title: Patients' experiences of the choice of GP practice pilot, 2012/2013: a mixed methods evaluation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate patients' experiences of the choice of general practitioner (GP) practice pilot.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mixed-method, cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients in the UK National Health Service (NHS) register with a general practice responsible for their primary medical care and practices set geographic boundaries. In 2012/2013, 43 volunteer general practices in four English NHS primary care trusts (PCTs) piloted a scheme allowing patients living outside practice boundaries to register as an out of area patient or be seen as a day patient.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis of routine data for 1108 out of area registered patients and 250 day patients; postal survey of out of area registered (315/886, 36%) and day (64/188, 34%) patients over 18 years of age, with a UK mailing address; comparison with General Practice Patient Survey (GPPS); semistructured interviews with 24 pilot patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pilot patients were younger and more likely to be working than non-pilot patients at the same practices and reported generally more or at least as positive experiences than patients registered at the same practices, practices in the same PCT and nationally, despite belonging to subgroups of the population who typically report poorer than average experiences. Out of area patients who joined a pilot practice did so: after moving house and not wanting to change practice (26.2%); for convenience (32.6%); as newcomers to an area who selected a practice although they lived outside its boundary (23.6%); because of dissatisfaction with their previous practice (13.9%). Day patients attended primarily on grounds of convenience (68.8%); 51.6% of the day patient visits were for acute infections, most commonly upper respiratory infections (20.4%). Sixty-six per cent of day patients received a prescription during their visit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Though the 12-month pilot was too brief to identify all costs and benefits, the scheme provided a positive experience for participating patients and practices.
authors: Policy Innovation Research Unit, Department of Health Services Research & Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors: Stefanie
authors: S
authors: Tan
authors: Policy Innovation Research Unit, Department of Health Services Research & Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors: Bob
authors: B
authors: Erens
authors: Policy Innovation Research Unit, Department of Health Services Research & Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Wright
authors: Policy Innovation Research Unit, Department of Health Services Research & Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors: Nicholas
authors: N
authors: Mays
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011320:Primary Health Care; D013222:State Medicine; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: access; choice; practice boundaries; primary health care