Enter and view: Woodbridge Practice
Download (PDF 310.81 KB)Summary of report content
Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees conducted an announced Enter and View visit to Woodbridge Practice on 6th May 2015. The visit was planned following on from intelligence received by Healthwatch regarding a number of issues including the organisation of appointments at the Woodbridge Practice. The visit aimed to listen to patients and staff about the experiences of being a patient at the practice with a view to making recommendations for improvements to the provider. The feedback and views were captured through a short survey and observations. The general comments received were that overall the practice was good, and patients were satisfied with the services. There was a feeling though that the waiting time to secure a routine appointment was ‘unacceptable’ and the method was inefficient. Patients also expressed being uncomfortable with the reception staff acting as ‘Gatekeepers’ to the doctors and asking for personal medical information before letting the patients see the GP. Staff told the team that they were required to ensure that the GP saw only those patients who could not be seen by a Nurse Practitioner.
Healthwatch made recommendations about reviewing the appointment system and giving the patients’ more choice.
There is a long and detailed response from the practice explaining their policies about these points.