Enter and view: St Marks and Nightingale Surgeries

Healthwatch Greenwich undertook an Enter and View visit to St Marks Medical Centre and Nightingale Surgery on 31 January and 2 February 2018. Overall, both surgeries were found to be clean, well maintained and accessible, with patients reporting positive experiences of care and high levels of satisfaction with the services provided. 

Patients spoke very positively about GPs, nurses and reception staff, describing them as professional, understanding and helpful. Most respondents were satisfied with appointment availability, involvement in decisions about their care and the information they received during consultations. The surgeries were also praised for their cleanliness, child-friendly waiting areas and accessible facilities. 

Some concerns were raised about appointment booking, waiting times and telephone access, particularly at Nightingale Surgery. Healthwatch also found that patient awareness of the Patient Participation Group (PPG) was very low, privacy at reception desks could be improved, and feedback mechanisms were more visible at Nightingale than at St Marks. 

Overall, Healthwatch concluded that both surgeries were providing a good standard of care and were highly valued by patients. Recommendations focused on improving reception privacy, increasing awareness of the PPG, making feedback opportunities more visible and exploring ways to reduce difficulties associated with telephone queues.