Enter and view: Churchill Medical Centre, Tudor Drive

Healthwatch Kingston upon Thames undertook an enter and view visit to Churchill Medical Centre, Tudor Drive on 4 March 2016.  They spoke to 10 people.

Overall, patients reported a positive experience at the surgery. Most patients felt they had enough time with doctors or nurses, were treated with dignity and respect, and were involved in decisions about their care. Feedback about reception staff was especially positive, with all respondents rating them as good. 

In terms of appointments, experiences were mixed. While some patients were able to get appointments when needed and with their preferred clinician, others found it difficult, particularly for early or late appointments or when booking by phone. Some patients noted that appointments often required booking well in advance and that phone access could be slow. 

Waiting times on the day of the visit were generally short, with all patients seen within 30 minutes. Most patients were satisfied with the length of consultations, with 80% reporting they had enough time with their clinician. 

Observations of the medical centre found it to be clean, well maintained, and staffed by friendly and helpful personnel. However, there were some limitations in the facilities and environment, such as limited health information leaflets, no hand sanitiser, no drinking water available, no baby changing facilities, and limited seating options. The absence of equipment such as a blood pressure machine and weighing scales was also noted. 

Based on these findings, Healthwatch made several recommendations for improvement. These included providing hand sanitiser, increasing information about support services, improving signage for online appointment booking, offering a wider range of seating, making basic health equipment available, ensuring access to drinking water, and adding baby changing facilities.