Methods of GP access

This is a report by Healthwatch Wallsall. The project looked at GP access in the area.

A total of 84 people responded to an online survey, there was also a mystery shop carried out.

Survey recommendations:

• Patient awareness of online services could be increased.

• A telephone system that enables patients to select options to take them to the professional to meet their need.

• The reasons and benefits of triage should be explained to patients if not already being done.

• Consider if frontline GP staff should receive customer service training.

• Surgeries/practices could consider having telephone systems that have adequate incoming lines for patients and are staffed at surge periods to meet need.

• Consideration should be given to the availability and suitability of digitised access and communications to such groups as Learning Disabilities, Deaf or hearing impaired, Blind and visually impaired, Non-English reading or speaking groups. As well as the level of 

equipment access that is needed if online is to be the way forward.

• There needs to be a detailed study of the effects when patients cannot access GP services in terms of the impact on other services and resources as well as patient healthcare outcomes. It may mean that patients are not diagnosed and treated until an acute condition requires intervention. Outcomes may be life altering or life threatening?

• A further investigation into the levels of IT/Web knowledge and access could be made to ascertain the levels of those who are digitally challenged for various reasons or choose not to use digital technology and to establish access routes for those patients.

• Patients need assurance that they can contact their GP surgery/practice to access services. They may either neglect their condition which may escalate, requiring acute intervention later or visit other providers placing additional pressures on those services.

Mystery shop recommendations:

• Ensure GP phone systems and staffing levels meet patient numbers/demand.

• Consider a recall/call back system in place so patients are not kept online waiting (some patients may incur costs by being kept on hold).

• If not, messaging is up to date, valid no more than 1 minute in length.

• Consider an option to skip messaging. 

• Telephone systems have an audible queuing system so that patients know where theyare in the queue.

• If there is a patient queuing system in place, no more than 10 places in the queue (each queue space will take time to answer so someone is 10th may have a 30 minute plus wait time) if this exceeds more than 10 patients are informed to call back, consider the urgency of call and reschedule?

• Have a separate/alternative surgery contact number for health/social care professionals so that they can quickly access patient records, meet urgent needs such safeguarding issues etc. This would also reduce the patient wait as parties are not jostling for contact via one number.

• Consider a patient scheduling system so that that patients call in time allotted sessions dependent on their need and not a free-for-all from early morning 8.00am onwards.

There are no follow up actions in the report.