Enter and View Report: Carden Surgery

Healthwatch chose the pilot visits based on a range of criteria:

• Those practices about which we had received calls via our helpline.
• Those not recently visited by the Care Quality Commission5 .
• A cross city representation of the 6 GP clusters6 in the city.
• Feedback from NHS choices
• Patient populations
• Soft intelligence from partners and community engagement

Results of Visit 

Appointments and Referrals 

• As with the majority of GP practices, at Carden Surgery it is possible to book appointments with nurses and doctors over the phone, in person and via the internet.
• Of these options, patient found it easiest to book in person (80%), followed by booking via the telephone (60%). 
• Only two patients we spoke to had used the online appointment booking service at the practice.

Quality of service

• 85% of people we asked said that the reception staff were helpful or very helpful.
• Our representatives observed reception staff talking in an attentive and friendly way to patients during the visit.

Environment

• The representatives felt that the waiting room was clean and tidy, and that the practice was in a clean and modern building.
• They observed some children’s play equipment, and magazines in the waiting room.
• The representatives felt that if patients were waiting any longer than 30 minutes in the chairs in the waiting room, they could start to feel quite uncomfortable.

Providing Information

• The representatives felt that the noticeboard was clearly laid out and largely up to date.
• They observed a large notice asking patients to review a programme named ‘I want great care’, and Friends and Family Test information.
• Our representatives did not observe any information on alternatives to A&E when seeking medical assistance out of hours, or information on registering for online services.

Out of Hours

• We asked patients where they would go if the practice was closed and they needed medical assistance.
• The detail in the chart below shows that whilst 53% would approach places like the Brighton Station Health Centre and NHS111,
• 23% would go straight to A&E.
• Of those in the ‘other’ category, one person said they would ask their daughter to contact an out of hours service.

Summing up and looking forward

• Carden Surgery is generally well regarded by its patients across a range of areas. We asked patients to rank the practice from 0-10 (with 0 being the very worst, and 10 being the very best).
• Of the 9 patients that ranked the practice, the average score was a positive 8 out of 10.
• The lowest score we 7 received was 2, and the highest 10.