In March 2019, the Minister for Health and Social Services announced a new set of standards to raise and improve access for patients in Wales from their GP practices.

Access standards (summary)

1. Have a telephone system with call recording (incoming and outgoing), call stacking, and the ability to analyse call data.
2. Provide a bilingual (Welsh and English) telephone introduction message with a total duration of no longer than 2 minutes.
3. Ensure patients and care homes can order repeat prescriptions digitally.
4. During core hours, enable patients to digitally request a non-urgent appointment or a call-back, with appropriate governance in place.
5. Publicise on the practice website:
   • The access requirements in this section, and how patients can:
   • Access the practice’s services; and
   • Request an urgent, routine, and advanced consultation.
6. Offer a same-day consultation for:
   • Children under 16 with acute presentations; and
   • Patients clinically triaged as requiring an urgent assessment.
7. Offer pre-bookable appointments to take place during core hours.
8. Actively signpost patients to appropriate services:
   • Within the GP cluster,
   • Provided or commissioned by the Local Health Board, or
   • Available locally or nationally.

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