EARNSWOOD MEDICAL CENTRE PATIENT PANEL GROUP DES 2014 STEP 1 PPG RECRUITMENT Earnswood Patient Participation Group continues to meet every couple of months but has now commenced to work more closely with Delamere Surgery too by having some joint meetings. The PPG has more than doubled in size and this is due to the existing members proactively publicising the group. PPG members have actively tried to encourage members from the Eastern European population but have not been successful so far. They have however provided the PPG with email addresses for communication. During the week in which the survey was carried out the members of the PPG provided slips for patients to complete so that they could become more actively involved either in person or by emails from the group. STEP 2 AGREE PRIORITY AREAS This year as the PPG met on 7 January 2014 to discuss what areas to cover in the survey. STEP 3 The patients identified that the main area of importance was the appointment system and as we are still receiving complaints relating to this it would be a valuable topic. They also wanted to promote and encourage the use of the auto check-in and the use of the internet for practice services. The group is aware that remote access for patients to receive information such as test results is going to be available soon. The Practice also wanted to evaluate the nurse triage service to see if patients were aware about it and whether it was a beneficial service.
Patient Questionnaire January 2014 EARNSWOOD MEDICAL CENTRE SURVEY EARNSWOOD MEDICAL CENTRE & PATIENT PANEL SURVEY Thank you for completing this survey, we hope to use the information to continue to improve the services that the practice provides. The Practice and the Patient Panel agreed that the priority areas for this survey should be those identified by patients in the annual complaints summary. These areas are:- The Appointment System & The Booking in System. Please answer all the questions by putting a tick next to the appropriate answer. Making Appointments 1) Do you have access to a computer? At Home At Work Library Other location No Access 2) Which method did you use to book your appointment today? By Phone In Person Online 3) Which method do you prefer using to book your appointment? By Phone In Person Online 4) How important is it to you to be able to book an appointment ahead of time? (By booking ahead we mean, booking an appointment more than two weekdays in advance) Very important Important Not important 5) How easy is it to book a routine appointment ahead of time at this surgery? Easy Difficult Very Difficult 6) If you need to see a doctor urgently, can you usually see one on the same day? Sometimes Never needed one: 7) Are you aware that this practice offers a Nurse Triage telephone service? (Telephone triage aims to improve access to care. The purpose of triage is to ensure that the patient is referred to the appropriate clinician for the appropriate level of care within an appropriate period of time) 8) If you have been unable to get an appointment with a GP on the same day, were you offered Nurse Triage?
9) Have you used our Nurse Triage service? 10) If you answered Yes to the above, could you give us your views (good or not so good) about the service. Your Comments here: Booking in at the surgery on arrival 11) How did you book in when you arrived at the surgery today? Booking in screen Receptionist Other (e.g. someone booked in for me) 12) If you booked in with the receptionist, Do you know how to use the booking screen? I didn t know there was one? 13) If the above answer is NO would you like to be shown how to use it? Some questions about you The following information will help us to see how expectations vary between different sections of our patient community All answers are completely confidential Are you 14) Male Female Your Age 15) Under 18 18 24 25 34 35 44 45 54 55-64 65 74 75 84 85 or over 16) Are you aware that there is a Patient Panel at this surgery? (The Patient Panel, known as a patient participation group is here to represent patients. It is made up of patients and practice staff who meet at regular intervals to decide ways of making a positive contribution to the services and facilities offered by the practice to the patients.) Thank you for taking part in this survey, your views are very important to us If you wish to find out more information about our Patient Panel without any obligation, please leave your email address below and we will forward you some information. For the attention of the Patient Panel Name (Optional). Telephone No. (Optional) Email Address:
PPG Meeting to Review Survey Results The PPG met on Tuesday 18 February to review the survey results and identify the positive and negative feedback from patients. Summary of survey This year due to the support of the PPG members we have 700 surveys returned to us. Internet A large proportion of the patients now have access to a computer either at home, work or the library but there are still some patients who do not have that facility. Appointments Patients feel that it is very important to book an appointment in advance and are having difficulty booking routine appointments. With a smaller proportion finding it difficult to be seen the same day. Triage More than half the patients stated that they were not aware of the nurse triage service. Auto Check-in Screen One third of patients had never used the auto check-in screen. Patient Panel Awareness Two thirds of the patients completing the survey were not aware of the PPG.
Individual comments received Positive Always helpful Very good service Pleased with what the triage nurse advised Triage nurse understood my problem No problems at all with this practice, first class service Very supportive Can be reassuring Negative Difficult to book same day appointment Telephones are constantly engaged at 8am Need more phone lines New phone system required, queue system Difficult to get an appointment when working On-line system never lets me on
Step 5 Action Plan Pa#ent Par#cipa#on Survey Ac#on Plan Areas identified and discussed at PPG meeting held on Objec#v e Triage Auto Check-In Ac#ons Publicise this facility on the website and Practice Leaflet so that patients are more aware of the service. Comments from patients show that those who use the service are finding it beneficial. Continue to show patients how to use the screen and to encourage them to do so. Respons ibility Nurse Manager Admin staff Reception Team Timesc ale Ongoing Ongoing Resou rces/ Fundi ng Nurse time Progress Update website and Practice Leaflet The screen is now functioning as we had IT issues for the first 8 months but hopefully they have now been resolved. The PPG spent time showing patients how to use the screen so these patients will now hopefully use it each time they attend. This will then mean that queues at the desk would reduce.
Internet Encourage more patients to use this facility to book appointments and to order medication. Reception Team HCA Ongoing February 2014 The PPG suggested that patients could be issued with online access information at the time of their new patient heath check. Appoint ment System Patients are having difficulties booking both same day and routine appointments. This needs to be reviewed but it has been a difficult period due to long term illness, lack of locum availability and difficulty in getting a salaried GP validated to commence. Partners Practice Manager Assistant PM April 2014 PPG members and Practice Manager spoke to the IT trainer for Wishing Well and they would be delighted to spend time with our patients showing them how to use the internet and how to access on-line facilities for the surgery. Practice Team members and a steering group from the PPG are going to meet to review the appointment system to see how this can be improved to meet the demands of the Practice population. Step 6 Survey results onto website www.earnswood.nhs.uk, notice-board, PPG magazine (next edition), PPG can email information to patients who provided email addresses to them.