Pilgrims Way Surgery

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

The practice monitored data and feedback related to patient’s experiences when accessing care at the service. Where negative feedback had been received or opportunities to improve were identified, the practice responded with changes designed to improve access, patients’ experiences and satisfaction levels. New systems had been introduced within the last 9 months, which had been embedded. The practice was continuously monitoring systems and processes to ensure they operated consistently for all patients.

This service scored 11 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

We did not look at Care provision, Integration and continuity during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Providing Information during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Equity in access during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

The results of the most recent GP Patient Survey (published in June 2023) showed the practice performance was below the national averages for indicators relating to phone accessibility and overall experience of making an appointment. This was based on 137 surveys which represented 1.6% of the patient population. 23% of patients (England average 50%, local 41%) said it was easy to get through to this GP practice by phone. 68% of patients who completed the survey said they were satisfied with the appointment offered (England average 72%, local 68%). 95% of patients who completed the survey had confidence and trust in the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to (England 93%, local 92%). No specific written audits have been completed for access, however, it has been discussed regularly at practice meetings, reception meetings and Primary Care Network (PCN) meetings and various information from the GP patient survey, Patient Participation Group (PPG) Survey, Friends and Family Test (FFT), NHS choices and Facebook. The practice told us that the GP partners will add extra appointments to their clinics to accommodate shortage of appointments. The Patient Participation Group (PPG) carried out a Patient survey at the end of last year and asked patients if they had any suggestions / comments regarding the services the surgery provided. The practice told us that they had some very positive comments about the reception and health professional staff. The PPG also has a Facebook page. The practice regularly uses the FFT comments and shares them with staff and discusses them at the monthly practice meetings (it is an agenda item on their practice meeting minutes).

We spoke with staff and received completed staff feedback forms, in a range of roles including leadership, management, and support. All were clear about their roles and responsibilities. We also reviewed minutes of meetings for a complete range of staff groups. These demonstrated that staff communicated effectively within the practice and there were established processes to discuss risk, performance, and concerns. Meeting minutes also showed that staff were valued and wellbeing was a priority for the practice. They also demonstrated that the practice had a strong team to ensure they service delivered high quality care and would be sustainable for the future. The practice told us that they looked at the GP Patient Survey results every year to identify areas where the practice could improve the patient experience for example, making an appointment, access to various health professionals, encounters with the receptionist and support from local services.

We were shown evidence of the NHS Friends and Family Test responses for May 2023 to March 2024, which showed positive experiences of patients. We were shown meeting minutes, patient feedback and data and insight; that had been used to inform decision making regarding changes to access. The PPG have arranged for a drop-in service once per month to help patients with services in the surgery. The first one on 1st May showed patients how to use the eConsult service and what the pharmacy first service is. We saw that patients feedback was positive. The practice told us that they use a text messaging system to contact patients for reviews due, appointments made, self-help information, book appointments on the self-booking link and to let patients know a referral has been made. The practice has a community pharmacy and they told us that this has been a very successful service and is used daily for patients. Patients are signposted to this service for minor ailments and also the new 7 conditions that a pharmacy can treat, and this has now freed up their appointments each day for patients to book for other non-pharmacy issues. The practice had performed quality improvement (QI) exercises to improve the uptake of cervical smears. They had also performed a QI exercise to improve the Measles Mumps and Rubella catch up programme. The practice has participated in the national General Practice Improvement Programme (GPIP) that offers support to general practice to move to and realise the benefits of the ‘Modern General Practice Model’. The programme offers practices access to a three-month support package which includes facilitated in-person sessions, data diagnosis and tailored analysis to understand and manage demand and capacity.

We did not look at Planning for the future during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.