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Neston Medical Centre Newsletter April 2015
Friends and Family Test (FFT)
From December 2014 we have been required to give patients the opportunity to complete the FFT. You can
complete it as a one off or at every visit to the practice if you desire.
We asked:
‘We would like you to think about your recent experiences of our service’.
‘How likely are you to recommend our GP practice to friends and family if they need similar care or treatment?
Results for the period Dec 2014 to Feb 2015
Extremely likely
132
Likely
44
Neither likely nor unlikely
16
Unlikely
11
Extremely unlikely
6
Don’t know
0
These are a selection of comments taken from the questionnaire, with hopefully some helpful replies.
Getting through on phone in the morning can take 10-15 minutes – by then all the consultations with the Dr’s are
booked. Would it be possible to have another phone line?
We have four receptionists answering the phone in the morning and unfortunately do not have the capacity to
accommodate any more. Therefore having another phone line would just result in it not being answered. For
none urgent appointments you are able to book a limited number of GP appointments online. Please call into the
surgery bringing in identification in the form of photographic identification e.g. a driving licence or passport and
address identification e.g. a bank statement and we will complete the registration for you.
For illness when you don’t need to stay in could you have a time for the call?
It’s easy to arrange a telephone appointment but difficult when the doctor calls you back as life has to continue
and I am not always able to answer the phone e.g. in a meeting, driving.
It is possible to request a call back for a range of times to suit you, for example between 09.00am and 10.00am or
after 4.30pm, the GP’s will do their best to accommodate all such requests. It is not feasible to specify an exact
time as the GP’s may occasionally be running late or called to an emergency.
I think this is a wonderful service where the admin staff work well with medical staff. All that I have come into
contact with have been professional and friendly at all times. Thank you.
Excellent service from all in the surgery
Thank you for your comments.
It would be more convenient to be able to order my prescription over the phone rather than come into the
surgery to do it.
We do not have a facility to order prescriptions over the phone partly due to the fact that we wish to avoid errors
and also because the phone lines are very busy. You can, however, order your prescriptions online and can also
nominate a chemist for the prescription to be sent directly to. Please call into the surgery bringing in identification
in the form of photographic identification e.g. a driving licence or passport and address identification e.g. a bank
statement and we will complete the registration for you.
I am extremely happy with the service I receive at Neston Medical Centre. I feel very lucky that we have such a
wonderful practice.
Thank you, it is very rewarding to receive positive feedback.
Clarity on what happens after a blood/urine test. Wait for a call? Call in?
Results vary in the length of time they take to be received. The GP’s will arrange for you to be contacted by a
member of reception to arrange repeat tests/follow-up telephone consultations/further tests, should they be
needed. For all normal results the surgery will not generally contact each patient. You can telephone reception to
request the result after 2.00pm and within 2/5 days of having the test depending on what the test is, as some tests
will take longer for the results to be received.
Change the answerphone message.
Message on answerphone needs renewal.
The answerphone message is too long – it takes up too much credit on your mobile.
In response to feedback from our Patient Participation Group Report and to these comments we recorded a new
message and included the instruction at the start of the message to ‘press 1 at any time if you are aware of our
appointment system’, which has removed the need to listen to a full explanation before the phone is answered.
Encouraging everyone to phone at 8.00am leads to queueing (sometimes 20mins), is there a way of introducing a
staggered system?
The phones are answered from 8.00am but we don’t encourage everyone to phone at that time. With our
previous appointment system it was a mad dash to phone at 8.00am or to queue at the door and on some
occasions all GP appointments had been taken by 8.10am. Our new system gives 50% more capacity for contact
with the GP and therefore appointments are frequently available to book throughout the morning and on
occasions in the afternoon. We would encourage patients to phone later in the morning/afternoon to make
routine nurse appointments, for queries and for results.
The new system does not suit me or a lot of people I know. I think it would be better to go back to the old
system.
Get rid of this new system and go back to as it was before.
As mentioned above the ‘old system’ was certainly not ideal for many patients and it was apparent that
something needed to change to improve things. Some of you will remember we already offered a telephone
appointment system which operated in much the same way as the current system. Many patients would request
this type of appointment for their convenience. As demand for contact with a GP has greatly increased over the
years the only way we can manage this effectively is to work differently. We understand that people can be
resistant to change but are committed to providing patients with the best possible service and would encourage
anyone to ask for help and advice on using the system.
When needing a follow-up appointment you still need to book a telephone consultation which is a waste of time.
Why can’t an appointment be booked without the doctor calling?
Making a follow-up appointment is a nightmare. It is not possible to make one without going through the whole
telephone consultation system again.
If the GP wants to see you again for a follow-up appointment they will book the appointment for you whilst you
are still in their room. They may say to you that if you don’t improve or you feel you need to be seen again then
please contact the surgery. They would not book an appointment for you at this point as it may not be necessary
and experience has shown that people forget to cancel them. You need to go through the telephone system again
as the GP’s manage their own days and will fit you in taking into account their day and yours. It may be that they
will suggest alternative arrangements for example book in for further blood test or alter a tablet without the need
to be seen until a later date.
I prefer to discuss my symptoms/medical problems with the doctor not the receptionist (however nice they are)
as they don’t know what I’m talking about having never heard of my medical condition.
Patients should not be required to discuss medical issues with reception who act inappropriately as arbiters.
The GP’s have requested that the Receptionist should ask patient’s if they are able to give a rough idea of what the
telephone call if for. They do not in any way expect patient’s to give a detailed account. This is to assist the GP’s
in prioritising a call should it be necessary. There have been occasions when on asking a patient for information
the Receptionist has been able to act promptly in alerting the GP to a possible emergency or indeed calling an
ambulance on behalf of a patient for a 999 emergency. If you do not wish to indicate the reason for your call then
please inform the Receptionist that it is personal.
It would not be possible to list every comment made but we will continue to update these over future months.
However some comments show that there has obviously been misunderstanding’s about how our appointment
system works. If you would like to leave your name and phone number when you comment, a member of staff will
contact you directly to explain.
Early Visiting Service
November 3rd saw the start of a five month trial of the ‘Early Visiting Service’, a joint venture between Neston
Medical Centre, Neston Surgery and Willaston Surgery. The aim of this service is to provide patients who request
a home visit rapid access to healthcare to allay their concerns and possibly avoid unnecessary admission to
hospital. Timely onward referrals to other services for support within the community have further enhanced this
service. Dr Deborah McCarthy has been appointed to the post and feedback from questionnaires, sent to
patients following a home visit, has been wonderfully positive. We are waiting to hear whether funding will be
available to continue after March 2015.
Over 75’s Health Checks
In January 2015 we commenced the above service. The aim of which is to improve the health and wellbeing of
patients within this age group, who may not normally have contact with the surgery. We have appointed a Lead
Nurse for this service, Practice Nurse Louise Robinson. Nurse Louise has been contacting patients who may be
unable to attend the surgery or may not usually engage with the surgery to invite them for blood tests and a full
health screen. If you are interested in receiving a health check please leave your details with reception and
Louise, who carries out this service on a Thursday, will contact you.
Patient Online: Records Access
With effect from April 1st 2015 the Patient Online service is being extended. At the moment you can use the
internet to book appointments with a GP and request prescriptions for any repeat medications you take. If you
wish to, you can now also request to view all medications, allergies and adverse reactions. Call into the surgery to
request an information leaflet and application form.