Minchinhampton Surgery has again been trying to find out how we can improve our service to patients and also how patients feel about the surgery and staff.
Our Patient Participation Group (PPG) consists of patients ranging from young working mothers to more senior members of our community. A group of between 10-12 members meets regularly with the doctors and staff from the Surgery. Ideally we would like our Patient Group to be truly representative of our patient population. However we realise that with patients’ busy lives it can sometimes be difficult to commit time to such groups so we have also sought ideas from as wide a patient population as possible both in the Surgery and virtually via email. We were pleased to receive suggestions from all patient groups in 10 year age bands between 18 and over 85.
Thank you to all the patients who submitted their ideas for the types of questions we needed to include in our survey. These were discussed with our Patient Participation Group and a survey drawn up and printed. Six hundred questionnaires were handed out between December 2012 and February 2013. We realised it was also important to involve those who may not attend the surgery regularly, so fifty patients were selected randomly and rung at home to collect their views. A link to the on-line survey was also included on our website.
Thank you to all the patients who completed patient surveys again this year. We do appreciate your feedback. We received a total of 402 responses. These were analysed by an independent company ‘Electoral Reform Services Research’ and a report produced.
To read a summary of our patient survey results please click here. Our survey results were shared with members of our Patient Participation Group (PPG) and discussed at an evening PPG meeting on 5th March 2013 at the Surgery. Action Plans were developed for the issues emerging from the survey considered most important by members of the PPG.
Four actions were selected: improvements to our existing waiting room (now we know we will not be moving to new premises in the near future); help with on-line repeat prescription ordering; information about access to GPs and more information about additional services available within the Practice. In our survey we asked what patients thought about ‘telephone appointments’, where patients wanting to talk to a doctor booked a telephone appointment slot. Patients felt that they were already able to speak to their GP when required and it was not considered necessary to formalise this. We therefore do not intend introducing this type of appointment. We will however, continue with our morning telephone triage service where patients with an immediate health concern or minor illness can speak to our Senior Nurse Practitioner or a GP.
Last year the areas for improvement were around information on services provided at the Surgery. There is now more information on the website. However as new services are introduced and other services change we are aware this is an on-going process and new leaflets will shortly be available at Reception.
No changes to core hours or extended hours were deemed necessary. These remain as:
Office Hours
Monday to Friday 8.30am to 6.30pm (we do not close for lunch)
Phone lines open from 8am for emergencies
Surgery Times
Surgeries are held, Monday to Friday,
8.30 to 10.40am & 4.00 to 6.00pm.
(Additional surgeries are sometimes held later in the morning or earlier in afternoon please ask at Reception if this would be more convenient for you)
Extended Hours sessions are covered by different GPs on a rota basis:
Monday 6.15am -8am
Wednesday 6.30pm – 8.15pm
