PATIENT PARTICIPATION SURVEY REPORT
We recently conducted a survey which allowed us to gain feedback from the practice population. Areas covered included, access to services, getting an appointment, modes of contact, standard of care, surgery opening hours and potential changes.
Overall your responses were very positive and complimentary of the service provided by us. However, points of improvement were identified, which were mainly centred on the appointment system and access to appointments.
A virtual patient participation group survey was completed in order to address the issues identified and reach an agreement on how to implement changes. These changes would hopefully provide a solution to the problems around the appointment system.
A practice ethnicity profile was completed and an online survey sent to a select group of patients. It was important for us to find a group that would adequately represent the practice population. However, we found it difficult to recruit patients from the other white ethnic group. We have a lot of Turkish/Eastern European patients who we felt were under represented in our group. We will continue to try to recruit patients from this group.
* See appendix 1 Practice Ethnicity Profile
The group consisted of the following age/ethnicity profiles
In summary of the survey findings, it was confirmed that we should continue to book appointments only 1 week in advance. Patients would like to be reminded by text messaging of their appointments. The consultation times and our emergency appointment system rated good/satisfactory. Patients were usually seen within 5-15 minutes after reporting to the reception desk. We would like to reduce this time period, however this may be difficult as the Doctors do sometimes run late. One reason for this is that patients often come with more than one problem making it difficult to keep to the 10 minute appointment slot allocated. Another reason is that the Doctors have on occasion started their surgeries late.
Action plan:
1)The practice will need to implement a text messaging service to remind patients of their appointments.
2)Also, as patients prefer to book by telephone, we will need to ensure the telephone system can handle the volume of calls coming through, and work effectively. There have been problems recently with the telephones, but this should now have been resolved.
3)We need to reduce the late running of our clinics by making sure we start on time and by asking patients to come back if the problems are going to require a longer appointment.
FINAL YEAR RESULTS:
Following the areas identified in the action plan we implemented a text messaging service reminding patients of their appointments. Patients have welcomed this reminder and are very happy with the service. This has substantially reduced our DNA’s (did not attend) over the past 2 years.
From end of April 2013, we implemented a system whereby patients can also cancel their appointments via the text messaging service, therefore we hope to reduce the amount of DNA’d appointments even further.
Our telephone system has been working well and we have had no complaints on this issue.
Patients are now able to book double appointments if they feel they need longer than the 10 minutes allocated per appointment. This reduces the late running of our clinics. We are also making an effort to start the clinics on time.
PRACTICE ETHNICITY PROFILE
WHITE BRITISH
AGE / MALE / FEMALE15 - 34 / 57 / 52
35 - 44 / 25 / 23
45 – 54 / 39 / 27
55 – 64 / 19 / 26
65 – 74 / 18 / 14
75+ / 20 / 47
TOTAL / 178 / 189
WHITE IRISH
AGE / MALE / FEMALE15 - 34 / 2 / 4
35 - 44 / 2 / 1
45 – 54 / 4 / 1
55 – 64 / 1 / 1
65 – 74 / 0 / 3
75+ / 1 / 2
TOTAL / 10 / 12
WHITE & BLACK CARIBBEAN
AGE / MALE / FEMALE15 - 34 / 5 / 4
35 - 44 / 1 / 2
45 – 54 / 2 / 2
55 – 64 / 0 / 1
65 – 74 / 0 / 1
75+ / 1 / 0
TOTAL / 9 / 10
WHITE & BLACK AFRICAN
AGE / MALE / FEMALE15 - 34 / 1 / 0
35 - 44 / 1 / 0
45 – 54 / 1 / 1
55 – 64 / 1 / 0
65 – 74 / 0 / 0
75+ / 0 / 0
TOTAL / 4 / 1
OTHER WHITE GROUP
AGE / MALE / FEMALE15 - 34 / 133 / 187
35 - 44 / 70 / 81
45 – 54 / 62 / 46
55 – 64 / 26 / 23
65 – 74 / 18 / 20
75+ / 10 / 16
TOTAL / 319 / 373
TURKISH
AGE / MALE / FEMALE15 - 34 / 60 / 91
35 - 44 / 41 / 45
45 – 54 / 35 / 28
55 – 64 / 16 / 12
65 – 74 / 8 / 11
75+ / 3 / 4
TOTAL / 163 / 191
INDIAN
AGE / MALE / FEMALE15 - 34 / 20 / 10
35 - 44 / 6 / 7
45 – 54 / 2 / 7
55 – 64 / 6 / 1
65 – 74 / 4 / 2
75+ / 1 / 0
TOTAL / 39 / 27
PAKISTANI
AGE / MALE / FEMALE15 - 34 / 7 / 4
35 - 44 / 4 / 5
45 – 54 / 0 / 0
55 – 64 / 1 / 1
65 – 74 / 2 / 0
75+ / 0 / 0
TOTAL / 14 / 10
BANGLADESHI
AGE / MALE / FEMALE15 - 34 / 13 / 7
35 - 44 / 6 / 4
45 – 54 / 2 / 2
55 – 64 / 2 / 1
65 – 74 / 0 / 0
75+ / 0 / 0
TOTAL / 23 / 14
BLACK CARIBBEAN
AGE / MALE / FEMALE15 - 34 / 17 / 28
35 - 44 / 15 / 18
45 – 54 / 23 / 36
55 – 64 / 7 / 13
65 – 74 / 6 / 13
75+ / 6 / 11
TOTAL / 74 / 119
BLACK AFRICAN
AGE / MALE / FEMALE15 - 34 / 72 / 121
35 - 44 / 46 / 74
45 – 54 / 43 / 36
55 – 64 / 16 / 20
65 – 74 / 2 / 7
75+ / 2 / 3
TOTAL / 181 / 261
CHINESE
AGE / MALE / FEMALE15 - 34 / 2 / 3
35 - 44 / 2 / 1
45 – 54 / 1 / 1
55 – 64 / 0 / 1
65 – 74 / 1 / 0
75+ / 0 / 1
TOTAL / 6 / 7
OTHER ETHNIC GROUP
AGE / MALE / FEMALE15 - 34 / 13 / 14
35 - 44 / 9 / 7
45 – 54 / 4 / 4
55 – 64 / 4 / 0
65 – 74 / 0 / 0
75+ / 0 / 2
TOTAL / 30 / 27