THE HOLLIES SURGERY
PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP
WIDER PATIENT QUESTIONNAIR
MARCH 2012
Background
The Practice has taken part in GPAQ over the past years, and has endeavoured to implement the suggestions highlighted by patients.
Method
As part of our PPG we revisited outstanding patient suggestions, and built our patient Questionnaire around them, to ensure issues were still in line with patient suggestions.
Following discussion it was agreed that a paper-based Questionnaire would be the most effective, and would reach a higher number of patients who use the Surgery.
3 questions were raised for the Questionnaire and the format was agreed by the Practice Clinical Partnership.
The Questionnaire, copy attached, was offered to each patient who visited the Practice for an appointment or to collect / submit prescriptions or specimens over a set period. Patients were asked to complete the forms anonymously, but informed any comments they wishes to raise, could be noted separately, and dealt with externally to the Audit.
The Audit ran for 7 working days, covering 130 questionnaires, which is a representation of 3% of our Practice population.
3 forms were returned incomplete.
Findings
Our questions covered a new telephone system, a change to our Results Pathway for patients to access their pathology and x-ray results and the use of a television for local area / support groups for patients.
Question 1: Amendment to Telephone System to allow patient calls to queue during busy periods
This question relates to a long term issue regarding telephone contact with the Surgery, dating back to previous GPAQ patient feedback.
Out of the 127 responses, we were surprised to find a significant amount did not want the facility to allow calls to wait in a queuing system; the main comment being patients did not want to be charged whilst queuing and would prefer to call again.
However, the majority of patients who completed the questionnaire, 91 respondents, equal to 72% of replies received, did want this change; the system has been purchased and will be installed during April 2012.
Questions 2: Patients to contact the Surgery for blood test / x-ray results
Historically the Practice has acted to contact patients with investigation results, however we have not always been able to contact the patient, and due to confidentiality and Information Governance, have not left messages with family members etc, resulting in some patients highlighted this as an issue.
Patient opinion was therefore sought with regard to moving this to greater patient reliance to contact the Surgery for results, with the Practice continuing to contact patients in cases of clinical need.
The majority of respondents, 86 patients, agreed that is would be beneficial to the patient to access their own results, and the Practice will move this forward with a change to the current pathway, backed up with a patient reminder at time of referral for investigation and at point of investigation.
Although opinion was in the majority, a relatively large proportion, 34%, which was 44 respondents, felt that the Practice should maintain the current system.
The Partners and staff will review this issue, but it is anticipated that patients will be reminded to contact the Surgery for results within safe clinical boundaries.
Question 3: Suggestion via PPG to use TV in Waiting Room for local information as opposed to National Initiatives
This suggestion came from a member of the PPG who has young children and uses a variety of local services.
The Questionnaire results showed that 76%, a total of 98 respondents, were in favour of this use, with 24% (31) not in favour and 1 questionnaire returned without an identified opinion for this question.
Currently we have a TV in the waiting room which no longer works. The PM has endeavoured to ascertain who ‘owns’ this TV before we take this suggestion any further.
Our waiting room is an unusual shape and concerns raised by patients centred on noise from the TV; however we intend to use visual forms of information as opposed to aural, in the form of PowerPoint, to promote local support groups and other health related information.
Next Steps
Following our Questionnaire, the Practice will move forward with the Telephone System and the replacement of the Waiting Room TV.
We will review how to further engage with patients around accessing their investigation results, encompassing our entire clinical team at the Practice.
Our colleagues in XRay already remind patients to contact the Surgery for results, as do phlebotomy staff in local health clinics.
Outcomes from our Questionnaire will be published for patients to access on our Practice website and advertised in the Waiting Room until the TV facility has been completed.