GP quality in Coventry: what is important to local people and recommendations for action
Download (PDF 717.58 KB)Summary of report content
GP services are frequently the subject of national policy initiatives because of their central function in the health system. It is important to Healthwatch that the views of local people are a driver in future development of local GP services
Our aims in undertaking this work were:
- To support the work of the Local Health and Wellbeing Board task group on primary care
- To enable the views of local people to influence the way forward
- To help define a bench mark for good quality GP services in the City
We asked local people what is important to them when they are using GP services via their GP practice or the Coventry Walk in Centre. We ran two qualitative surveys and four focus groups. Meetings were also held with a sample of GP practice managers and visits made to local the Walk in Centre. We gathered the views of 277 people.
Our work identified some trends in what people wanted and detail about what people thought made a good quality GP service/experience.
We made 8 recommendations about customer focused training for reception staff; written information; clarifying to the public the role of the Walk In Centre; connecting IT systems; developing patient engagement; and promoting complaints advocacy via GP practices.
Healthwatch presented this report to the multi-agency Primary Care Task Group on 27 November 2014 and further discussion was held at the group’s meeting on 22 January 2015.