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GP surgeries can do better – survey
Alice Mckeegan22/ 7/2008
A MAJOR survey of patients’ experiences has revealed that people in Rochdale are generally satisfied with their healthcare services.
The GP patient survey, carried out by the Department of Health, obtained the views of 8,000 adults in the areas covered by Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Primary Care Trust.
Patients from each surgery were asked to respond to a variety of questions, enabling the results to be broken down by individual practice.
The survey covered five main areas, including telephone access, 48 hour access to services, advance booking, opening hours and access to patients’ preferred GPs.
Overall, the report found that 83 per cent were able to get an appointment with their doctor within 48 hours. This was slightly below the national average of 86 per cent.
The majority of patients, 82 per cent, said they were satisfied with the hours that surgeries were open, but some expressed disappointment that their surgery doesn’t open on Saturdays.
The survey also found that:
Patients also said they would like to see surgeries opening longer, with 31 per cent of respondents wanting evening appointments and 39 per cent hoping for extended hours on Saturdays.
Full-time workers also struggle to access GP appointments, with only 51 per cent able to see their GP.
Vivienne Ben-David, head of primary care at Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Primary Care Trust, said: "It is encouraging that the majority of patients feel they receive a good level of service and it reflects the high quality care local GPs provide to our patients. We need to tackle the issues concerning those who are less satisfied and unable to access appointments. This includes providing longer opening hours, which the PCT is already actively addressing, as well as how to improve GP access in the borough’s poorer areas and for full-time workers. We also need to work with GPs to make sure all practices in the borough provide the same quality of care."
She said that the results of the survey would help to shape pilot schemes to offer patients greater choices and extended opening hours.
Mike Farrar, chief executive of NHS North West, the region’s strategic health authority, added: "I believe that patients need to be more involved on a day-to-day basis in shaping local services so that they meet local needs. These patient satisfaction survey results give important feedback to our GP practices, so that they can make sure that they are responding to the needs of their patients."
SURVEY RESULTS
|
In general, are you satisfied with how easy it is to get through to someone on the phone at your doctor’s surgery? |
Were you able to get an appointment on the same day or the next two days the surgery was open?
|
Last time you wanted to, were you able to get an appointment with a doctor more than two full days in advance?
|
Last time you wanted to, were you able to make an appointment with a particular doctor - even if it meant waiting longer?
|
Over the last six months or so, were you satisfied with the hours that your GP surgery was open?
|
||||||
| YES | NO | YES | NO | YES | NO | YES | NO | YES | NO | |
|
Littleborough Health Centre
|
98.6
|
1.4
|
98.2
|
1.8
|
98.6
|
1.4
|
98.9
|
1.1
|
96.5
|
3.5
|
|
Ashworth St Surgery
|
87.3
|
12.7
|
84.7
|
15.3
|
75.2
|
24.8
|
85.0
|
15.0
|
84.4
|
15.6
|
|
Baillie St Health Centre
|
67.1
|
32.9
|
70.5
|
29.5
|
62.1
|
37.9
|
76.4
|
23.6
|
76.6
|
23.4
|
|
Baillie St Health Centre (Babar)
|
46.7
|
53.3
|
68.4
|
31.6
|
51.7
|
48.3
|
80.4
|
19.6
|
77.5
|
22.5
|
|
Castleton Health Centre
|
86.8
|
13.2
|
90.2
|
9.8
|
87.2
|
12.8
|
92.9
|
7.1
|
86.1
|
13.9
|
|
Drake Street Surgery
|
87.4
|
12.6
|
92.2
|
7.8
|
68.8
|
31.2
|
93.9
|
6.1
|
85.4
|
14.6
|
|
East Street Surgery
|
23.3
|
76.7
|
32.8
|
67.2
|
19.2
|
80.8
|
52.3
|
47.7
|
59.5
|
40.5
|
|
Edenfield Road Surgery
|
46.1
|
53.9
|
68.8
|
31.2
|
52.8
|
47.2
|
74.4
|
25.6
|
70.7
|
29.3
|
|
Healey Surgery
|
93.0
|
7.0
|
91.4
|
8.6
|
83.9
|
16.1
|
94.5
|
5.5
|
83.4
|
16.6
|
|
Littleborough Group Practice
|
81.0
|
19.0
|
89.1
|
10.9
|
19.7
|
80.3
|
76.0
|
24.0
|
86.0
|
14.0
|
|
Lowerplace Surgery
|
69.2
|
30.8
|
70.7
|
29.3
|
75.0
|
25.0
|
68.7
|
31.3
|
67.8
|
32.2
|
|
Mark St Surgery
|
75.6
|
24.4
|
78.4
|
21.6
|
81.7
|
19.3
|
90.7
|
9.3
|
81.5
|
18.5
|
|
Milnrow Village Practice
|
96.9
|
3.1
|
96.0
|
4.0
|
99.2
|
0.8
|
98.4
|
1.6
|
87.0
|
13.0
|
|
Stonefield Street Surgery
|
92.9
|
7.1
|
90.4
|
9.6
|
91.3
|
8.7
|
91.0
|
9.0
|
85.1
|
14.9
|
|
Dawes Family Practice
|
73.3
|
26.7
|
89.1
|
10.9
|
49.0
|
51.0
|
66.4
|
33.6
|
85.4
|
14.6
|
|
The Village Medical Centre
|
93.0
|
7.0
|
96.4
|
3.6
|
52.5
|
47.5
|
86.0
|
14.0
|
76.6
|
23.4
|
|
Trinity Medical Centre
|
97.8
|
2.2
|
94.2
|
5.8
|
94.6
|
5.4
|
98.9
|
1.1
|
91.3
|
8.7
|
|
Triple H Team
|
90.0
|
10.0
|
88.9
|
11.1
|
83.3
|
16.7
|
40.0
|
60.0
|
64.9
|
35.1
|
|
Tweedale Street Surgery
|
69.6
|
30.4
|
68.7
|
31.3
|
73.3
|
26.7
|
83.3
|
16.7
|
74.4
|
25.6
|
|
Vicars Drive Surgery
|
79.9
|
20.1
|
86.6
|
13.4
|
66.7
|
33.3
|
76.2
|
23.8
|
72.6
|
27.4
|
|
Wellfield Surgery
|
50.8
|
49.2
|
43.3
|
56.7
|
56.9
|
43.1
|
82.4
|
17.6
|
71.4
|
28.6
|
|
Yorkshire St Surgery
|
96.6
|
3.4
|
98.7
|
1.3
|
97.7
|
2.3
|
97.1
|
2.9
|
92.2
|
7.8
|
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