Enter and view: Heath Hill Surgery, Bracknell Forest

Healthwatch Bracknell Forest conducted an announced Enter and View visit to Heath Hill Surgery on 26 November 2015. Using survey methods, the team spoke with 38 patients; 35 patients on the day of the visit and 3 patients completed an online survey. The survey asked patients about their experience with booking, waiting times, appointment time suitability and patient satisfaction. A further survey with the Practice Manager was conducted to find out about GP rotas, emergency appointments and how these are triaged and accessed and charging policy for letters/services. In addition to the surveys, the team also observed the environment and interactions between patients and staff. Alongside the visit, the Healthwatch Bracknell Forest team reviewed NHS Choices reviews for the surgery posted over the previous 6 months and the practice website.

Overall, patients reported to be happy with the quality of the care and treatment they received and felt they had enough time in the consultation. The physical environment was considered by the team to be clean, tidy and generally accessible. There were some patient concerns about the lack of access and difficulty making routine and review appointments, although the emergency and triaging system is working well for patients. Some issues arose, such as the proximity of the reception desk to the waiting room and lack of background noise leading to some concerns about patient privacy. Waiting times were also raised as an issue; only 1 in 3 patients on the day of the visit were seen on time. The team considered the website useful and practical however patients did not seem to have a good awareness of it. Similarly, patients were not aware of the Surgery Patient Group and/or its purpose.

Healthwatch Bracknell Forest made some recommendations to the GP practice. The team suggested that privacy in the waiting area should be resolved as a matter of urgency, the practice should consider the benefits of an electronic booking system and to better manage patient expectations about waiting times. In addition, they suggested an awareness campaign for the website and Surgery Patient Group would be beneficial.

The service provider, Heath Hill Surgery, responded to the report and agreed with the recommendations stating that work to improve was ongoing.