The Surgery

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 carried out an announced assessment of one quality statement, equity of access, under the key question responsive and found: The leaders used people’s feedback and other evidence to actively seek to improve access for people. Services were designed to make them accessible and timely for people who were most likely to have difficulty accessing care. Improvements were needed to patient satisfaction with accessing the service. The practice had taken steps to address this. The provider prioritised, allocated resources and opportunities as needed to tackle inequalities and achieve equity of access. The responsive key question remains rated as good.

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.

The practice website provided information for patients regarding how to book an appointment. They used a total triage and appointment request system whereby an online form was completed and all appointment requests were reviewed by a clinician. This enabled the service to ensure that urgent clinical needs were met and patients obtained the most appropriate appointment. If patients required support with completing the online form they could telephone, or attend the practice in person. Patients who required an emergency appointment were seen the same day. The practice offered appointments from a variety of clinical staff for example the GP, practice nurse, GP assistant, paramedic and physiotherapist. Staff had completed training to identify urgent priorities and how to respond with documents available to support them with this. Patient appointments were available either face to face, telephone, or as a home visit when appropriate. Patients could book routine appointments up to 2 weeks in advance and same-day appointments were available Monday to Friday 8am to 6.30pm. Pre-booked appointments were available on weekday evenings through an arrangement with other local GP practices. The practice monitored demand and capacity regarding their telephone and appointment system, the availability of appointments and staff on a daily basis.

We reviewed the practice's results in the 2023 national GP patient survey taken from 1 January to 31 March 2023. This showed that results to the following survey questions were below the national averages for these questions: how easy it is to get through to someone at their GP practice on the phone (33.8% compared with 49.6%); how satisfied are you with GP practice appointment times (30.5% compared with 52.8%); how satisfied were you with the appointment you were offered (57.5% compared with 72%) and overall experience of making an appointment (30% compared with 54.4%). Patient feedback gathered by the practice was more positive however, this feedback cannot be directly compared to the National GP Patient Survey. The practice gathered feedback from patients by using the Friends and Family Test (FFT) survey. Of 769 patients who completed the FFT in December 2023, January 2024 and February 2024, 512 (67%) responded positively, 64 (8.3%) negatively and 193 (25.1%) gave neutral responses. We did not receive any direct feedback from patients regarding access to the service. We found the leaders had responded to patient feedback and were taking action to make improvements. An interpretation service was available for patients whom English language was not their first language or had other communication needs. The practice was accessible to patients with mobility needs.

The practice understood the needs of its local population and had developed services in response to those needs. The leaders were aware of the challenges to patient access and had acted to make improvements such as recruitment of staff and continued monitoring of access. They had introduced a total triage process and told us how this had improved appointment capacity and ensured clinical needs were met. Leaders told us about the ways that the practice was working with other local stakeholders to improve access to primary care, such as their work with a group of local practices (primary care network). It was clear that improving access and patient experience was a priority. Leaders reviewed data and feedback and changes were made to ensure improvements would have a positive impact for their patients. Feedback from staff demonstrated people in vulnerable circumstances were able to register with the practice, including those with no fixed abode. The practice provided opportunities and support for different population groups to overcome health inequalities. The practice was registered as a Safe Surgery. A Safe Surgery can be any GP practice which commits to taking steps to tackle the barriers faced by many migrants in accessing healthcare. The practice told us 67% staff had undertaken training on learning disability and autism. This training aimed to equip them to meet the needs of people using the service. Plans were in place for all staff to complete this training.

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.