2026 National GP Patient Survey
About the GP Patient Survey
The GP Patient Survey is an independent national survey carried out on behalf of NHS England to understand patients' experiences of GP services. Questionnaires are sent to a random sample of registered patients. For the 2026 survey:
- St Austell Healthcare: 32783 registered patients, 381 questionnaires sent, 130 completed responses received.
- Mevagissey Surgery: 4774 registered patients, 321 questionnaires sent, 123 completed responses received.
The survey results reflect the views of a relatively small proportion of registered patients and should be interpreted with this in mind. As the Institute of General Practice Management states, "By its nature, the survey can only be a snapshot of patient views". Small sample sizes may not always fully reflect the experiences of an entire practice population. The Institute also notes that practices serve different populations and face different local pressures. Survey findings are therefore best considered alongside other sources of patient feedback and local service data.
Further information about the GP Patient Survey, including details of the methodology and national results, is available at: https://gp-patient.co.uk/about.
Key Findings
The survey results highlight a number of positive areas, particularly around the care and support provided by our healthcare professionals, reception and support teams, while also identifying areas where patients felt improvements could be made. Below is a summary of some of the key findings from this year's survey.
✅ Patients value the care provided by our clinical teams (St Austell Healthcare)
· Patients rated the quality of clinical care highly, with 93% saying healthcare professionals listened to them, 94% saying they were treated with care and concern, and 97% reporting confidence and trust in the clinician they saw.
✅ Patients value the support provided by our reception and administrative teams (St Austell Healthcare and Mevagissey Surgery)
· 87% of patients at St Austell Healthcare and 75% of patients at Mevagissey Surgery found our reception and administrative teams helpful.
✅ Online access performs well (St Austell Healthcare and Mevagissey Surgery)
· Both practices scored above the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly average for ease of contacting the practice through the website, with St Austell Healthcare scoring 74% and Mevagissey Surgery 67%.
⚠️ Telephone access remains a challenge (St Austell Healthcare and Mevagissey Surgery)
· Patients at both practices reported that contacting the surgery by telephone was more difficult than the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly average.
· For patients who are able to do so, online services provide an alternative way to contact the practice and avoid waiting in a telephone queue.
⚠️ Patients would like more timely access to appointments (St Austell Healthcare and Mevagissey Surgery)
· Patients at both practices were less likely than the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly average to say they waited the right amount of time for their appointment.
⚠️ Patients would like a better experience when contacting the practice (St Austell Healthcare and Mevagissey Surgery)
· Responses relating to the overall experience of contacting the practice were below the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly average at both practices.
📈 Positive Trends Over Recent Years
Although the survey provides only a snapshot in time, a number of results have improved over the last three years.
· More patients felt involved in decisions about their care and treatment (St Austell Healthcare), with positive responses increasing from 84% in 2024 to 96% in 2026.
· More patients felt that healthcare professionals considered their mental wellbeing as part of their care (Mevagissey Surgery), with positive responses increasing from 47% in 2024 to 60% in 2026.
· More patients felt they were treated with care and concern (St Austell Healthcare), with positive responses increasing from 79% in 2024 to 94% in 2026.
In Summary
We are pleased that many patients reported positive experiences of the care, support and advice they received from our teams. The survey also highlights areas where patients would like to see improvements, particularly around telephone access and appointment waiting times.
We remain committed to providing the best possible care for our patients and will continue working to improve access to our services while maintaining the high standards of care highlighted in this survey.
We would like to thank all patients who took the time to complete the survey and share their experiences.
If you would like to share feedback on your experience, please take part in our practice patient survey. This is available online or as a paper copy at our reception desks.