OHP-Yardley Wood Health Centre

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, on 12 March 2024. • The leaders used people’s feedback and other evidence to actively seek to improve access for people. • Leaders had worked hard to try and improve patient satisfaction and access to services. Through continued evaluation they adjusted systems and processes where it was not achieving the desired results. • Services were designed to make them accessible and timely for people who were most likely to have difficulty accessing care. • The provider prioritised, allocated resources and opportunities as needed to tackle inequalities and achieve equity of access.

This service scored 54 (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.

We reviewed the practice's results in the 2023 national GP patient survey. This found patients’ responses to questions about access were below the national average. The practice’s results were significantly lower than the national average for patients who found it easy to get through on the phone 23% compared to 50%. Trends in the national survey had historically been lower than national averages overall but showed some improvement between 2021 and 2022 before declining again in 2023. Action plans following the 2022 and 2023 national survey showed that leaders had reviewed the results and had taken action in response to the feedback received to try and improve patient satisfaction with access. Since May 2023, the practice had continually surveyed patients on access which they analysed on a monthly basis. Data seen showed a steady increase in patient satisfaction for example in May 2023, 39% of patients found it easy to get through to someone at the GP practice on the phone, by February 2024 this had increased to 92%. During October 2023 the practice had introduced a new online total triage system for appointments. The practice participated in the Friends and Family Test (FFT) which invites patients to say whether they would recommend the service to others. We compared the results for 3 months prior to the introduction of the total triage system (June to August 2023) and the results for the three months after (December 2023 to February 2024). This showed that patients’ satisfaction had remained consistent through the changes to the appointment system at 91%. Patients whose first language was not English or where they had other communication needs were able to access interpretation services through the practice. The practice was accessible to patients with mobility needs, with ramp access to the premises and a large waiting area.

With the introduction of the new total triage appointment system in October 2023 all appointments were booked online. However, patients could still contact the practice by telephone or in person and the receptionist would make the online request on behalf of the patient. Requests for an appointment were then triaged by a doctor and a decision made on how the request was managed. This ensured patients were seen by the most appropriate clinician and those that needed to be seen face to face were able to do so. Once requests were triaged the patient was sent a link to book an appointment directly or the receptionist would call the patient back to make the appointment for them. Data available from the practice showed for a 4 week period between 22/01/24 and 18/02/2024 approximately 3 quarters of appointments were face to face. The remainder were telephone with a small number of home visits. The practice reserved appointments for any urgent requests but told us that since moving to the total triage system these were not often needed and that demand was effectively being managed. Reception staff were monitoring this on a daily basis to ensure demand was being met and any adjustments made when needed. Staff were trained in care navigation which enabled them to signpost to other services and had documented information to support them with this for example, first contact clinicians through their Primary Care Network (PCN) such as physiotherapist. The practice was open for appointments Monday to Friday 8am to 12.45pm and 2pm to 6.30pm. When the practice closed during core hours patients were still able to request appointments online. Pre-bookable appointments were available for blood tests 7am to 8am, Monday to Wednesday and with a GP 7am to 8am on a Tuesday. Between 6.30pm to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 5pm on a Saturday the practice hosted the extended access hub on the behalf of the whole PCN for pre-booked appointments with a range of health professionals.

Leaders demonstrated they were aware of the challenges to patient access and had tirelessly worked to try and improve this. This included reviewing the efficiency of reception, investing in training in care navigation, introducing reception targets, supporting requests for preferred GP on the practice website, educating patients on new staff roles and implementing a new phone system which enabled better monitoring and had activated a call back system for patients waiting to get through. Leaders told us how disappointed they had been with the national GP patient survey results in 2023 and had discussed them with their Patient Participation Group (PPG). Information collected by the practice told them that although the capacity was there to meet demand the issues with access seemed to be more system based. They told us how they ensured that the new total triage system would not disadvantage those who may be digitally excluded as staff were still on hand to support patients to book appointments. They had held an event to train patients in using the NHS app and made use of text messaging to inform patients about the changes to the appointment system. Information was also shared with the PPG and was made available on the practice website. Leaders had undertaken significant monitoring of the service before and after the introduction of total triage. The data available enabled them to pre-empt where there may be pressure in the system and take action in response such as bringing in locum staff. The practice provided opportunities and support for different groups of patient population to overcome health inequalities. The practice was registered as a safe surgery supporting people without any identification or address to register and a veteran friendly practice. Leaders told us how they took a proactive approach to support those that may struggle to access appointments, alerts were used on the clinical system to identify those who made need reasonable adjustments.

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.