Enter and view: Berkley Medical Practice GP

As part of Healthwatch Walsall Enter and View programme, visits are made to local residential homes in accordance with information received from the local public, service users, carers and monitoring authorities.

The Kingfisher Berkley Practice is part of the Modality Partnership.

Overall the feedback for the Practice was positive of the patients that was spoken to on the day of the visit, almost 90% said they would recommend the Practice to others. The infrastructure and facilities as provided are very good. However, not surprisingly issues exist for patients mainly around access and information. There was also some disparity in the responses to getting appointments with 56% rating it as good or very good; however, by contrast most of the same respondents had consultation appointments granted within 24 hours. A greater uptake and implementation of online/text technology would no doubt help improve communication between the Practice and patients accordingly. Choice of GP remains an important factor for patients and providing the information regarding their dedicated accountable GP would no doubt help to smooth this issue. In addition, the Practice needs to determine how it more easily disseminates information on both complaints and Patient Participation channels. From the feedback derived on the day of the visit, there are clearly gaps in patient knowledge concerning their right to both complain and raise concerns and how to engage effectively in the determination of how services are shaped / provided to them. This is despite the obligatory information being adequately displayed in the reception.

The report contains 5 recommendations with the key theme in relation to information for patients.