📢 In March 2019, the Minister for Health and Social Services announced a new set of access standards aimed at raising and improving the level of service patients receive from GP practices across Wales.

GP practices must:

(a) Have a telephone system with call recording for incoming and outgoing calls, call stacking, and the ability to analyse call data.

(b) Provide a bilingual (Welsh and English) recorded telephone introduction message lasting no longer than 2 minutes.

(c) Ensure patients and care homes can order repeat prescriptions digitally.

(d) During core hours, allow patients to digitally request a non-urgent appointment or a call back, with appropriate governance arrangements in place.

(e) Publicise information on the practice website about:

• Access requirements and how patients can use them
• How to access practice services
• How to request urgent, routine and advance consultations

(f) Offer same-day consultations for:

• Children under 16 with acute presentations
• Patients clinically assessed as requiring urgent care

(g) Offer pre-bookable appointments during core hours.

(h) Actively signpost patients to appropriate services:

• Available within the practice cluster
• Provided or commissioned by the Local Health Board
• Available locally or nationally