Trends in feedback July to December 2024
Between July and December 2024, we received detailed feedback from 388 people at face-to-face events, via telephone calls, emails, our website, social media and other sources. This is less than the previous six months (we heard from 417 people between January to June 2024). Between July and December 2024, we signposted 61 people to different organisations for further support. This is down slightly from 65 people in the previous six months but is a similar proportion of all feedback received (signposting/requests for information, July to December 2024: 15.7% of overall feedback; January to June 2024: 15.6% of overall feedback).
Our social media content had a reach of 105,000 and our website had 17,500 views, compared to 23,000 between January to June 2024.
The feedback we have had for the past six months has mainly been around two service areas: GP services and hospitals.
GP services
Just over a quarter (27%) of all feedback we received in July to December 2024 was to do with GP services which was less than between January to June 2024 (29%). The main issues we received feedback on were poor service and access issues. The access issues were largely divided into three categories: perceived pressure by the patients to use online services, difficulties with the online systems when using them and difficulty getting an appointment (whether by phone or online).
Hospitals
23% of all feedback received during the six months was about hospital services. The biggest concerns were around poor communication and to a lesser extent, poor quality of care and lengthy waiting lists. The poor quality of care when people got to hospital was also frequently raised. It wasn’t all negative feedback, with around one in seven of the comments we received about hospitals being positive. However, this is a reduction on the previous six months where approximately one in four comments about hospital services were positive.
Signposting/requests for information
17% of the contacts we received in July to December 2024 were requests for information or signposting support. The subject matters asked about were very varied with no real themes emerging other than for mental health support which occurred in about 7% of requests for information.
Trends
In the six-month period of July to December 2024 the percentage of positive comments rose slightly from 12% in July to 17% in December and the trend line of percentage of negative comments remained roughly the same over July to December 2024 (see Figure 2). This is an improvement on the previous six months, which showed a decline in satisfaction over the period of January to June, and has gone back to the long-term trend over the last two years which shows an overall improvement in the Northumberland residents’ perception of services (Figure 3).
Insights
Although there was a slight downward dip in the first half of 2024, the long-term trend over the past two years in the public’s perception of services has continued to improve, judging from the proportion of positive to negative comments we received in July to December 2024.We have heard from fewer people with disabilities over the six months than in the first half of 2024, but we are still hearing from a greater proportion of respondents with a disability than the county’s own demographic distribution. We have heard from a greater proportion of men and boys of all ages than in the first half of 2024. This continues a slow but steady improvement in our engagement with males over the past two years. We are working to improve this further.We are still receiving concerns about service from one GP practice in particular. We will raise the matter with them so they can address the identified areas of concern.
Read more in What you told us: Trends in feedback July to December 2024.
