Patient Survey Report March 2013

Patient Survey Report March 2013

Update from 2012

Following the results of the survey in 2012 the practice has introduced music to the waiting room, refreshments were not practical and it was felt nor was a TV.

Access to GP’s has been under review as has getting through to the surgery. As part of these discussions the surgery is moving to a new clinical system in 2013 to allow changes to be made to help this situation.

Results of 2013 survey

This survey was written by the Patient Participation Group and asked questions in the major areas of concern for patients. More information on the PPG and how the survey was created is available in Appendix 4.

The survey was carried out in the surgery, on patients who had appointments as this represented the best target audience for the questions asked. The Report for 2013 is contained in Appendix 3.

Total number of questionnaires received: 343 (286 were for GP Appointments, and 37 for Nurse Appointments, 20 did not answer that question)

Question 1–Are you male or female?

Responses – 230

Female209(62%)

Male132 (38%)

This question still showed a skew towards female respondents and we are looking into whether women do account for almost 2/3rds of our appointment take up. We believed last year that it may be because children are predominantly brought by women to the surgery. We re-worded the question to apply to the patient but the bias is still there although 12% lower.

Question 2 - How old are you?

Responses – 340

Under 1615(4%)

16-44145 (43%)

45-64113 (33%)

65-7446 (14%)

75 or older21 (6%)

The age mix of patients has stayed almost identical, with the 4% in the lower category coming from the 16-44 age group, lending some weight to the theory of mothers bringing their children in last years survey.

Question 3 - What is your ethnic group?

Responses – 338

White (including White Irish and European)304 (90%)

Black British (including Caribbean, African)6 (2%)

Asian British (including Asian Indian/Pakistani)15 (4%)

Mixed5 (1%)

Chinese1 (0%)

Other7 (2%)

The survey reported that the vast majority of out patients fell into the category of White, virtually no change from the previous year.

Question 4 - How long have you been a member of this surgery?

Responses – 339

Under 2 years39 (12%)

2-5 years43 (13%)

5-10 years65 (19%)

10 years or more192 (57%)

The survey still showed that most of our patients have been with the surgery for over 10 years and that our patient population does not change regularly.

Question 5–When you contacted the surgery to book an appointment, were you able to book an appointment?

Responses - 339

Yes291 (86%)

No48 (14%)

This is a new question to the survey so we cannot make comparison, however we were keen to know how many patients were simply unable to make an appointment. It was similar to an option in the previous survey which suggested 17% of patients did not get an appointment. It is good to see this figure is lower, but we still need to try and reduce it further.

Question 6 -Did you experience difficulties getting the appointment you wanted?

Responses – 335 (some had multiple responses)

No195(58%)

I found it difficult to contact the surgery76 (23%)

Not able to get the time wanted60 (18%)

Not able to get the day wanted83 (25%)

This question has been adapted from last year’s survey, but showed that almost 60% of people had no issues getting their appointment. This appears to be an improvement on last year, but again we aim to get this figure to improve higher.

Question 7 –How helpful was the receptionist you spoke to?

Responses – 340

Helpful293(86%)

Neither helpful nor unhelpful38 (11%)

Unhelpful9 (3%)

Even though last years result was very encouraging, satisfaction that the receptionist was being helpful improved further, and only 3% felt they were unhelpful. We always aim to help our patients as much as we can within our policies and protocols so it is pleasing this is recognised and hopefully appreciated.

Question 8 - What day did you want?

Responses – 331

Today155 (47%)

Within 2 working days96 (29%)

Within a week40 (12%)

I just wanted any day40 (12%)

This question was re-worded so no comparisons can be drawn but it highlighted the current demand to be seen on the day. It is always harder to plan and prepare when a significant amount of the demand is at such short notice. We will be looking to reduce the demand for same day appointments over the coming months, whilst still ensuring that people who need to be seen urgently can be.

Question 9 - What time of the day did you want for your appointment?

Responses – 294

Early Morning (8am-9am)53(18%)

Late Morning (9am-12pm)132 (45%)

Early Afternoon (2pm-4pm)43 (15%)

Late Afternoon (4pm-6pm)55 (19%)

Evening (after 6pm)11 (4%)

The majority of patients want morning appointments which mirrors last years survey and we maintain a policy of having more doctors appointment in the morning than the afternoon. The results of this question will help us plan our appointments better.

Question 10 - Was this appointment to see your GP or nurse?

Responses – 323

GP286 (89%)

Nurse37 (11%)

We received a disproportionate number of responses from those attending to see a GP, in comparison to those seeing a nurse. One reason might be that patients had more reason and motivation to respond as their concerns are greatest in regard to GP appointments. This was identical to last year.

Question 11- How serious was your health problem?

Responses - 336

I felt it was Urgent today84 (25%)

I was worried/concerned but within 2 days122 (36%)

I was worried/concerned but within a week49 (16%)

It was just a routine consultation81 (24%)

In conjunction with question 8, the responses to this question showed an interesting trend. While almost half of patients wanted to be seen ‘on the day’ only a quarter of patients felt their medical need was that urgent. This question suggested that throughout all answers people wanted to be seen quicker than their health need warranted. We are in the process of now trying to develop an appointments system to match the needs of our population. However we will need the help of patients to make it work in that we need patients to be realistic in their expectations of how quickly they can be seen.

Question 12 –Do you feel your health issue could have been dealt with via a telephone call with the doctor?

Responses - 335

Yes52 (16%)

No283 (84%)

This question suggested that very few patients felt that their health complaint could be dealt with on the telephone. This is an increasing method of consultation so we will aim to help inform patients of when a telephone call may be appropriate.

Question 13 –How long did you have to wait for your appointment after your appointment time?

Responses – 315

Less than 15 minutes187 (59%)

15-29 minutes99 (31%)

30-44 minutes18 (6%)

45-59 minutes3 (1%) 1 hour or more 8 (3%)

Whilst some patients still commented that the waiting times is an area the surgery could improve, on the whole the responses this year are an improvement on last year. This is very positive and encouraging.

Question 14 - How acceptable did you find your waiting time?

Responses – 326

Completely acceptable211 (65%)

Acceptable, only a minor inconvenience63 (19%)

Neither acceptable nor unacceptable16 (5%)

A minor inconvenience23 (7%)

Completely unacceptable13 (4%)

As with last year the responses of acceptability were similar to overall waiting times although there were some extremes of people being happy to wait 1 hour and others finding any delay unacceptable. We try to keep to time and need patients help to do so, we will be running new awareness campaigns to try and help patients with what can be dealt with in 1, 10 minute appointment.

Question 15 -When you visited the surgery for a consultation how happy was the patient with their consultation?

Responses – 299

Very Happy149 (50%)

Happy114 (38%)

Neither happy nor unhappy29 (10%)

Unhappy5 (2%)

Very unhappy2 (1%)

Once again patient satisfaction on consultations is again very high with less than 3% of patients saying they were unhappy with their last consultation.

Question 16 - When you last ordered a repeat prescription how did you notify the surgery that you needed this repeat?

Responses – 254

I left the prescription form at the surgery173(68%)

A friend/Relative left it at the surgery23 (9%)

I used the new web service52 (20%)

I faxed it to the surgery1 (0%)

I posted the prescription to the surgery5 (2%)

Last year just 2% of patients had used our new web service. This year that has grown to 20% and we would encourage patients to order via the internet and have their prescription sent to any of the local pharmacies.

Question 17 - How many days did you have to wait to receive your repeat prescription form after you notified the surgery?

Responses – 172

The average waiting time for a prescription to be collected after the surgery had been informed was 2.13 days. The surgery asks for 48 hours and many of those who waited longer than 2 days, the prescription was ready sooner but patients collected when it suited them.

Question 18 –How many working days did you expect to have to wait for your repeat prescription?

The average expected waiting time was 2.12 days showing the surgery was in line with the expectations of patients.

Question 19 - Did you think that this was an acceptable time to wait?

Responses – 250

Completely acceptable231 (92%)

Neither acceptable nor unacceptable17 (7%)

Completely unacceptable2 (1%)

Over 90% of patients are happy with the waiting tome for prescriptions to be ready, which is encouraging.

Question 20 – If you used the new on-line web form to order your repeat prescription did you find iteasy to use the ordering system?

Responses – 209

It was very easy to use73 (35%)

I did struggle with the form2 (1%)

I haven’t used the online web form134 (64%)

Whilst the majority had not used the web form, of those that had 97% found it easy to use – this will hopefully encourage others to use it in future. If any patients have not tried the internet request form they are encouraged to give it a go next time they need to order medication.

Question 21 – Do you always use the same method to order your repeat prescription?

Responses – 249

Yes210 (84%)

No39 (16%)

This question suggested that once a patient uses a particular way of ordering medication they will always do it the same way.

Question 22 – What do you like most about the surgery?

Responses – 226

Appendix 1 has all the responses to this question. (Any that said none, or it is ok have been discarded and some shortened and the key point retained for ease of assessment) The key themes were: The friendly staff, and people liked the doctors we have at the surgery.

Question 23 – Is there anything the surgery could do to improve its service to you?

Responses - 151

Appendix 2 has all the responses to this question. (Any that said none, or it is ok have been discarded and some shortened and the key point retained for ease of assessment) The key themes were: The difficulty patients have getting through on the telephones and when they do a lack of appointments. There were many comments suggesting that booking further ahead would be helpful for patients and also improve getting to see your own GP.

Appendix 1 – What do you like best about the surgery?

Easy to get to

Very friendly helpful staff local to home

Everyone doing their best sometimes you have to wait - that’s life.

Friendly people. V clean surgery. Nurses wonderful. Helpful

Rec never ask why u need to see Dr. Return of w room clock

Location convenient - close to home

Script delivered by DayLewis. Happy with GPs and nurses

Location

All staff friendly and helpful

Very helpful and understanding

The posters

Dr Armstrong and nurses. It is local to where I live

Close to home

Drs and nurses and also receptionists very helpful

Clean, tidy, helpful staff

Very well organised & dependable. Comfortable & relax environm.

Toilets are clean

Receptionists are always helpful & will try and accommodate you

Music and clean. Very polite ladies at desk. Prkg nightmare

With Practice all my life. They know me its never stressful

Location and service

Like surgery. Nervous about seeing Drs but staff friendly

Staff and GPs

Friendly helpful staff. Always explain if Dr/Nurse running late

Friendly and quick - no problems

Never had any problems

Staff are very friendly and helpful

LAH. Hv found him to be most informed claming & kind Dr, is an absolute pleasure every time I or my children see him, feel very

lucky to have him as my GP. He is a star

Sally!

Good and kind service

Online repeat prescription service

You don’t have to wait for weeks to get an appointment

Staff are lovely.I particularly like & have confidence in my Dr (Hawa). He has a wonderful bedside manner. Everyone is

understanding & helpful

Efficiency & very professional. Plus relaxed & pleasant atmosphere. All people at surgery act in a very professional manner

whilst keeping you at ease

Dr Terry understand of mum's dementia and treats her well. Some of the Receptionists are helpful & considerate. Favourite

thing about surgery is Dr Hawa

Appears efficient service

Friendly staff. Approachable nurses & Doctors. Jean and Dr Smith are excellent!

Rec staff always very helpful, understanding & do the best job they can considering situations that they can be in. They do

fantastic work!

It is very satisfactory

Very friendly, clean and tidy (children's area, toilets etc)

Friendly staff/doctors/nurses

Kind helpful rec staff. Helpful Drs and a personal feel to our appts. All round a great team. Also HVs were also fantastics.

Friendly staff

Very relaxed nice friendly people

Advice from Dr Trumplemann Very good. could phone to extend sick note following a beravement

Staff are always pleasant and helpful. I always manage to see my own Doctor .

Friendly and Helpful

Very Helpful

The Doctors and Nurses

Staff Doctors and nurses

Friendly And Helpful Staff

Clean , Well Run Very good Doctors

Very helpful

People there are nice , easy to see own name up on the board

Somewhere for kids to play , staff are friendly and helpful

Friendly Doctor and staff , Surgery clean and bright convenient to my home.

Convenient very satisfactory

Close to where I live . Dr Terry very good ,he is our favourite

Good

Nice place , good that we have a Saturday surgery.

staff always helpful, good Doctors

All staff friendly and efficient

Happy with appointment system as it is don’t want it changed really , walk up to make apptointment.

Support from GP and continuity

Friendlyness always clean

Even if I have to wait to see the Doctor, I feel that I can talk to the Doctor at ease and have no worries.

The recepionists are nice.

Been here a long time , there are a lot of Doctors I have seen . Never had any problems.

Convienience

Dr Armstrong.

Excellent Drs and nurses who helped me with my medical condition ( diabetes).

Friendliness of staff, complete faith in Doctor.

Friendly staff, music playing

All things no complaints.

Staff being helpful.

Its very clean and quiet, staff are very friendly, Doctors and nurses very friendly too .

Online prescription ordering , nice waiting room.

I am happy with surgery.

Friendly helpful staff.

Friendly and helpful.

I live 10 minutes from the surgery.

Helpful staff.

Clean and warm.

Locality

Lovely Doctors ,friendly and helpful receptionists

Speed of getting an appointment, surgery satff very amenable and helpful, helpfulness of Doctors.

Was surprised to get appoinment on day of choice, especially with GP also managed to get two appointments with children on

day of choice.

Its nice having music to listen to, the problem is parking and access for my wheelchair bound husband.

Its near.

Convienience of surgery and chemist close to home,likes the music staff always very friendly.

Order, staff, Doctor.

Always helpful staff and GPs excellent all round.

Friendly and courteous warm enviroment light music.

don’t come often so carn't comment

Comfortable, clean and good staff.

Fantastic service from all reception, Doctors,nurses I have twins and they both been looked after really well.

Don’t like Doctors nothing personal

Ease of location ,friendly staff both admin and clinical .

Friendly staff, local

Helpful Doctors.

Seating in reception.

Time and listen to my problems and being friendly.

Polite and friendly. Keep up the good work.

Very helpful, pleasant staff, good selection of Doctors, nurses very good.

The surgery is friendly and very organised.

Usually able to book an appointment when you want to.

Accommodating and friendly staff.

Doctors and staff are very nice and helpful.

Cleaniness and comfort.

They are all very helpful.

Its local quite easy to get an appointment

All the receptionists are friendly, helpful but still professonal.

All Doctors and staff are excellent and very efficient.

You never have to wait more than a day for an appointment. I usually get one the same day.

All the Doctors have been helpful everytime I or my children have attended.

Like staff not questioning why need to see GP as previous surgery quite upsetting.

Enjoy the music makes more bearable when appointments running behind.

Likes this surgery because of the less waiting tima and good care.

Friendly,clean and warm.

The Doctors are approchable and friendly.

Location.

Relaxed atmosphere, pleasant staff and the Doctors ,nurses always understanding.

Receptionists were very helpful and polite.

The radio, people who work here.

Nice and comfortable and clean , politeness of the majority of the staff.

Always able to get appointment within 24 hours. Staff really helpful and friendly.

Dr Hawa very easy to talk to unlike some professionals, the nurses I dealt with are very friendly and helpful.

The response time and waiting time is not bad compaired to other surgeries, the receptionists are ever so helpful and friendly.

Always able to get an appointment.

Comfortable chairs ,clean area nice size and presentable decore also the location.

only problem have is getting through for an appointment but recently getting better. Always clean and welcoming.

Very clean looking when you enter,

I feel very confident with my GP.

Helpful.

Very friendly helpful staff. Very clean place. Love the piped music