Intelligence report Feb 2019 to July 2019

Findings

• Older residents consider pharmacies to be a valuable resource for advice on minor ailments, and subsequently do not visit GP practices as often as before.
• Older residents appreciated receiving reminders about annual check-ups and eligibility for certain treatments such as flu jabs, health checks, screenings etc.
• Older residents felt that the standard length of GP appointments needs to be increased to allow enough time to describe multiple symptoms.
• Young adults felt that stigma around cancer exists within BME communities.
• Because there is a lack of open conversation about cancer within BME communities, there is a false perception that cancer does not exist within the community or that incidences are low.
• Many of the young BME adults are alienated from their families because of their cancer diagnosis. A sizeable number of them have been advised by their family to not receive cancer treatment.
• There is a lack of consistency in the provision of complaints information on GP websites.
• There is a significant variation in how pharmacies and opticians record the communicational needs of patients