Alrewas Patient Survey Results Summary
Here’s a snapshot of the results of the recent patient Survey- thanks to everyone who took time to
complete the survey- you’ve told us what you like and what you dislike, and the challenge now is to
better understand those things and act upon them.
As with any snapshot, it cannot encapsulate the texture and colour of each and every comment, so I
hope you’ll forgive me if I might “group” together a number of comments, in order to give an overall
flavour—So- here we go—first of all “What we say”
Overall WE LIKE
FRIENDLINESS—this word was repeated time after time, along with others such as “Cheerful,
Approachable, Understanding & Helpful”- you might think these are given, but it really does show
how much this means to us as patients
LISTENING, and I’m going to group this with TIME—when it goes well, we feel we’ve had the ability
to get things off our chests, and we’ve had reassurance- we might even feel better!
RELATIONSHIP- this is the final “BIG” theme from the “positives” that relates to the personal
interactions we have in the surgery—we believe there is little more personal in our lives than our
health (and that of our loved ones)- and sharing that with someone we TRUST is important
“CLEAN, BRIGHT & TIDY”- obviously relating to the new surgery layout
Overall WE DISLIKE
APPOINTMENMT BOOKINGS, URGENT & SAME DAY APPOINTMENTS- and for example, it wasn’t
until I joined the PPG, that I realised we can book appointments using the surgery web-site, and that
there are an array of appointment options including Same-Day and Late-Evening for working
patients. So, better communication is essential here
“SAME GP” encapsulated by the following- “Seeing a different doctor can be stressful” and “endless
trainees”. Yet when it goes well, the RELATIONSHIP positive above is so powerful. The numbers for
this “feeling” were not huge, but the emotion in the comments very acute. Something to work on
WAITING TIMES- Again “Work in Progress”- for example did we know we can see the practice nurses
for some things (see “What the numbers say”)? Would we cut the doctors a little more slack if we
knew that some emergency had occurred?
ATTITUDE- I read and re-read the comments here and do you know something—I formed a picture
of lots and lots of us queuing to ring up for an appointment first thing in the morning—waiting,
tapping our fingers, finally getting through, and being told we cannot have what we want when we
want it- and the person who is telling us has suddenly turned in to a miserable ogre in our minds.
Maybe our exasperation and disappointment is aimed at a person (rather than a process)- just
maybe—I know that I’ve felt like this too- but are we being entirely fair? A bearer of bad news is
never going to win a medal. Again work in progress
“What the numbers say”
ONLY HALF of us are aware of
1. Extended surgery hours (51%)
2. We can ask for an extended appointment slot (47%
3. Practice nurses can prescribe some medications (53%)
4. When is it appropriate to see the nurse vs doctor (55%)
5. The online appointment booking option (56%)
A THIRD OF the time it is
1. Tough to get through on the phone (32%)
2. Tough to get a same day appointment (33%)
A THIRD OF US don’t yet know
1 We can receive a text reminder for appointments (36%)
HALF OF US find
1. It’s tough to get an appointment on the day of OUR choice (52%)
A QUARTER of us (WHO USE the surgery website) find
1. It’s not easy to use (23%)......but the number of users answering the survey was not huge,
but users find it “a little crowded”
And finally, you’d like to make some changes in the waiting area...........
Drinks........coffee/ water
TV
Radio (volume up AND down!).......that’s a tough one to crack
So what next?
The surgery team have begun to prioritise actions/ communication, seeking further understanding.
Some things can take shape sooner and others later, so please bear with them. And please do
continue to provide feedback—you might even find that members of the PPG might occasionally be
in the waiting area, asking you for your thoughts, and maybe even guiding you with some ideas
around appointment slots and the like. Once again thank you for expressing your views- being a
patient here too, I recognise them
Regards
Mark Lodge- Patient Participation Group Chair