Prospect Surgery’s 2015 Patient Survey

Evaluation Report

  1. Introduction

As part of the surgery’s ongoing commitment to provide and efficient and effective service to our patients, the partners agreed to continue participating in the Patient Participation DES.

  1. Patient Participation Group

The Practice PPG was established in 2011/12. Member details are as follows:-

Age Group / >25 years / 0
25 – 59 / 4
>60 / 3
Gender / Male / 5
Female / 2
Ethnicity / White British / 6
British Pakistani / 1
No of years a patient / 0 - 5 / 0
5 - 10 / 1
10 - 20 / 3
20> / 3

The members of the PPG are very enthusiastic and will to be contacted for their views on various issues throughout the year.

The practice recognises that this is not a representative group, and continues in its efforts to recruit new patients to the group, via information in the waiting room and through the Practice Newsletters.

  1. Areas of Priority

It was considered to be important to measure the Practice against the results of last year’s survey – particularly in relation to the issues covered in the 2014 action plan. For this reason, the same survey as last year was agreed.

  1. Patient Survey

Again this year the practice and the PPG agreed to use the Improving Practice Questionnaire, which is a nationally used, long established, extensively validated patient feedback tool and was chosen to obtain constructive practice feedback.

The survey, which was undertaken by Client-Focused Evaluations Programme (CFEP), is split into the following sections:-

Section One -About the practice

Section Two -About the doctor/nurse

Section Three-About the staff

Section Four-Additional Comments

CFEP calculated that in order to provide appropriate confidence levels of validity and with a practice list of 5761, a minimum of 120 completed questionnaires was required. The survey was undertaken within the practice and commenced on Monday, 12 January 2015. A total of 126 questionnaires were completed.

  1. Breakdown of Response

5.1 Response by Age

Age / No of Responses / % Response / No of Practice Patients in Age Group / % of Practice Patients in Age Group
Including “not completed” / Excluding “not completed”
Under 25 / 18 / 14.00 / 16.00 / 1873 / 32.50
25 – 59 / 54 / 43.00 / 49.00 / 2893 / 50.50
60 + / 38 / 30.00 / 35.00 / 995 / 17.00
Not completed / 16 / 13.00
Total / 126 / 100 / 100 / 5761 / 100

5.2 Response by gender

Gender / No of Responses / % Response / No of Practice Patients in Gender Group / % of Practice Patients in Gender Group
Including “not completed” / Excluding “not completed”
Female / 57 / 45.0 / 54.0 / 2585 / 45.0
Male / 49 / 38.0 / 46.0 / 3176 / 55.0
Not completed / 20 / 17.0 / 00.0
Total / 126 / 100 / 100 / 5761 / 100

5.3Response by patients visiting their usual practitioner

Visiting usual practitioner / No of Responses
Yes / 71
No / 24
Not completed / 31
Total / 126

5.4Response by length of time patients have attended the practice

Years Attending / No of Responses
< 5 years / 19
5 – 10 years / 13
> 10 years / 75
Not completed / 19
Total / 126
  1. Responses

The overall patient ratings for the practice are shown below, with 84% being good, very good or excellent, as follows:-

  • Excellent … … … … 27%
  • Very Good . … … … 31%
  • Good … … … … … 26%
  • Fair .. … … … … … 8%
  • Poor . … … … … … 2%
  • Blank ... … … … … 6%

Appendix 1 shows the responses to each question, with the table below summarising responses.

Section / Summary of Responses
Opening Times /
  • 89.50% of patients thought the surgery opening times are good, very good or excellent
  • Under 1% of patients thought the opening times are poor

Telephone Access /
  • 94% of patients rated telephone access as good, very good or excellent
  • 5.50% of patients rated it as fair

Overall satisfaction with the doctor/nurse visited that day /
  • The overall satisfaction of patients who visited that day was
  • 37.20% = excellent
  • 34.50% = very good
  • 24.80% = good
  • 2.50% = fair
  • 1.00% = poor

The recommendation /
  • The recommendation 95.50% of patients would give to their friends about the doctor/nurse they saw that day was good, very good or excellent
  • 1.5% rated them as poor

Reception Staff /
  • 95% of patients thought the manner in which they were dealt with by the reception staff was good, very good or excellent
  • 1.5% thought the manner in which they were treated was poor

Chances of seeing a doctor/nurse within 48 hours /
  • 23.5% of patients thought the chances of seeing a doctor/nurse within 48 hours would be fair or poor

Chances of seeing a doctor/nurse of YOUR choice /
  • 76% of patients thought the chances of seeing a doctor/nurse of their choice would be good, very good or excellent

Opportunity of speaking to a doctor/nurse on the telephone when necessary /
  • Less than 5% of patients thought the opportunity of speaking to a doctor/nurse on the telephone when necessary would be poor

Length of time waiting in the practice /
  • 30% of patients were unhappy with the length of time they waited in the practice

  1. Comparison to previous surveys

Similar surveys have been undertaken in previous years. Where possible comparisons have been identified in Appendix 2, but in summary

No of Areas / Change
28 / Improved
  1. Conclusion

Despite making improvements in all 28 areas over the last 12 months the practice will continue to improve, taking into account the comments made in the patient feedback section of the questionnaire. Where possible these will be addressed in the practice action plan at Appendix 3.

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  1. How we responded to the 2014 action plan

Area / Issue / Action / Results
About the Practiice / Ease of contacting the practice on the telephone /
  • The existing contract expired in August 2014.
  • We reviewed our requirements in order to ensure the effective transfer to new services including a geographic land-line number
  • Quotes were provided and a decision was made in April 2014
/ A new geographic land-line number was brought into use in June 2014
Appointment Availability /
  • The surgery is open from 8.00 am – 6.00pm Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays)
  • In order to offer patients who are unable to visit the surgery during this time we also offer appointments 3 days each week from 7.20 am
  • We recognise that early morning appointments are not suitable for some patients and understand the requests for Saturday opening. The practice will consider this as an option in line with current opening times
/ Ongoing
Ongoing
Ongoing
Seeing a doctor/nurse within 48 hours – 32.5% of patients thought the chances of seeing a doctor/nurse within 48 hours would be poor / It is disappointing that patients have highlighted this as an issue again this year.
  • Regular audits conclude that GP and Nurse appointments are regularly available and not used every day.
  • GP and nurse appointments are routinely available for booking on the day and within 24 and 48 hours notice indicating that patient perception of being able to see a doctor or nurse within 48 hours does not reflect actual availability.
  • The practice will continue to raise patient awareness of this.
/ At the end of September 2014 it was decided to undertake a change in the appointment system for one month. The amount of ‘same day’ appointments were reduced and embargos were removed from the remainder of the appointments, which means that they can be booked at any time. At the end of the month’s trial it was agreed that it had been successful and would be carried on.
Waiting time – 33% of patients were unhappy about the length of time they spent waiting in the surgery to see a doctor/nurse / This continues to be a problem for patients and we understand how frustrating it is when appointments run late. We acknowledge that sometimes doctors and nurses run late; this can be for a number of reasons:
  • a patient requires longer than their allocated appointment time
  • an emergency situation arises
We continuously try to minimise delays for patients and whilst we always have to respond to emergency situations, we are pro-actively trying to minimise delays by reinforcing that:
  • when an emergency appointment is booked with the on-call doctor, only the “urgent” medical condition can be discussed – a routine appointment should be made for non-urgent problems.
  • If a patient has more than one medical problem to discuss, they should request a double appointment.
/ We strive to reduce the amount of waiting time and continue to ensure that patients are made aware of the delay and how long this delay might be.
About the Doctors/Nurses / We have seen a slight decrease in patient satisfaction in all but 2 areas of this section of the survey / The practice wants all of our patients to have a positive experience every time they come into contact with any member of the surgery team; from reception/admin staff through to doctors and nurses / Ongoing
About the staff / 6.5% of patients surveyed were unhappy about the manner in which they were treated by the reception staff / We want out patients to feel they have been treated with respect and dignity at all times. In an attempt to achieve this, we recognise the importance of staff being fully trained and therefore undertake a one-hour staff training programme each week. In addition 2 half-day customer service training sessions have been arranged for July and September 2014 for all staff / The 2 half-day training sessions took place in July and September 2014 and most members of staff felt that they had been successful and had learned a lot from them
Other issues / The opportunity for making compliments or complaints to this practice about the service and quality of care
The availability and administration of reminder systems for ongoing health checks / The practice welcomes both compliments and complains from patients – either through formal or informal channels.
Patients are usually able to speak to either the Practice Manager or Office Manager at any time of the day, either in person or on the telephone – complaints are dealt with following the principles of the NHS complains procedure.
We will endeavour to raise awareness of this to patients through information in the waiting room and in the next Practice Newsletter
We are delighted that patient satisfaction in this area has improved as we have invested a lot of time and effort into ensuring patients have the correct recalls in their record and that, where possible, patients are called for review in the month of their birthday.
We are still improving this process and hope that patients continue to appreciate this valuable service. / Ongoing
Ongoing

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Appendix 1

Responses to Survey Questions

Question / Poor / Fair / Good / Very Good / Excellent / Blank/spoilt
About the Practice
Q1 Opening hours satisfaction / 1 / 12 / 43 / 48 / 20 / 2
Q2 Telephone access / 1 / 7 / 35 / 54 / 29 / 0
Q3 Appointment satisfaction / 2 / 11 / 33 / 42 / 35 / 3
Q4 See practitioner within 48 hours / 10 / 19 / 41 / 33 / 21 / 2
Q5 See practitioner of choice / 11 / 19 / 39 / 34 / 22 / 1
Q6 Speak to practitioner on phone / 5 / 14 / 44 / 39 / 13 / 11
Q7 Comfort of waiting room / 3 / 17 / 48 / 32 / 22 / 4
Q8 Waiting time / 3 / 37 / 39 / 30 / 12 / 5
About the Doctor/nurse (whom I have just seen)
Q9 Satisfaction with visit / 1 / 3 / 30 / 42 / 45 / 5
Q10 Warmth of greeting / 1 / 4 / 27 / 40 / 47 / 7
Q11 Ability to listen / 2 / 7 / 19 / 43 / 48 / 7
Q12 Explanations / 1 / 6 / 27 / 38 / 48 / 6
Q13 Reassurance / 2 / 5 / 30 / 38 / 46 / 5
Q14 Confidence in ability / 1 / 3 / 26 / 39 / 51 / 6
Q15 Express concerns/fears / 2 / 8 / 25 / 43 / 42 / 6
Q16 Respect shown / 2 / 5 / 23 / 38 / 53 / 5
Q17 Time for visit / 1 / 9 / 26 / 40 / 45 / 5
Q18 Consideration / 1 / 4 / 35 / 35 / 38 / 14
Q19 Concern for patient / 1 / 7 / 31 / 38 / 36 / 13
Q20 Self care / 1 / 7 / 31 / 42 / 30 / 15
Q21 Recommendation / 2 / 3 / 27 / 39 / 42 / 13
About the staff
Q22 Reception staff / 2 / 4 / 28 / 42 / 45 / 5
Q23 Respect for privacy/confidentiality / 1 / 14 / 23 / 36 / 46 / 6
Q24 Information of services / 0 / 14 / 30 / 37 / 39 / 6
Additional Services
Q25Complaints/compliments / 4 / 15 / 40 / 35 / 22 / 10
Q26 Illness prevention / 3 / 15 / 37 / 37 / 25 / 9
Q27 Reminder systems / 3 / 13 / 42 / 38 / 21 / 9
Q28 Second opinion/complimentary medicine / 4 / 14 / 36 / 31 / 23 / 18

Appendix 2

Comparison to Previous Surveys

Area / 2015 / 2014 / 2013 / 2012 / 2008
Opening hours satisfaction / 65 / 64 / 63 / 63 / 53
Telephone access / 70 / 61 / 61 / 43 / 49
Appointment satisfaction / 70 / 62 / 64 / 48 / 51
See practitioner within 48 hours / 57 / 50 / 54 / n/a / 45
See practitioner of choice / 57 / 52 / 52 / n/a / 36
Speak to practitioner on phone / 59 / 57 / 56 / 58 / 43
Comfort of waiting room / 61 / 58 / 62 / 57 / 57
Waiting time / 52 / 51 / 53 / n/a / 36
Satisfaction with visit / 76 / 71 / 72 / n/a / 71
Warmth of greeting / 77 / 72 / 74 / n/a / 75
Ability to listen / 77 / 73 / 76 / n/a / 76
Explanations / 76 / 71 / 74 / n/a / 75
Reassurance / 75 / 70 / 72 / n/a / 73
Confidence in ability / 78 / 73 / 74 / n/a / 75
Express concerns/fears / 74 / 71 / 73 / n/a / 75
Respect shown / 78 / 74 / 77 / 73 / 77
Time for visit / 75 / 69 / 72 / n/a / 65
Consideration / 73 / 70 / 70 / n/a / 71
Concern for patient / 72 / 68 / 72 / Na / 73
Self-care / 71 / 70 / 70 / n/a / n/a
Recommendation / 76 / 70 / 73 / 64 / 74
Reception staff / 76 / 72 / 73 / 71 / 65
Respect for privacy confidentiality / 73 / 69 / 73 / n/a / 62
Information of services / 71 / 67 / 66 / n/a / 62
Complaints/compliments / 62 / 59 / 60 / n/a / 55
Illness prevention / 64 / 62 / 61 / n/a / 55
Reminder systems / 63 / 62 / 61 / n/a / 55
Second opinion/complimentary medicines / 63 / 58 / 60 / n/a / 57
Score improved since 2014

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Appendix 3

Prospect Surgery Action Plan 2015

Area / Issue / Specific Patient Comments / Action / Timescale
About the Practice / Length of time waiting in the practice /
  • Sometimes the waiting times in the waiting room are longer than they should be.
  • Try to keep appointments on schedule.
/ All clinicians to make a more concerted effort to keep appointment times. / Ongoing
Satisfaction with the day and time arranged for your appointment /
  • Unable to get a quick appointment unless it’s an emergency.
  • I think later opening maybe one day a week.
/ This is generally not the case. Since changing the appointment system there is usually appointments available to book within 24 hours.
We are awaiting new government legislation on opening times. / Ongoing
Comfort level of waiting room /
  • Children’s area in the waiting room.
/ We are prevented from doing this for Health and Safety reasons and Infection Control legislation.
About the staff / Respect shown for your privacy and confidentiality /
  • Not very private when talking to the receptionist – everybody in the waiting room listens.
  • The receptionists should not ask what is wrong with you when phoning for an appointment, we should have our privacy as patients.
/ There is a notice in the reception area informing patients who wish to speak more privately to ask a receptionist .
The staff only enquire if it is an urgent problem if the request is for a same day appointment. / Ongoing
And Finally /
  • Computers need updating. Great receptionists
  • Should be a system for car parking so we don’t pay.
/ We have recently updated our computer system.
Unfortunately this is out of our control.

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Positive Feedback

We think we should also share some of the positive feedback that was received in the patient survey.

  • Good service.
  • Great receptionists
  • My wife and I have been patients with this practice for 40+ years and in all that time have never had any reasons for concern or complaint, we have always been treated with respect and consideration from every doctor and all staff.
  • One doctor was excellent, very caring and very thorough
  • Already good standards.
  • Very satisfied.

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