Enter and View: Kington Surgery, Herefordshire

On 7 May 2016 Healthwatch Herefordshire completed an announced Enter and View visit to Kington Medical Practice. During the visit they spoke to 41 patients using a conversation based questionnaire. The questionnaire covered areas such as how the patient felt dignity was being respected in the practice, how they were engaged with by the staff, the environment, identify ideas for change and any examples of good working practices.

Positive conclusions from the visit were that the surgery was felt to be spacious and modern. The atmosphere was welcoming and the environment comfortable, with clear signage, good disabled access and plentiful car parking for all. Staff were observed during the visit to be friendly and respectful.

However, it was also identified that the reception area/counter did not afford privacy or confidentiality to patients queuing to speak to receptionists. There appeared to be no way of knowing how long waiting times are which confirmed the fact that many patients commented about difficulties booking an appointment with a named doctor. Online booking, translation services and availability of information in different formats did not appear to be advertised at the surgery. The electronic display did not seem to display locally relevant information. Some issues were identified with regards to communication.

The report contains 10 recommendations covering suggested improvements to Access (appointments), Staffing, Communication and Joint working (helping patients to better navigate the system); Patient Engagement (suggestions box, expanding the Patient Participation Group (PPG), how to feedback confidentially); Information (digital) and Fabric (creating confidential/private areas and safe space for children to play).

The report includes a detailed breakdown of the findings from the patient feedback and meeting with Practice Manager as well as a number of individual patient comments.