The Dunstan Partnership

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

We carried out an announced assessment of one quality statement, equity of access, under the key question Responsive and found: The provider had organised services to meet patients’ needs and used their feedback and other evidence to seek and improve access for their patient population. Services were designed to make them accessible and timely for people including those most likely to have difficulty accessing the service. The provider prioritised, allocated resources and developed opportunities as needed to tackle inequalities and achieve equity of access. The practice routinely monitored demand and capacity regarding access arrangements and had established systems to enable the ongoing analysis of appointments and core data and to seek feedback from people to learn more about their experiences. The practice worked with other practices in the area to provide additional access to a GP and other clinicians at other locations during evenings, weekends and bank holidays.

This service scored 75 (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 Person-centred Care during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

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 Listening to and involving people during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

In the 2023 National GP Patient Survey, the practice’s data demonstrated that patient satisfaction was positive about GP appointment times, getting through to the practice by telephone and the overall experience of making an appointment. The data for these indicators highlighted that the performance achieved by the practice was higher than both the local and national averages. Prior to our assessment, we invited the practice to contact a sample of patients on our behalf so that people could give feedback on their experience regarding access. We received feedback from 10 patients and all feedback was positive. The practice encouraged patients/patient representatives to provide feedback on their experience via the NHS friends and family test (FFT). The practice had a patient participation group (PPG) which was involved in providing feedback for the practice and communicating with the practice population. Patients had access to an interpretation service. Double appointments were given to patients that required them. The practice was accessible to patients with mobility needs.

The leaders demonstrated they were aware of the challenges to patient access and had acted to improve patient access. The leaders explained they provided opportunities and support for different groups of the patient population to overcome health inequalities. The practice patients could register without documents such as identification and proof of address using the practice address for letters from other services such as hospital letters and test results. The leaders demonstrated they were aware of the challenges to patient access and had acted to improve patient access. We saw evidence that all data was routinely analysed. We also saw leaders engaged with other organisations to look at identifying any unmet needs of patients to ensure they were providing the required services.

Patients could book appointments by telephone, online, and in person by visiting the practice. Information regarding access was displayed on the practice’s website. Appointments were available face to face, by telephone, online or as a home visit. Same day and pre-bookable in advance appointments were also available. Appointments were available on weekday evenings and on Saturdays through an extended access arrangement in the area. The practice used a triage system to prioritise patients and had arrangements in place for prioritising patients. A GP considered all requests and allocated an appropriate appointment. Patients were directed to other services if these were more appropriate. All staff had been trained in the triage system, and there was the capacity to add in urgent appointments during the day if needed. The practice had a website showing the information available to patients. The practice had a new telephone system which allowed them to easily have access to call data to ensure patients’ needs were monitored throughout the day, met and resources were appropriately placed.

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

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.