Carol Sinnott
@cmsinnott.bsky.social
Academic GP, Cambridge/Wexford, lucky mom of two, all views my own.
Access to #GeneralPractice is a public priority- but what can we expect from the solutions expounded by the NHS ten year plan? Our new study in @bmj.com offers a glimpse of what the future might hold…
#PrimaryCare #FamilyMedicine
#PrimaryCare #FamilyMedicine
NEW @bmj.com research reports experiences of access to general practice in England.
It finds that the three proposed shifts in the NHS 10 year plan may not be what patients or practices want
www.bmj.com/content/392/...
It finds that the three proposed shifts in the NHS 10 year plan may not be what patients or practices want
www.bmj.com/content/392/...
January 17, 2026 at 10:17 PM
Access to #GeneralPractice is a public priority- but what can we expect from the solutions expounded by the NHS ten year plan? Our new study in @bmj.com offers a glimpse of what the future might hold…
#PrimaryCare #FamilyMedicine
#PrimaryCare #FamilyMedicine
Reposted by Carol Sinnott
This large qualitative study published in the BMJ suggests that the "three shifts" proposed in the 10-Year Plan for health may not be what patients are seeking nor what practices want to support better access to general practice. www.bmj.com/content/392/...
Will access to general practice be affected by the #NHS10YearPlan? There needs to be clarity about what this offers for patients, what “good enough” looks like for access & careful co-design & evaluation of the detail of each of the 3 shifts.
Full paper: ths.im/4b6oPWp
THIS Summary: ths.im/49oDU4k
Full paper: ths.im/4b6oPWp
THIS Summary: ths.im/49oDU4k
January 15, 2026 at 4:31 PM
This large qualitative study published in the BMJ suggests that the "three shifts" proposed in the 10-Year Plan for health may not be what patients are seeking nor what practices want to support better access to general practice. www.bmj.com/content/392/...
Reposted by Carol Sinnott
How will the shifts to digital, community & prevention set out in the English NHS 10-year plan affect access to general practice? @thisinstitute.cam.ac.uk asked patients, carers & NHS staff about their experiences of access.
Read more in this new paper ⬇️
Read more in this new paper ⬇️
Experiences of access to general practice in England: qualitative study and implications for the NHS 10 year plan
High quality primary care is strongly associated with better functioning of healthcare systems, enabling the needs of most patients to be met by offering first contact care for undifferentiated illness, comprehensive care across the lifespan...
bit.ly
January 15, 2026 at 5:00 PM
How will the shifts to digital, community & prevention set out in the English NHS 10-year plan affect access to general practice? @thisinstitute.cam.ac.uk asked patients, carers & NHS staff about their experiences of access.
Read more in this new paper ⬇️
Read more in this new paper ⬇️
Reposted by Carol Sinnott
Will access to general practice be affected by the #NHS10YearPlan? There needs to be clarity about what this offers for patients, what “good enough” looks like for access & careful co-design & evaluation of the detail of each of the 3 shifts.
Full paper: ths.im/4b6oPWp
THIS Summary: ths.im/49oDU4k
Full paper: ths.im/4b6oPWp
THIS Summary: ths.im/49oDU4k
January 15, 2026 at 11:15 AM
Will access to general practice be affected by the #NHS10YearPlan? There needs to be clarity about what this offers for patients, what “good enough” looks like for access & careful co-design & evaluation of the detail of each of the 3 shifts.
Full paper: ths.im/4b6oPWp
THIS Summary: ths.im/49oDU4k
Full paper: ths.im/4b6oPWp
THIS Summary: ths.im/49oDU4k
Reposted by Carol Sinnott
Big qual study on access to general practice
Changes linked to 10 year plan offered some benefits, but also unintended effects—including undermining continuity and human connection, fragmentation of care, and widening inequities
Careful design, implementation, and evaluation of new services needed
Changes linked to 10 year plan offered some benefits, but also unintended effects—including undermining continuity and human connection, fragmentation of care, and widening inequities
Careful design, implementation, and evaluation of new services needed
NEW @bmj.com research reports experiences of access to general practice in England.
It finds that the three proposed shifts in the NHS 10 year plan may not be what patients or practices want
www.bmj.com/content/392/...
It finds that the three proposed shifts in the NHS 10 year plan may not be what patients or practices want
www.bmj.com/content/392/...
January 15, 2026 at 8:15 PM
Big qual study on access to general practice
Changes linked to 10 year plan offered some benefits, but also unintended effects—including undermining continuity and human connection, fragmentation of care, and widening inequities
Careful design, implementation, and evaluation of new services needed
Changes linked to 10 year plan offered some benefits, but also unintended effects—including undermining continuity and human connection, fragmentation of care, and widening inequities
Careful design, implementation, and evaluation of new services needed
Reposted by Carol Sinnott
It's now 20 years since we came up with the candidacy framework for explaining access to healthcare. Now, our scoping review shows how candidacy has been used in research on access to general practice. It seems to be useful and actionable - good news! journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10....?
January 1, 2026 at 2:03 PM
It's now 20 years since we came up with the candidacy framework for explaining access to healthcare. Now, our scoping review shows how candidacy has been used in research on access to general practice. It seems to be useful and actionable - good news! journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10....?
Reposted by Carol Sinnott
Among many others I have struggled to understand why ‘neighbourhood health’ should replace really good primary care. This study underlines some of the challenges.
NEW @bmj.com research reports experiences of access to general practice in England.
It finds that the three proposed shifts in the NHS 10 year plan may not be what patients or practices want
www.bmj.com/content/392/...
It finds that the three proposed shifts in the NHS 10 year plan may not be what patients or practices want
www.bmj.com/content/392/...
January 14, 2026 at 5:57 PM
Among many others I have struggled to understand why ‘neighbourhood health’ should replace really good primary care. This study underlines some of the challenges.
Reposted by Carol Sinnott
Access to general practice is a growing problem, with long waits, lack of appointments & unmet patient needs. Our review shows the candidacy framework offers a more nuanced way to understand access, beyond appointment numbers & waiting times.
Full paper ths.im/4aljBFS
THIS summary: ths.im/4iZqTBe
Full paper ths.im/4aljBFS
THIS summary: ths.im/4iZqTBe
December 22, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Access to general practice is a growing problem, with long waits, lack of appointments & unmet patient needs. Our review shows the candidacy framework offers a more nuanced way to understand access, beyond appointment numbers & waiting times.
Full paper ths.im/4aljBFS
THIS summary: ths.im/4iZqTBe
Full paper ths.im/4aljBFS
THIS summary: ths.im/4iZqTBe
Reposted by Carol Sinnott
Our review shows that the candidacy framework can help explain why improving access to general practice is so complex. It highlights issues that affect how people seek care but may benefit from updating to reflect general practice changes.
Full paper: ths.im/4aljBFS
THIS summary: ths.im/4iZqTBe
Full paper: ths.im/4aljBFS
THIS summary: ths.im/4iZqTBe
December 30, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Our review shows that the candidacy framework can help explain why improving access to general practice is so complex. It highlights issues that affect how people seek care but may benefit from updating to reflect general practice changes.
Full paper: ths.im/4aljBFS
THIS summary: ths.im/4iZqTBe
Full paper: ths.im/4aljBFS
THIS summary: ths.im/4iZqTBe
Reposted by Carol Sinnott
Making it easier to get appointments is the public’s top priority for the NHS. We reviewed 40 years of interventions into a themed catalogue to help guide improvement efforts.
THIS summary: ths.im/3MlV1dS
Full paper: ths.im/44DALL2
THIS summary: ths.im/3MlV1dS
Full paper: ths.im/44DALL2
January 2, 2026 at 10:06 AM
Making it easier to get appointments is the public’s top priority for the NHS. We reviewed 40 years of interventions into a themed catalogue to help guide improvement efforts.
THIS summary: ths.im/3MlV1dS
Full paper: ths.im/44DALL2
THIS summary: ths.im/3MlV1dS
Full paper: ths.im/44DALL2
Reposted by Carol Sinnott
Access to healthcare is often focused on speed and supply, but this doesn’t consider other crucial aspects of people’s experiences. The candidacy framework can help understand access to general practice more broadly.
Full paper: ths.im/3Kz0Vb4
THIS Summary: ths.im/4phBVnH
Full paper: ths.im/3Kz0Vb4
THIS Summary: ths.im/4phBVnH
January 6, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Access to healthcare is often focused on speed and supply, but this doesn’t consider other crucial aspects of people’s experiences. The candidacy framework can help understand access to general practice more broadly.
Full paper: ths.im/3Kz0Vb4
THIS Summary: ths.im/4phBVnH
Full paper: ths.im/3Kz0Vb4
THIS Summary: ths.im/4phBVnH
Reposted by Carol Sinnott
NEW @bmj.com research reports experiences of access to general practice in England.
It finds that the three proposed shifts in the NHS 10 year plan may not be what patients or practices want
www.bmj.com/content/392/...
It finds that the three proposed shifts in the NHS 10 year plan may not be what patients or practices want
www.bmj.com/content/392/...
January 14, 2026 at 4:51 PM
NEW @bmj.com research reports experiences of access to general practice in England.
It finds that the three proposed shifts in the NHS 10 year plan may not be what patients or practices want
www.bmj.com/content/392/...
It finds that the three proposed shifts in the NHS 10 year plan may not be what patients or practices want
www.bmj.com/content/392/...
Read our new review of how the candidacy framework has been used in research on access to general practice here:https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13558196251406207
December 16, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Read our new review of how the candidacy framework has been used in research on access to general practice here:https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13558196251406207
Reposted by Carol Sinnott
What’s been tried? A curated catalogue of efforts to improve access to general practice
➡️ doi.org/10.3399/BJGP...
Using 449 different sources, this review offers a comprehensive, thematically curated catalogue of attempts to improve access to general practice.
➡️ doi.org/10.3399/BJGP...
Using 449 different sources, this review offers a comprehensive, thematically curated catalogue of attempts to improve access to general practice.
June 19, 2025 at 12:00 PM
What’s been tried? A curated catalogue of efforts to improve access to general practice
➡️ doi.org/10.3399/BJGP...
Using 449 different sources, this review offers a comprehensive, thematically curated catalogue of attempts to improve access to general practice.
➡️ doi.org/10.3399/BJGP...
Using 449 different sources, this review offers a comprehensive, thematically curated catalogue of attempts to improve access to general practice.
Hoping our catalogue of 449 different efforts to improve access to general practice will be useful for policymakers, clinicians and patients. The paper summarises our findings. The entire list is in supplementary data 4 here: bjgpopen.org/content/bjgp...
June 19, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Hoping our catalogue of 449 different efforts to improve access to general practice will be useful for policymakers, clinicians and patients. The paper summarises our findings. The entire list is in supplementary data 4 here: bjgpopen.org/content/bjgp...
Reposted by Carol Sinnott
Despite 40-plus years of interventions, patient satisfaction with access to NHS general practice continues to drop. We reviewed and sorted 449 previous attempts at improving access into a catalogue for policymakers, researchers, and clinicians. THIS summary: ths.im/44njDJG Full paper: ths.im/4lgXkew
June 19, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Despite 40-plus years of interventions, patient satisfaction with access to NHS general practice continues to drop. We reviewed and sorted 449 previous attempts at improving access into a catalogue for policymakers, researchers, and clinicians. THIS summary: ths.im/44njDJG Full paper: ths.im/4lgXkew
Reposted by Carol Sinnott
In patients with #Insomnia disorder, low-dose mirtazapine and, to a lesser extent, amitriptyline, improved insomnia severity compared with placebo at 6 weeks, but not from 12 weeks onwards doi.org/10.3399/BJGP... #PrimaryCare #GeneralPractice
June 18, 2025 at 6:30 AM
In patients with #Insomnia disorder, low-dose mirtazapine and, to a lesser extent, amitriptyline, improved insomnia severity compared with placebo at 6 weeks, but not from 12 weeks onwards doi.org/10.3399/BJGP... #PrimaryCare #GeneralPractice
Reposted by Carol Sinnott
💡 Despite record numbers of appointments, patient satisfaction with access to NHS general practice is declining. With @healthfoundation.bsky.social we reviewed 40 years of interventions into a themed catalogue to help guide improvement efforts.
January 24, 2025 at 9:42 AM
💡 Despite record numbers of appointments, patient satisfaction with access to NHS general practice is declining. With @healthfoundation.bsky.social we reviewed 40 years of interventions into a themed catalogue to help guide improvement efforts.
Reposted by Carol Sinnott
Many, many, many things have been tried in trying to improve access to general practice. @thisinstitute.bsky.social and @healthfoundation.bsky.social have curated those efforts: bjgpopen.org/content/earl...
January 11, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Many, many, many things have been tried in trying to improve access to general practice. @thisinstitute.bsky.social and @healthfoundation.bsky.social have curated those efforts: bjgpopen.org/content/earl...
Engaging reflections here on the unintended consequences of GPs only seeing the most complex patients without any lower acuity consultations. Consequences include decision fatigue, an inability to "reset" between patients, and decreased performance: www.hssib.org.uk/patient-safe....
Investigation report: Continuity of care - delayed diagnosis in GP practices
Full online version of the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) investigation report 'Continuity of care: delayed diagnosis in GP practices'.
www.hssib.org.uk
November 28, 2024 at 10:28 AM
Engaging reflections here on the unintended consequences of GPs only seeing the most complex patients without any lower acuity consultations. Consequences include decision fatigue, an inability to "reset" between patients, and decreased performance: www.hssib.org.uk/patient-safe....
Reposted by Carol Sinnott
Conversations around GP access often focus on appointment waiting times & availability but miss key factors that impact patients' overall experiences with access. @cmsinnott.bsky.social explores these factors with @nadakhan.bsky.social in this @bjgp.bsky.social podcast:
Looking at how people access (and can’t access) general practice – lessons to take into action
Quickly and easily listen to BJGP Interviews for free!
ths.im
November 21, 2024 at 11:02 AM
Conversations around GP access often focus on appointment waiting times & availability but miss key factors that impact patients' overall experiences with access. @cmsinnott.bsky.social explores these factors with @nadakhan.bsky.social in this @bjgp.bsky.social podcast:
Really looking forward to this session- do join us for what promises to be an enthusiastic conversation and fresh look at problems relating to access to general practice.
Measures of access to general practice tend to focus on speed & availability – how has this approach affected efforts to improve access, and should access be viewed more broadly?
At #THISspace2024 we’ll discuss the issues and offer fresh perspectives. Register: ths.im/3zNtSut
At #THISspace2024 we’ll discuss the issues and offer fresh perspectives. Register: ths.im/3zNtSut
November 14, 2024 at 9:08 AM
Really looking forward to this session- do join us for what promises to be an enthusiastic conversation and fresh look at problems relating to access to general practice.
Thanks @nadakhan.bsky.social and @bjgp.bsky.social for giving me the chance to share our recent work on access to general practice with you on this podcast!
BJGPLife: Episode 189: Looking at how people access (and can’t access) general practice – lessons to take into action
bjgplife.com/episode...
bjgplife.com/episode...
November 14, 2024 at 9:06 AM
Thanks @nadakhan.bsky.social and @bjgp.bsky.social for giving me the chance to share our recent work on access to general practice with you on this podcast!
Reposted by Carol Sinnott
The #CandidacyFramework offers a way to examine improving #GeneralPractice access through a candidacy lens. Does the patient believe they are a candidate for health care?
🎧Podcast: www.bjgplife.com/189
📖 Paper: doi.org/10.3399/BJGP...
🎬 1-min Video: youtu.be/JJLR2QlG5cg
#GPworkforce #PrimaryCare
🎧Podcast: www.bjgplife.com/189
📖 Paper: doi.org/10.3399/BJGP...
🎬 1-min Video: youtu.be/JJLR2QlG5cg
#GPworkforce #PrimaryCare
November 13, 2024 at 11:58 AM
The #CandidacyFramework offers a way to examine improving #GeneralPractice access through a candidacy lens. Does the patient believe they are a candidate for health care?
🎧Podcast: www.bjgplife.com/189
📖 Paper: doi.org/10.3399/BJGP...
🎬 1-min Video: youtu.be/JJLR2QlG5cg
#GPworkforce #PrimaryCare
🎧Podcast: www.bjgplife.com/189
📖 Paper: doi.org/10.3399/BJGP...
🎬 1-min Video: youtu.be/JJLR2QlG5cg
#GPworkforce #PrimaryCare
Reposted by Carol Sinnott
The key is to feel there is someone there – yes, a doctor – who cares about you.
November 12, 2024 at 8:19 AM
The key is to feel there is someone there – yes, a doctor – who cares about you.