WALLINGTON FAMILY PRACTICE

PROPOSED ACTION PLAN AS A RESULT OF

PATIENT SURVEY 2012

As a result of the practice survey conducted in Feb/March 2012, the results of which are now being shared with the Patient Representative Group, the practice has looked at the areas which we feel we should and can take some action on, and would like your views and suggestions on this. We actually scored very well on a lot of areas surveyed, but feel we could make some improvements on the following areas shown below:-

AREA TO BE LOOKED AT / SURVEY RESULTS AND PRACTICE COMMENTS / SUGGESTED PRACTICE ACTION PLAN / ACHIEVEMENTS
1. Getting through on the phone / Although 60% said that they found it fairly or very easy to get through, still 37.1% did not, so we feel that improvements can be made – especially as we have had a high number of complaints over the years with the current system, both from patients and staff / The GP Partners have decided to purchase and install a new telephone system to the practice when we move to the new building. From other GP practices’ experience of the system we have chosen, it should be more readily configured to meet the needs of a GP practice and patients. This will be tested and reviewed with the supplier initially very frequently, but then on a quarterly basis over the first year, to ensure the best set-up possible. We will use patient comments and complaints to monitor, and then re-survey this area next year to see whether we have improved. / New Telephone system purchased and Installed to new site.
Unfortunately installation and new IT set up in building presented big problems all round for all IT systems including new telephone system, which took several months to properly identify due to intermittent nature of faults noted. Eventually now all telephone system problems have been resolved including changing one of the BT lines which also proved to be faulty. Altogether, these problems caused the system to often give busy signal to patients, when it was not, and for the system (not staff as it may have seemed) to often cut off callers either at the start or during their call.
We are now monitoring whether we need more telephone lines and staff to answer calls. Lack of staff has been seen to cause problems to patients and practice over the last few months, and therefore we have made efforts to recruit more to the team.
2. Obtaining test results by phone / 27.9% said they had not tried. The practice wonders if this is because those patients who have a test, but will then be seeing a doctor/nurse as part of routine or particular monitoring of their condition (eg diabetics), would not be advised to contact us for results, or was it others who did not know that they could/should contact for results?
27.9% said they had found it fairly or very easy, but 15.8% said they had not found this easy. Therefore the practice feels that overall the survey is showing some room for improvement / The practice will look at our current procedure for informing patients about when and how to obtain test results, with the aim of improving how it is communicated to patients, and who/when then should contact.
The practice should also look at the possibilities of putting a message on the telephone system to ask patients to telephone at less busy times.
Above to be actioned by end of July 2012 / Done. Patients should now be informed better by clinicians if, when and how they need to contact the practice for results.
The new telephone system has been configured to separate callers who want appointments from those who want results or other information, by choosing different options 1 or 2 to make the process quicker and more efficient.
3. How would you like to book your appointments - / Although everyone at the moment books appointments in person or by phone, some 32.9% said they would like the opportunity of being able to book on-line as well. / The practice will test and enable this facility, which is currently already available in some other local practices, within the next 4-6 months (this is possible sooner, but because of the workload which the practice has to face due to big changes which are being imposed on us by both our local governing body, and the government, and also the premises move for the practice, we do not want to promise an unrealistic deadline for implementation) / Not achieved yet but to be pursued later in 2013.
This was postponed due to major IT problems in the new building which need to be resolved first.
4. Getting your appointment on same or next two weekdays / Although 58.6% said they had been able to see a doctor on the same or next two weekdays, we are concerned that 15% felt they were not able to. It is possible that they may have been asked whether the problem was ‘urgent’ or could it wait until an appointment with their usual (or other) doctor is available, but we should always make it clear that for over a year we have run a ‘duty doctor’ system. This means that we will put the patient’s name and reason for call on a list to be called back by a doctor when they can during that day. The doctor will triage everyone over the telephone to decide the urgency of the problem, call them in for that or the next day or offer advice. We also fit in all obviously urgent cases on the day. / The practice should publicise the duty doctor system to patients, by signage, through practice web-site, and practice leaflets.
Furthermore, reception staff to be given further training to ensure that they explain the system to patients better when they are asked for same/next day appointments.
Both of the above to be done as part of update of information in view of move to new premises, and training of new procedures being planned for our move – so should be completed during the coming months and by end June 2012 latest. / Achieved but although we have publicised the system, more needs to be done to inform patients better.
Done throughout the year, though still more needs to be done
5. Being able to book an appointment with a doctor more than 2 weekdays in advance / Although 58.6% said they had been able to book an appointment more than 2 weekdays in advance with a doctor, 21.4% felt that this had not been possible.
The practice system is that we always release more than 50% of all appointments up to a month ahead. We reserve the rest to be opened nearer the date, and/or on-the-day, so that we provide a range of appointment availability for patients – i.e On-the day, telephone triage with a doctor, some a few days in advance and some up to a month ahead (or more). . (NB there are always some appointments available in advance, but these may not necessarily be on the day/at the time, or with the doctor of choice to suit the patient).
It would also appear that some patients are still unaware that the practice opens late on Mondays, and also on Saturday mornings for both doctor and nurse appointments, from comments received. / Publicise our booking system and extended hours surgeries to patients by signage, through practice web-site, and practice leaflets.
Furthermore, reception staff to be given further training to ensure that they explain appointment availability, and the appointment booking system to patients better, when they are asked for appointments in advance.
Both of the above to be done as part of update of information in view of move to new premises, and training of new procedures being planned for our move – so should be completed during the coming months and by end June 2012 latest. / Achieved but although we have publicised the system, more needs to be done to inform patients better.
Done throughout the year, though still more needs to be done
6. Did the receptionist introduce themselves / The practice scored 18.6% ‘yes’, and 72.1% as no, so could definitely improve on this. / The practice will arrange for name badges for all receptionists and secretaries/admin staff who may see patients face to face, when we move into the new building.
Also staff who answer telephone will be asked to trial giving their name within the greeting.(Trial for 1month first to ensure greeting does not become too long as Practice name should also be given) Once assessed, to implement if ok.
Above to be actioned after move by end of June 2012 / Achieved
Done but greeting became too long to use every time, so policy is that staff should now always give their names when asked, or offer to patients when there is an obvious ongoing issue to be dealt with, or to give a contact to come back to, or to give reassurance that they will be the one dealing with their issue.
7. What services are currently provided in practice, what others would you like us to provide locally. / The survey showed that patients thought that we provide some services, although they are not actually provided by the practice, but by other organisations but within the building. For example, most blood tests are actually provided on the 3rd floor as a Community ‘outreach’ clinic by St HelierHospital. Having said that, it was very obvious that patients would like more services provided locally, rather than having to travel to hospital/elsewhere. / The practice has been planning with the Primary Care Trust (PCT) and our local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to provide a lot more services within the new premises.
There will be publicity available on this soon, which will be arranged by our Primary Care Trust, who are responsible for organising and co-ordinating this project. There will also be some monitoring of the take-up of all services in the building to gauge the success of the project of providing more services locally, and also surveys of patients and staff after the move has happened. For this reason, the practice is not proposing any further action in the next year on it’s own, but will work with the PCT in assessing the success of the take-up of the services in the new building for our patients. / Achieved as far as it’s been within the practice’s ability to contribute into decision process with PCT or now CCG who are responsible for these decisions.
Some new services have been brought into the centre, and more are planned.

Updated 13.3.13 SC

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