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 A recurring issue identified by members of Sheffield LINk has been the difficulty some people find in getting to see a general practitioner (GP). Making appointments and using out-of-hours services are key problems.
An Action Group is investigating these issues, finding out what appointments systems and out-of-hours services are currently in use and identifying best practice. To date this group has
- collected information from national sources to benchmark our local services
- met with managers from NHS Sheffield to undestand developments in this area
- done two 'enter and view' visits to GP practices to discuss appointments services and systems, and a third visit is being arranged.
The Group has also made some very useful contacts in the NHS Sheffield, PBC Consortia (Practice-Based Commissioning) and across the City. This has led to it being invited to work with Sheffield City Council's Health and Community Care Scrutiny Board, who are also looking at GP access and service issues. The group has also discussed their recommendations with this Board.
The Final Report on Access to GPs was published in late January 2011 and was presented to the Board of NHS Sheffield on February 1. The Board welcomed the report and its recommedations and acknoweledged that this was an important area to work on and that while they had been working on improving all kinds of access, there was more work to be done. Please see NHS Sheffield's response to the report here.
- The report details the work done by the Action Group and comes to the conclusion that Sheffield needs to address its patient satisfaction levels in the area of access to GPs. Although the figures for this satisfaction are falling nationally, Sheffield is several points below the national average on most measures.
It then goes on to make some key recommendations, including for GP Practices to:
- Have drop-in or 'sit and wait' appointments where patients who arrive by a certain time are guaranteed to be seen.
- Have telephone appointments system in addition to the drop-in facility and encourage these patients to come at less busy or extended hours surgery times.
- Have arrangements for telephone appointments where a patient can speak to a doctor for test results, reassurance on symptoms etc.
- Ensure slots are available for emergency appointments during surgery hours so as not to disrupt other appointments.
- Consider having a touch-screen facility where patients can register their arrival at the surgery without having to go to reception.
- Have a dedicated mobile phone number for the hearing impaired to request appointments by text.
- Improve communication with patients about appointment options
- Set up a 'Practice Patient Panel' to discuss the development of the practice and its services with patient representatives
- Encourage patients to act responsibly around using GP resources and ensure they turn up to appointments.
Click here to 'Have Your Say' on this topic.
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