GP Access to Appointments Report August 2017, Solihull
Download (PDF 5.57 MB)Summary of report content
The report states a public meeting meeting was held in March 2016 but on reading the report and linked to other activiites (including the publication date) this was probably March 2017.
It starts with the background and includes reference to the different strands of work carried out which were:
• A public meeting was arranged to take an in depth look at these matters and explore the potential mismatch between surgery and patient aspirations and practice in providing and obtaining appointments
• Public opinion was gathered via an online and paper survey
• A desk exercise gathered a comparison of the various appointment management regimes at surgeries across the Borough
30 members of the public attended the meeting which had two invited speakers and a mixture of pre notified questions and audience questions. A further 218 survey responses were received although acknowledgement was given to 26 which could not be attributed to specific surgeries or were outside the Healthwatch Solihull remit.
The desk study was carried out using the surgery websites and looked at opening hours, making appointments, special arrangements for emergencies, lateness, out of hours etc. and arrangements for repeat prescriptions.
The appendix to the report includes the full list of questions asked by the audience at the public meeting, a copy of the survey used and detailed information of the results of that survey. The report suggested a number of recommendations.
Whilst the report is very detailed in the information it contains it is unclear who this report has been shared with. Whilst it makes a number of recommendations it is again unclear what impact, if any, has been achieved.