 infographic

"The GP Patient Survey provides valuable insight into what matters most to people when they use local health services. It's encouraging to see positive experiences in many areas, but the results also show there is still more to do, particularly around access to NHS dentistry and making sure everyone can get the support they need when using healthcare services.

"Alongside the experiences people continue to share directly with Healthwatch North Yorkshire, these findings help build a clearer picture of what's working well and where improvements can make the biggest difference."

What the survey found in North Yorkshire

Overall, people living in the Humber and North Yorkshire NHS area reported a more positive experience of GP services than the England average across several measures.

Around 79% of patients rated their overall experience of their GP practice as good, compared with 77% nationally. People were also more likely to find reception staff helpful (86% compared with 84% nationally) and found it easier to get through to their practice by phone (59% compared with 54% across England).

The survey also found that people continued to report positive experiences of community pharmacies. People in Humber and North Yorkshire generally reported positive experiences of community pharmacies, with results slightly above the England average across several pharmacy measures.

However, the findings also highlight areas where improvements are still needed.

NHS dentistry continues to be one of the biggest challenges. Around 77% of people who tried to get an NHS dental appointment were able to do so, compared with 82% nationally. Overall satisfaction with NHS dental services was also lower than the England average (71% compared with 74%), showing that access remains a concern for many people.

The survey also looked at communication support for people with disabilities or other needs. While many people said they received the help they needed, the findings suggest there is still room to improve how GP practices identify and support patients who need information in accessible formats.

Differences across North Yorkshire

The survey found noticeable differences between Primary Care Networks. These are groups of neighbouring GP practices that work together to provide care for people in their local communities.

Looking at the results helps show how patient experience can vary across North Yorkshire. Some areas reported stronger results across several measures, including overall experience of GP practices, helpfulness of reception staff and getting through by phone.

Other areas reported lower scores for telephone access, waiting times for appointments and overall experience. This shows that while many people are having positive experiences, access to GP services is not the same everywhere.

The results also suggest that people’s views of care are often more positive once they have an appointment or contact with a healthcare professional. The bigger challenges tend to be around getting through to practices, booking appointments and being seen within a time that feels right for the patient.

These differences are important because they can help NHS organisations and GP practices understand where patients are having a better experience, where improvements may be needed, and where good practice could be shared across different areas.

A snapshot of people's experiences

Like any survey, the GP Patient Survey provides a snapshot of people's experiences at a particular point in time and won't reflect everyone's experience of using GP practices, pharmacies or NHS dentistry.

Many people receive excellent care every day, and the survey highlights a number of positive experiences across North Yorkshire. GP practices, community pharmacies and dental teams also continue to work under significant demand and resource pressures while supporting growing numbers of patients.

The results should be seen as one source of evidence, alongside feedback shared directly with Healthwatch North Yorkshire and other local organisations, to help identify what's working well and where improvements could make the biggest difference.

How this links to our work

Many of these findings reflect what people tell us through our own work.

Over recent years, we've heard about the challenges people face getting GP appointments, accessing NHS dentistry, and the importance of community pharmacies in helping people get advice and treatment without needing to see a GP. We've also heard how communication, accessible information and reasonable adjustments can make the difference between someone getting the care they need or missing out altogether. 

Earlier this year, our report Making health appointments work for everyone found that many people were not being asked what support they needed before appointments, while others had to repeatedly explain their needs because this information wasn't being recorded or shared properly. The report included recommendations to improve communication, make reasonable adjustments more consistently and help people access healthcare more easily. 

We'll continue using both local experiences and national survey findings to highlight what's working well, identify where improvements are needed, and help shape health and care across North Yorkshire.