Frequently asked questions

Please note the survey has now closed.

Why was I invited to take part?

You have been invited to take part because you were randomly selected from all adult patients registered with a GP in England. Over 2.5 million patients aged over 16 registered with a GP in England have been selected to receive the GP Patient Survey this year.

Why was I sent a text message? Is this legitimate?

We send text messages as a reminder to take part in the survey, where we have mobile numbers. Text messages are sent from 'NHS_Survey' or 'NHS GP Patient Survey' depending on your phone provider and device. Each text message contains a unique link. This will let you take part online without needing to enter your personal access code. This is an example of one of the text messages: 

You may also receive a text message with a unique link to an e-letter, inviting you to take part in the survey. This will also let you take part online without needing to enter your personal access code.

Why haven’t I been invited to take part in the survey? How can I take part?

The survey is sent to a random selection of people who are registered with a GP in England. To ensure the survey is valid, Ipsos cannot invite people who have not already been selected at random to take part in the survey.

However, NHS England are committed to hearing patient’s views on services they have received, and there are other ways you can provide feedback. For example, your GP practice should offer the Friends and Family Test (FFT) which lets you leave comments about your experience. You can also give feedback on services you have received by posting comments on websites including the NHS website and Care Opinion.

Alternatively, you can feedback to the commissioner, which is the organisation that pays for the service or care you received. For GP services, you should contact your local integrated care board (ICB).

I am not registered with a GP at the moment, should I still take part?

This survey is being sent to people who have been registered with a GP practice in the last six months. If you were registered with a practice during that period, even if you are not now, you may still take part. Please answer the questions about the practice you were registered with during that period (or most of that period) for the questions asking about your GP practice. For questions about general practice appointments (or other services), please think about anywhere where you have had a general practice appointment. This could be any general practice location, such as GP practices, or on other premises such as in GP hubs or health centres.

I have not contacted my GP recently, should I still take part?

Yes, you can still take part. If a question does not apply to you, please select 'It doesn’t apply' (where included) or leave it blank. The online survey will automatically skip questions that are not relevant to you. If you take part using the paper questionnaire, we have included routing instructions to help you avoid answering questions which are not relevant.

I have not visited my GP practice in person recently, should I still take part?

Yes, you can still take part. If a question does not apply to you, please select 'It doesn’t apply' (where included) or leave it blank. The online survey will automatically skip questions that are not relevant to you. If you take part using the paper questionnaire, we have included routing instructions to help you avoid answering questions which are not relevant.

My last GP appointment was with a locum – can I still take part?

Yes, you can still take part. Most questions are about general practice services as a whole, which includes appointments with a GP, nurse or other healthcare professionals.

Who should I contact if I don’t want to take part?

Taking part is completely voluntary. We hope you will take part as this will give us the best possible picture of people’s experiences of their GP practice and other local NHS services.

If you do not want to receive any reminders about this survey please contact the Ipsos survey helpline on Freephone 0800 819 9135 (8am to 9pm Monday to Friday; 10am to 5pm on Saturdays). You can also email Ipsos at GPPatientSurvey@ipsos.com.

Please be ready to provide your access code, which you can find in the middle of the letter.

Why have I received another questionnaire that asks similar questions?

At any time, there may be other surveys asking about similar things, for example, local surveys run by your GP practice or other health services, and the national Health Insight Survey. But these are not the same as the GP Patient Survey. We would be grateful if you could still take the time to take part.

How do you contact people to take part in the survey? Is the survey legitimate?

You will be invited to take part in the GP Patient Survey on behalf of NHS England by Ipsos, an independent market research agency. It is a voluntary survey, and the initial invitation is sent out by post. You can take part in the survey online, on paper or by calling our telephone helpline.

You may also receive text messages or emails inviting or reminding you to take part in the survey. Each text message or email contains a unique link to the online survey (allowing you to take part online without needing to enter your access code) or a unique link to an e-letter which provides information on how to take part.

You will not be asked to provide any identifiable information in the survey, such as your name, address, or bank details. No-one will approach you at home or by telephone to ask you to take part in the survey. At any one time there will be a range of other surveys run by Ipsos or other research companies, some of which may ask similar questions to those in this survey. If someone does say they are calling or visiting you specifically asking you to take part in the ‘GP Patient Survey’, we strongly recommend that you do not speak to them or let them into your home, and that you contact the police.

If you have any further questions about the survey, Ipsos has a Freephone survey helpline. Please call 0800 819 9135 (8am to 9pm Monday to Friday; 10am to 5pm on Saturdays).

Why have I received a notification from the NHS App?

You may also receive NHS App notifications inviting or reminding you to take part in the survey. Each app notification contains a unique link to the online survey (allowing you to take part online without needing to enter your access code) or a unique link to an e-letter which provides information on how to take part.

Can you fill in the survey on behalf of someone else?

If someone needs your help taking part in the survey, you can offer help. But the answers should be about their experience only. If your relative or friend does not have the capacity to take part, you can fill in the survey on their behalf, if they have given you permission to do this (for example, if you are their Power of Attorney). Please answer all questions about their experience only, including the demographic questions at the end of the questionnaire.

Ipsos also provides a Freephone survey helpline for patients who have problems filling in the questionnaire. Please call 0800 819 9135 between 8am and 9pm Monday to Friday, or 10am to 5pm on Saturdays.

How much are calls to 0800 numbers?

All calls to 0800 telephone numbers are free when made from a standard UK landline phone or mobile.