Factors of patient satisfaction with medical services: the case of G.P. practices in the U.K.

This paper investigates whether factors previously identified in the literature are also important in the U.K. primary healthcare system. In a survey based on the SERVQUAL scale, 182 patients were personally interviewed. The analysis shows that the demographic variable age and gender are of little importance in determining satisfaction with G.P. services but the fundholding-non-fundholding divide is. For nearly every aspect of G.P. services the results clearly show that patients from fundholding surgeries are happier than patients from nonfundholding surgeries.