Participation Report 2015 to 2016

Our Practice

We are a rural Practice with a long presence in our local community, which we have served for over three decades. We haveapproximately 3500registered patients.

We aim to provide our patients with a responsive, efficient and caring service. We provide a broad range of care, including specialist clinics, community nursing and minor surgery.

We employ one male and two female GPs.

Our opening times:

Emergency on call 08:00 – 08:30 & 18:00 – 18:30 Monday – Friday excluding bank holidays

Monday / 8:30 am / 6:00 pm
Tuesday / 8:30 am / 6:00 pm
Wednesday / 8:30 am / 6:00 pm
Thursday / 8:30 am / 8:00 pm
Friday / 8:30 am / 6:00 pm

Extended hours

Late night bookable surgery is available on Thursdayevenings, from 6:30 pm to 08:00 pm. Extended hours are promoted via the Practice website and leaflet.

The Patient Participation Group

The group can help us clarify priorities for action that may significantly improve the service we offer our patients. Our Participation Group have helped us to obtain this information by participating inSurveys and attending at monthly meetings.

We have adopted a range of measures to increase participation in the group.

  • Promotion of the group via the practice website
  • A mailshot invitation to all male patients in the 35-44 age group (200 patient)
  • A mailshot invitation to all ethnic minority patients (41 patients)
  • The group is promoted in routine mailshots
  • Presentations on the practice ‘Jayex’ system (public information\patient waiting room)

The Patient Participation Group Profile

The practice Participation Group now has 36 members, an increase of thirteen members over the last twelve months.

You can see a detailed demographic breakdown of the Group below:

Registered Patients Profile

You can see a demographic breakdown or our registered patients (2015) below:

Ethnicity – our registered patients

We currently have ethnicity data for 66% of registered patients.

62% of these patients identify as White British or British mixed.

0.2% of these patients identify as White and Black African

0.3% of these patients identify as Bangladeshi, or British Bangladeshi.

0.2% of these patients identify as Indian

The remaining patients fall into a range of ethnic groups, with only one or two patients in each group

Ethnicity – The Patient Participation Group

Ethnicity data is available for 65% of the participation group. Where members of the group have provided this information they have identified as ‘white British.’

The Action Plan – Responding to last year’s survey (2014-2015)

Last year’s survey elicited responses across a broad range of quality areas, both those identified by the mini-survey, and broader areas of practice performance. The participation group wanted broader data to enable them identify trends in practice performance.

  • Rating the medical centre overall
  • Awareness of online services
  • Awareness of extended services
  • Use of the triage system
  • Rating the triage system
  • Satisfaction with clinical staff
  • Seeing doctor of choice
  • Experience of consultation
  • Experience of reception
  • Complaints procedure

The survey results have been analysed bythe participation group, and deficits in service provision identified

Survey results indicate that only 27% of patients have used the Surgery’s Triage system. This is a very small percentage of the practice population, and an indication that our broader population is not aware of this service.

The practice manager consulted with the Participation Group (Feb 2014) and agreed an action plan.

It has been agreed that the practice will promote the Triage service with a view to higher levels of patient participation. The practice will monitor both uptake, and satisfaction levels with this service.

The Action Plan

The Action Plan agreed with the participation group obliges the practice to:

  1. Promote the Triage service through the Practice website; leaflets, Jayex presentations and Practice Newsletter
  1. Monthly audit of Triage demand and capacity
  1. Additional Triage sessions if capacity audit indicates a need

The action plan has been successfully implemented; the triage has been promoted on the Jayex and within the newsletter. Patients are now more aware of the service and feedback from patients via the friends & family suggest that patients are extremely happy with the service we offer. We have monitored the triage and found that we are able to cope well with the calls and while the numbers of patients has increased using the triage we do not feel expanding the service is necessary at this time.

This year’s mini survey (2014 to 2015)

The following quality areas were examined by the group

Clinical care: The service I receive from Practice nurses

Clinical care: The service I receive from my doctor

Our appointment service: getting an appointment

Reception issues – the service I receive from Practice receptionists

Information – including the health information I receive

Our Surgery opening times

Transport – getting to and from the Surgery

On-line services – the web based services available from the Practice.

You can see an illustration of the results of this year’s survey below:

32% of respondents stated no change was required

18% of respondents selected our ‘opening times.’

18% of respondents selected ‘transport, getting to and from the Surgery.’

14% of respondents selected ‘Information, including health information.’

The Practice manager has consulted with the Participation group and has agreed an action plan

The Action Plan (2014 – 2015)

  • Improved information on website, new leaflet available to patients sign posting them to services available locally before requesting a GP appointment.
  • Make clear in practice booklet the car parking arrangements at the surgery including the disabled bays and place links to public transport on website. Bus timetables are available in reception.
  • The practice is in the process of recruiting a new partner or salaried GP due to retirement. This is an optium time to revise the practice opening times. We aim to have the dispensary open until 7pm Tues-Thurs weekly and change our extended hours from 1 evening working until 8pm to 3 evenings working to 7pm from 01.07.2015. In the meantime we have increased access to nurses by having a nurse available for extended hours, we have triage on Mondays & Tuesdays and also have increased the telephone & on line booking appointments.

Patients have also had on line access to medication, ordering prescriptions, allergies, immunisations since December 2014 if they requested.