Enter and view: Royal Arsenal medical centre, Greenwich

Healthwatch Greenwich conducted an announced enter and view visit to Royal Arsenal Medical Centre, on 23 June 2017, as part of their scheduled visits to health and social care services to talk to service users and make recommendations where needed. Royal Arsenal Medical Centre (previously known as Burrage Surgery) had a CQC rating of ‘Good’.

Healthwatch representatives found the layout to be accessible and the practice to be light,open and very clearly sign posted. However, the team did not find a sanitiser available in the reception/waiting areas or near the electronic check-in screen. The patients were pleased with how easy it was to get an appointment and didn’t find the waiting time too long. HW was informed by the patients that they always received good treatment and the clinical staff prefer to come and call the patients in for their appointments personally. The service users felt informed and able to make decisions about their care. They also found collecting medications and prescriptions easy as there was a pharmacy on site. The PPG was advertised but only one person said they had heard about it.

Overall the feedback from all was very positive, including the feedback from the observations of the HW representatives. HWG made the following recommendations

- To introduce hand sanitiser in the spaces for all to use.

- Online booking made available but more information on how to use it should be available for patients registering for this service.

- The electronic check-in screen, which is located behind the reception desk queue, should have signage so patients are aware they can use it.

- Information about translation services and information being available in other formats should be displayed.

- Information on how to use the online repeat prescription service would be useful to ensure patients are confident to use the system.

- Patients who join the practice PPG should be contacted with information on the upcoming meetings in a timely manner.

- Introduction of a comment/complaints box would be useful to receive regular patient feedback.

The surgery responded to the recommendations saying; they will not be providing hand sanitisers at reception and all clinical rooms have these. They said the online system is explained at registration as is the online prescription service and that the electronic check in is in direct line of sight for patients arriving. The surgery has installed additional signage and it will inform patients in due time of the meeting dates for the PPG. Comments and complaints are taken at reception, in addition to NHS Choices, Google and verbal feedback to clinicians’ and staff. Friends and Family Test texts are sent out each day and reported on each month.