Enter and View Report: Albion Street 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 clusters in the city.
• Feedback from NHS choices.
• Patient populations.
• Soft intelligence from partners and community engagement.

Results of the visit 

Appointments and Referrals 

• As with the majority of GP practices, at Albion Street Surgery it is possible to book appointments with nurses and doctors over the phone, in person and via the internet.
• Of these options, patients found it easiest to book in person, 100%,
• Followed by bookings over the phone, 88%
• Only 3 patients we spoke to had used the online appointment booking service at the practice.
• Out of them, 67% found this to be very easy.

Quality of Service

• 90% of patients were of the opinion that the reception staff were helpful or very helpful.

Environment

• The waiting room was clean and tidy, and had padded benches for patients to sit on.
• There were a number of splits in the fabric of the benches, which could make them difficult to clean.
• A hand sanitizer was available, and information was visible about the importance of using it.

Providing Information 

• The representatives saw a range of posters and information around the practice. The displays were laminated and clear to read.
• They contained information about where to go out of hours if patients require medical assistance, public health information and how to feed back to organisations like to CQC.
• The waiting room displayed a complaint form for patients should they wish to use it.
• Despite this visibility, 55%  of the patients who filled in the survey said that they did not know how to make a complaint at the practice if they needed to.

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 33% would approach places like the Brighton Station Health Centre and NHS111,
• 50%  would go straight to A&E. Of those in the ‘other’ category, one person said that they would contact the now disbanded NHS Direct.

Summing up and looking forward 

• The Albion Street Surgery is generally well regarded 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).
• Out of the 18 patients that ranked the practice, the average score was a positive 8 out of 10.
• The lowest score received was 6, and the highest 10.