Study title

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The National Surveys of NHS Patients programme comprises a series of surveys designed to contribute to monitoring the performance of the NHS as seen from the patient's perspective. The Government committed itself to this programme in 1997, in The New NHS - modern dependable White Paper, which proposed the introduction of annual surveys of patients and users to allow systematic comparisons of experiences over time and between different parts of the country. The first survey, covering general practice patients, was carried out in 1998. The second survey, covering Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) patients, took place in 1999. The third survey, covering Cancer patients, took place in 2000. The fourth survey, covering General Practice, took place in 2002. Further information about the series may be found on the Department of Health National Surveys of NHS Patients web page.


The National Survey of NHS Patients: General Practice, 2002 aims to assess the quality of NHS care from the patients’ perspective. The findings are intended to inform practice locally and nationally by highlighting areas in need of improvement.

Main Topics:

The survey covers questions on attitudes to and experience of:

• visiting your general practitioner (GP)
• nurses at your GP surgery
• out-of-hours care
• the GP surgery
• hospital referrals
• other health services
• general health
• basic demographic information