INFORMATION FOR PATIENTS
APPOINTMENT AVAILABILITY
•We have received a number of complaints recently about lack of appointment availability
•We regret that patients are having difficulty getting an appointment when they want one
•We are not alone with this problem – it is a problem for the majority of GP practices in England
•The reason for this is very simple -->
SUPPLY AND DEMAND
SUPPLY
•FUNDING – IS SET BY THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS REGISTERED WITH US
•FUNDING PAYS FOR A CERTAIN RATIO OF DOCTORS
•THE NUMBER OF DOCTORS DETERMINES THE NUMBER OF APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE
DEMAND
•DETERMINED BY PATIENTS
•DIFFERENT PATIENTS DEMAND DIFFERENT THINGS – SAME DAY, WITHIN 48 HOURS OR BOOK AHEAD APPOINTMENTS
• DEMAND IS VERY VARIABLE AND LARGELY UNPREDICTABLE THOUGH THERE ARE A FEW TRENDS
•DEMAND IS CURRENTLY OUTSTRIPPING SUPPLY
WHAT WE DO
•We monitor demand
•We listen to complaints
•We do our best to work with what we have got - we try to:
–Maximise the time doctors have to see patients
–Vary appointment supply to take into account:
•Differing needs
•Different demand on certain days
WHAT WE CAN’T DO
•We cannot increase the number of appointments without having more doctor time
•We cannot increase the availability and workload of our existing doctors because they are working at capacity
•We cannot employ more doctors because we don’t have the funding to do this
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP
•Healthcare advice is available from a number of different sources, not just your GP
•Please use NHS 111 for advice in the first instance
•Please speak to your local pharmacist (chemist) – they can offer a confidential assessment and can offer remedies for a large number of minor ailments
PLEASE DON’T
•Shout or be abusive to our telephonists or receptionists if they can’t offer an appointment when you want one – they can only work with the appointments that are available
•Waste appointments – if you cannot attend a booked appointment, please cancel it in good time so that we can offer it to someone else
LATE RUNNING
•We have received a number of complaints about appointments not running to time
•We regret that patients sometimes have to wait to be seen
•This is not usually the doctors’ ’fault’
•The main reason for this is very simple
THE 10 MINUTE APPOINTMENT
•Each appointment is just 10 minutes’ long
•This is only enough time for the doctor to deal with ONE problem
•Many patients are bringing multiple problems to one consultation and are taking more than their allocated time
WHAT WE DO
•We try to ensure that our doctors and nurses start their surgeries on time
•We build one or two ‘catch-up’ times into each surgery in case a patient has a complex or urgent health need that may take a little longer
•When you check-in, our machine estimates and tells you the time you are likely to have to wait until your appointment
•If there is a delay our receptionists will try to find out if there is an unusual reason for this
WHAT WE CAN’T DO
•We can’t make appointments longer – we have to offer a certain number of appointments with each doctor in each surgery if we are to try to meet demand Longer appointments mean fewer appointments with each doctor
•Doctors cannot work longer in each surgery as they also have paperwork and visits to attend to. They are working to capacity.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
•Please arrive on time.
•Please bring only ONE problem to each consultation
•If you have more than one problem, tell the doctor this at the start of your consultation so that you can agree what is the most important one
•Make an allowance for possible late running when you book your appointment and organise your day
•Please remember that the doctor may need to spend extra time with some patients if their medical need is complex or urgent
•Please be thoughtful to other patients when you are seeing the doctor and remember that 10 minutes is not very long!
PLEASE DON’T
•Take more than your allocated time
•Take offence when the doctor tells you that s/he cannot deal with more than one problem
•Complain to our receptionists if the doctor runs late – it is not their fault!
ARE YOU PREPARED FOR CHRISTMAS?
•Please remember to order your repeat prescriptions in good time, especially if you are going away for Christmas
•If you need a medication review please book this well ahead
PRESCRIPTION COLLECTION AT CHRISTMAS
•Remember to allow 2 working days between your request and your prescription being ready for collection
•Prescription requests must be received at the Surgery by 12 noon on Wednesday 20th December if required before Christmas
CHRISTMAS OPENING AND CLOSING
•We will be OPEN on Friday 22nd December for normal opening hours
•We will be CLOSED on Monday 25th and Tuesday 26th December
•We will be open as normal between Wednesday 27th and Friday 29th December
NEW YEAR OPENING AND CLOSING
•We will be OPEN as usual on Friday 29th December
•We will be CLOSED on Monday 1st January 2018
•We will be OPEN as usual on Tuesday 2nd January 2018
HAPPY CHRISTMAS!
•The doctors and staff at Bath Row Medical Practice would like to take this opportunity to wish all our patients and their families a stress-free and very Happy Christmas and a healthy year in 2018.