Last chance to have your say about getting care when you need help fast

The NHS in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland is encouraging anyone who still wants to have their say about the services they use when they need help quickly, to fill in a questionnaire before the closing date on Sunday 7 December 2025. People’s responses will help the NHS make improvements to services in the future.

The questionnaire was launched in September and is open to anyone registered with a GP practice in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, with a specific questionnaire for each of the three places. It asks for people’s views and experiences of appointments they might have had when they needed help quickly, such as at their GP practice or a local pharmacy.

Patients registered with GP practices in Leicester City are also being asked about improvements to evening, weekend and bank holiday appointments that were introduced in Leicester on 1 October 2025. These appointments replaced services previously available at the healthcare hubs, and they offer:

• more locations across Leicester where same-day GP appointments are available in the evenings and at weekends.
• longer appointment times, so that people can get the care they need in one visit
• face to face appointments with a GP, rather than a mix of different professionals

For all participants, the questionnaire also asks for people’s views about a new two-step approach to getting care quickly, called ‘Need help fast?’, that the local NHS has been promoting since September:

Step 1: Try to manage the problem yourself or get help from a local pharmacy, NHS 111 online, or the NHS App.

Step 2: If that doesn’t work, or the problem is more serious, contact your GP practice or NHS 111 (when your GP practice is closed). They will help book you the right appointment in the right place. This could be at:

• a pharmacy (through the Pharmacy First scheme)
• an urgent treatment centre
• your own GP practice
• another GP practice or health centre (during evenings, weekends and bank holidays).

If it’s a life-threatening emergency, people should go to the emergency department or call 999.

Prof. Nil Sanganee, Chief Medical Officer said: “Thank you to everyone who has filled in the questionnaire so far. Your feedback and your experiences of using services are vital to help us make improvements to same-day services going forward. It’s not too late to have your say either by filling in the questionnaire online or sending back any paper questionnaires by Sunday 7 December.

How to complete the questionnaire

People can complete the questionnaire online at: https://leicesterleicestershireandrutland.icb.nhs.uk/be-involved/need-help-fast-engagement/ or ask for a paper copy by emailing llricb-llr.beinvolved@nhs.net or calling 0116 295 7532.