Setting standards based on patients' views on access and continuity: secondary analysis of data from the general practice assessment survey

Objectives To examine patients' views on access and continuity in general practice to derive quality standards. Design Secondary analysis of data from general practice research studies and routine quality assessment activities undertaken by practices and primary care trusts. Setting General practice. Participants General practice patients. Results Satisfactory standards of access were next day appointments with general practitioners and a 6-10 minute wait for consultations to begin. A satisfactory level of continuity was seeing the same general practitioner "a lot of the time." Standards varied with the analytic method used and by sociodemographic group. Conclusions Standards expected by patients in primary care can be derived from linked report-assessment pairs. Patients may have expectations of access that are in excess of government targets. Patients also have high expectations of continuity of care. It is unclear the degree to which such standards are reliable or valid, how conflicts between access and continuity should be resolved, or how these standards relate to other priorities of patients such as high quality interpersonal care.