Wensum Valley Medical Practice West Earlham Health Centre

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

We reviewed 1 quality statement in the Responsive key question – Equity in access. The scores for the other quality statements are based on the previous rating for this key question. The practice was proactive in ensuring patients had access to appointments to gain advice from the clinicians. They recognised some patients experienced delays in getting through to the practice to access appointments. Although data from the National GP Patient Survey published July 2023 showed some lower performance in terms of patient’s experience of access, the practice had more positive feedback from patients interviewed by Healthwatch Norfolk and from those who responded to the Family and Friends test. The practice provided evidence to show that they were reviewing, monitoring, and making changes to further improve patient experiences in relation to access.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

We did not look at Person-centred Care during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Care provision, Integration and continuity during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Providing Information during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Listening to and involving people during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We reviewed the GP patient survey, published in July 2023. The indicators for access were below the England and local averages and had reduced in three areas over the past two years. Feedback we received from patients was mixed. Some patients reported delays in getting through on the telephone whilst others did not have difficulties with accessing and gaining appointments. A care home representative told us that home visits were on occasions delayed, but also gave an example of prompt care where a suspected urinary tract infection had been promptly acted upon. We reviewed the information available on the Healthwatch Norfolk website. In the past 12 months 32 comments had been posted with 16 comments rating the practice 3 star and below and 16 comments rating the practice 4 and 5 star. The practice had responded to the comments and told us they used the information to improve any issues raised.

Staff told us there were processes in place to ensure both positive and negative feedback about the practice was shared with the individuals and wider team. Staff gave example of how access had been improved. For example, the practice teams worked together to prioritise the answering of telephones and supporting patients at reception at peak demand times. Staff also gave examples of flexibility, with more experienced staff supporting patients at times of peak demand, whilst newer members of staff undertook other tasks.

Appointments could be made in person, via telephone or online. The practice provided 15 minute appointments with GPs to ensure patients could be fully assessed at one appointment. The practice was open Monday and Friday 8am to 6pm and on Saturday mornings. Outside of these times, patients were advised to contact NHS 111 for out of hours appointments. All appointment requests were triaged and managed by an on the day team and assigned to clinical staff or signposted elsewhere, for example to a pharmacy. Patients with most urgent needs had their care and treatment prioritised. Interpreters were available for patients who did not speak English as a first language. The practice was responsive to the needs of older patients and offered home visits and urgent appointments for those with enhanced needs and complex medical issues. The practice had a care coordinator who helped to facilitate home visits, for example with patients who had moved from abroad. The practice had systems to review and understand their access data. This included demand and capacity and had made improvements including additional appointments, in response to this. Telephony reports were reviewed weekly to understand demand and an audit of the urgent on the day demand, led to a redesign of the on the day team. This service was reviewed on a weekly and monthly basis to monitor its effectiveness. The practice was aware of the issues around telephone access and confirmed their plans to further improve the practice’s telephone system. We saw the practice had implemented some of the changes and had strategic plans for further increasing the clinical workforce in the future. This was to ensure there was succession planning, continuity and sustainability.

We did not look at Equity in experiences and outcomes during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Planning for the future during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.