Even during annual leave we can’t neglect the results from our Patient Satisfaction Survey. So, here they are:
I saw Jackie today ,& she solved a lot of my problems I’ve been worried about this last year..she met my needs perfectly & arranged further tests …very pleased .
More doctors slots
We assume this patient meant more doctors’ slots are needed at the surgery to cope with the appointment demand. Unfortunately, we are limited by the staff and space we have available. Although we theoretically could employ more doctors, we don’t have the space to put them. Nor do we have the funding to allow us to do so. Funding for clinical staff has been moved from practices into the new primary care networks. NHS England has reserved this funding for additional roles to support primary care, however, these roles do not include doctors and nurses. The budget the PCN (primary care network) receives is also limited. We would love to have more bodies and space at hand and reduce the heavy workload our clinicians deal with daily, but our hands are tied.
My first appointment was cancelled by the surgery. I attended for a second time as instructed , the nurse was on leave and I wasn’t informed. My next available appointment is over a month away! So over 2 months just to have a medication review! I’m hoping 3rd time lucky! There seems to be lots of staff but only 1person dealing with patients, perhaps open 2 desks to be more efficient? I think privacy is a problem when queues form to discuss patients needs / care.
We apologise for the problems this patient encountered. Unfortunately, we have been coping with sickness amongst our nursing team lately. Often, we only learned about this earlier on the same day with our practice manager receiving a call between 5 and 7 am to inform her. Although we made every attempt to inform our patients of the fact by sending them a text to cancel or rearrange the appointment, some may not have received this text on time or had access to their mobile. We also tried to contact all those with only a landline via the landline.
Although it may appear we have lots of staff, our receptionists are all part-time and opening a second desk is not an option currently.
We agree with this patient’s statement about privacy and confidentiality. This is why we don’t allow patients to request an appointment at the reception. Anyone in the waiting area could overhear the conversation and we are keen to avoid this. This is also why we answer our phones away from reception.
After my appointment I had fit note waiting for me I had only enquired prior to my appointment fantastic service
The problem is getting to see a GP when needed, having to ring on the only to be told no appointments are available
GP appointments are given out by the clinicians following an assessment of need only. Where this is needed and possible, they will assign patients with appointments. Sometimes a different service is more appropriate or they will need to signpost to another service because of a lack of capacity. iHeart is one of those services, which provides the much-needed extra capacity in primary care. Where patients should receive same-day medical care and no capacity remains at the surgery, we will signpost to other services like NHS 111, walk-in centres or urgent care centres. The demand for appointments outweighs the availability, something which is common throughout the country.
Very quick text reply and seen a couple of hours later – very impressed with the service provided and the outcome
Telephone system not the best, frequently get engaged signal before able to join the queue, usually a 15-20 min wait, today was very good less than 5 mins. Once connected very efficient service received
We agree our telephone system is pulling us down. This is why we are working on getting a better telephone system installed. The current system is commissioned by the ICB (formerly CCG). The Integrated Care Board (ICB) is the local health authority. We have had little to no say in the system currently in place, but the new system is one we have chosen and will need to pay for. Preparations are being made and we hope to have it in place soon although we haven’t been given a date as yet.
Dr Ali is an asset to the surgery. Friendly, professional and thorough.
We agree. Dr Ali has become part of the furniture, even if he is employed as a locum GP.
The doctor was so helpful and listened to me to what my problem was thank you
Jackie the nurse practitioner is always Amazing very thorough and makes you feel at ease. She always makes sure your happy with what will happen next and she is a massive credit to your surgery.
We agree with this too. Jackie is indeed a very valuable part of our team.
And now it’s time to have a look at the results from our Friends and Family Test:
| How likely are you to recommend our GP practice to friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment? | Unlikely |
|---|---|
| Can you tell us why you gave that response? | I feel I have been failed in many cases |
| Do you think the practice has improved in the last 12 months? | Not really |
| What are we doing particularly well? | Your receptionist have improved with their attitude towards patients |
| What do you feel we can improve on and how? | When I need to see a Doctor I don’t expect to be past to a nurse who have not got the qualifications to diagnose |
This patient is unhappy with our services and feels she has been passed to a nurse with no diagnostic skills or qualifications. Any request for a GP appointment is assessed by a clinician (GP, advanced nurse practitioner, or physician associate). These clinicians all have the skills and qualifications to diagnose and treat our patients. Our advanced nurse practitioner is a very experienced and highly skilled professional who is very thorough and trained to diagnose and treat people. If she has any concerns or needs any advice, she will liaise with a GP. People are not passed off to our ANP, they are given an appointment with this highly skilled professional instead. Someone who has received the training and qualifications to diagnose and treat patients.
| How likely are you to recommend our GP practice to friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment? | Neither likely nor unlikely |
|---|---|
| Can you tell us why you gave that response? | The gp I seen was useless |
| Do you think the practice has improved in the last 12 months? | Yes |
| What are we doing particularly well? | Na |
| What do you feel we can improve on and how? | Na |
| How likely are you to recommend our GP practice to friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment? | Extremely likely |
|---|---|
| Can you tell us why you gave that response? | Never had a problem with our family GP |
| Do you think the practice has improved in the last 12 months? | Yes when phoning! |
| What are we doing particularly well? | Been very helpful since my dad got diagnose with vascular dementia, arranging appointments around my work timetable. also now with mums diagnosis, been very supportive and helpful! |
| What do you feel we can improve on and how? | Nothing |
And that concludes the responses we have received this week. As always we are thankful to our patients for taking the time to answer our survey. We are pleased to see our patients are mostly happy with the service we provide. It motivates us to continue to give it our best and to continue to improve further where we can.
But now, I’m off to continue enjoying my annual leave. Next week’s post is likely to be late too.
