PRG Report and Action Plan 1213

Patient Comment / Our Response / Priority / Time frame
There was 1 reply about getting to see a doctor of choice within a few days. / Dr Moore retired from the Practice at the end of February and the evidence is that when a Partner leaves a Practice, patients tend to ask to see one of the remaining Partners - this tends to happen at a time of change. The waiting time to see Dr Florido and Dr Williams is already very long when compared to other GPs in the Practice. Therefore, it will be impossible for Dr Florido and Dr Williams to see all the patients on Doctor Moore’s list regularly and the only way to overcome this problem is for patients to be encouraged to see the new doctors. Please ask to see Dr Kumar or Dr Kakati.
Action: Communicate this advice to patients by displaying messages in waiting areas and by explaining the issue in a Patient Newsletter. / High / March
2013
There were 2 replies saying that there were not enough opening hours and a further reply specifying Fetcham. / The “normal hours” in General Practice are from 8AM to 6.30PM from Monday to Friday. The Practice as a whole (i.e. Fetcham AND Leatherhead) is open every day between those times with the exception of the lunch time closure between 1PM and 2PM. We will assess whether there is patient demand for opening during that time. In addition, we are fully engaged with the service of “extended hours” (i.e. additional opening outside the “normal hours”). We offer both early morning (from 7.30AM) and late evening (after 6.30PM) appointments and we normally exceed the “extended hours” requirements for our list size by nearly 30%.
We have carefully looked at longer branch opening. Up to now this has not been feasible as there is a need to balance the needs of the two geographic areas that are served by the Practice. It would only be possible to open one site more at the expense of the other and a balance needs to be reached. The Partners have used their best judgment to be fair in implementing the current arrangements. Currently both sites open an equal number of days to reflect the fact that the number of patients at each one of the premises is also practically the same. We plan to re-assess the demands and needs of the two different Practice areas and any changes will be communicated as soon as possible.
Action:
· Undertake audit of appointments requested for both Fetcham and Leatherhead and compare results with the appointments currently offered.
· Undertake audit of demand between 1PM and 2PM. / Medium / May
2013
There was 1 comment that customer service and communication with patients is poor. / We give this matter great importance and we have already spoken to our reception staff at a meeting about ways to avoid this problem. In addition, we are considering these concerns as the subject of a “Practice away-day”. We will take our staff out of the surgery in order to provide specialist training for them in how to identify and deal appropriately with patient needs.
Action: Organise training at Practice Away-Day. / Medium / April
2013
There were 2 comments about not being able to make appointments in advance. / We appreciate that this is an area of concern and would like to reassure patients that we allow appointments to be booked up to 7 weeks ahead. We believe that 7 weeks is about the right length of time to improve efficiency and this also avoids patients forgetting their appointments when booked too far ahead. We are fully prepared to continue to monitor these concerns and change if necessary.
We offer a combination of routine appointments (bookable in advance), “book-on-day” appointments (bookable on the same day only) and emergency appointments for urgent problems. In addition, soon we will have online appointments. One potential problem is when patients do not understand the appointment system. We plan to explain how the appointment system works in a patient newsletter offering advice about how to get the most out of it.
Action:
· Audit of number of requests for appointments longer than 7 weeks in advance.
· Patient Newsletter / High / May
2013
There were 2 comments that patients details can be overheard in waiting areas, particularly at Fetcham. / We take confidentiality very seriously and we have already spoken to our reception staff at a meeting about ways to communicate with patients respecting anonymity/confidentiality. These concerns will also be the subject of the “Practice away-day”, where specialist training will be offered in this respect.
The rooms close to the waiting area are already fully sound insulated but we will investigate the issue further to see if there is more that can be done. We are already in the process of getting advice on the costs of any further soundproofing needed.
We try to do our best with our current premises but converted properties are far from ideal and they present significant challenges. For years the Practice has been heavily involved in searching for a new site in Fetcham where a purpose built Health Centre could be constructed but the efforts have been fruitless. If a solution cannot be found, the way forward might mean reducing the size of the waiting-room or reducing the number of consulting rooms at Fetcham. We would like to avoid it as it may create capacity issues at Fetcham.
Action:
· Organise training at Practice Away-Day.
· Organise further assessment of current sound insulation in consulting rooms. / Med / May
2013
There were 2 comments that it would be nice if there wasn't such a rapid turnover of doctors. / We are grateful for your understanding during what has been a time of change for the Practice. On the whole, the turnover of doctors is outside the control of the Practice and it has always been the decision of the doctor leaving. When an individual doctor’s career and / or family plans change, their departure can be inevitable. We will always aim to recruit long term doctors.
Hopefully, issues have been resolved as a new locum, Dr Kakati, has already started with a view to becoming a permanent doctor. A locum is a fully qualified GP that the Practice employs to cover short-term medical absences.
Action: Continue to aspire to a stable team of doctors. / High / Feb
2013
There was 1 comment about the refurbishment of buildings. / There has been for some time a national shortage of government funding for General Practice premises. In our case, the problem has been more acute, given that we have to maintain the buildings on our two sites. While we feel privileged to be able to offer the flexibility of two sites in Leatherhead and Fetcham, we are sorry that it has stretched to the limit the few resources available. We have been working very hard in trying to improve our premises and we are pleased to be able to say that plans have been submitted and approved for new flooring and chairs.
Action: Aim to complete the new flooring and chairs within 6 months.