Patient Participation 2014-2015 report

We are keen to share the responses from our patient survey and this is undernoted.  The practice continues to engage regularly with the Edenbridge Patient Participation Group and they are actively involved in advising and improving services to our patients.

We currently have 9 regular members of the PPG.  Whilst there is an equal measure of ladies and gentlemen at our meetings we would like to increase the diversity of the membership.  We do encourage all patients to join our Forum and if this an area of interest please contact the PPG at ppg.edenbridge@hotmail.com

Anonymised information received through the Friends and Family Test is shared with the PPG in order that an overview of patient concerns are recorded and reviewed.

 

FEEDBACK FROM PATIENT SURVEY 2015

 

Priority areas for our patients:

Appointment availability

Car Parking

Change/continuity of Doctors

Telephone queue

Improvements to the building

Kent County Council Health promotion

 

Review of awareness of various topics:

• Online appointments
• Online repeat prescriptions
• Whether surgery had a dispensary
• GP practice website
• GP practice opening hours
• GP out of hours arrangements
• NHS111
• Patient Participation Group

• What actions were taken to address the priority?
• Appointment availability and telephone access: Microsystem pilot looking at primarily telephone access but leading to availability of appointments – this is ongoing at this time

 

Appointment availability: priority area 1: Result of actions and impact on patients and carers (including how publicised):

We are currently engaged with a pilot for Microsystems under the coaching of Dr Debbie Taylor and Ms Gail Arnold:

• This is addressing difficulties patients experience with telephones and appointment availability
• Detailed audit of telephone calls – all members of staff engaged in recording telephone activity and progression of calls to appointments etc.
• Use of automatic check in: 2.3.15 audit by PPG member to assess difficulties etc. of the process
• 2 PPG members are engaged together with representatives of each team at the practice
• Appointment pressure for family planning: there is no family planning clinic in the town, nearest being Tonbridge or Sevenoaks – this is under review
• This pilot is ongoing

 

Online Appointments/Repeat Prescriptions awareness: Priority area 2:

All new patients receive access information for online services and we do offer this ability to patients making a request.

All changes of address/changes of name/changes of GP etc. generate an offer for online access.

We have seen a significant increase in patients being offered online services; these do not always result in patients using the system – partly due to software issues which we are addressing with our software supplier.

 

Improvements to the building: With special reference to disabled toilet/Gentlemen and Ladies toilet/Health Care Assistant’s room: Priority area 3

• Disabled toilet has been renovated; offering baby changing facilities for Gentlemen
• Ladies and Gentlemen’s toilets have been amalgamated into a large single Ladies toilet offering disabled access and baby changing facilities
• Health Care Assistant’s room has been renovated to current requirements of Health and Safety and CQC requirements
• All plugs have been removed from clinical areas
• New chairs have been supplied for patient comfort and safety
• We ensured that information was made available to patients that renovations were being undertaken
• This was for Health and Safety reasons and we also alert respiratory patients to dust/solvents
• Patients with booked appointments with known respiratory problems received a letter advising of the works were being undertaken
• This was made available on the telephone system; website and posters

The practice has been pursuing the possibility of building a new surgery and have been actively engaged with NHS England, Kent Community Health Trust, the West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group and prospective property developers with a view to ensuring the future for our patients.  The PPG has been kept fully aware of progress and we have valued their input and advice.

Car Parking – we are unable at this time to increase parking facilities; there are free parking facilities across the road from the surgery; the practice has been pursuing the options for a new surgery

Change/continuity of Doctors – we are experiencing a period of stability with no new GPs – we appreciate that patients are unhappy with part time GPs but this is unavoidable in the current employment market and with more female doctors becoming GPs

Telephone queue – we have reintroduced the system of the waiting queue advising patients of where they are in the system – this has been received well

 Improvements to the building – please see Priority area 3

 

Review of awareness of various topics:

• Online appointments – please see Priority area 2
• Online repeat prescriptions – please see Priority area 2
• Whether surgery had a dispensary
• GP practice website
• GP practice opening hours
• GP out of hours arrangements
• NHS111
• Patient Participation Group – posters and online information; PPG members active with the Microsystem process; PPG members promoting surgery at local fete.  Active involvement with website and access to Patient.co.uk

 

Progress on previous years

Telephone queuing:  Improvements in software allow the ability to offer patients information on their place in the queue which has met with approval by both the PPG and patients.

However, as noted above we are investigating and auditing the telephone availability along with appointments under the auspices of the Microsystems pilot.

Car Parking: we are unable to increase parking availability.  There is free car parking close to the practice.

PPG awareness: posters and online information is available to all patients

We are installing a PC and screen with sliding alerts and information and online services etc. will be included in the slide show.  We are collecting ideas from patients with regard to the type of information they would like included.

 

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