Patient Reference Group
Patient Satisfaction Survey
Following on from January 2012, we carried out the same questionnaire this year at the same time of time in order to provide comparative results. Once again each doctor and the practice nurse had 25 questionnaires handed out. The total number of questionnaires returned was 133, an increase on the return of 118 from the previous year.

Patients were handed the questionnaire to complete while they waited to see the Dr/nurse. The information that was requested was not to be based solely on their experience that particular visit, but as an overview of the services that Rutland House offered as a whole.

The results are as follows:

Booking Your Appointment

How long did you wait to speak to a member of staff?
48% Excellent (0-1 min)  
36% Good (1-2 min)
15% Fair (2-3 min)
0.5%   Poor (3-4 min)
0.5%   Bad (4+ min)
0.5 % N/A

Length of time to get an appointment
51% Excellent
38% Good
10% Fair
1%   Poor
0% Bad

Convenience of appointment
45% Excellent    
45% Good
10% Fair
0% Poor
0% Bad

Seeing the Dr of choice
44% Excellent
39% Good
12% Fair
3% Poor
2% Bad

Appointment Day

How long did you wait to get checked in?
71% Excellent (0-1 min)
21% Good (1-2 min)
3% Fair (2-3 min)
2% Poor ( 3-4 min)
3% Bad ( (4 + min)

How long did you wait in the waiting area beyond your appointment?
31% Excellent (0-1 min)
13% Good (1-2 min)
14% Fair (2-3 min)
14% Poor (3-4 min)
28% Bad (10+ min)

Doctor/Nurse/Other Staff

Did you feel that the Dr/nurse spent an adequate amount of time with you?
97% Yes
3% No

Information provided by members of staff
50% Excellent
43% Good
5% Fair
0% Poor
2% Bad

Help provided by members of staff
53% Excellent
40% Good
3% Fair
2% Poor
2% Bad

Repeat Prescriptions

Ready on time
58% Excellent
33% Good
6% Fair
3% Poor
0% Bad

Correctly issued
60% Excellent
31% Good
9% Fair
0% Poor
0% Bad

Handling of queries
43% Excellent
51% Good
6% Fair
0% Poor
0% Bad

Test Results

Information as to when test results would be ready
41% Excellent
54% Good
5% Fair
1% Poor
0% Bad

Ready & Available
44% Excellent
49% Good
6% Fair
1% Poor
0% Bad

Enough information given about the results
43% Excellent
49% Good
6% Fair
2% Poor
0% Bad

Other Services

Opportunity to speak to a Dr or nurse on the telephone when necessary
32% Excellent
48% Good
14% Fair
5% Poor
1% Bad

Opportunity of obtaining a home visit
18% Excellent
49% Good
15% Fair
6% Poor
9% Bad

Level of satisfaction with after hour’s service
14% Excellent
34% Good
8% Fair
2% Poor
2% Bad
40% No experience

Overall service
43% Excellent
49% Good
8% Fair
0% Poor
0% Bad

In addition to the specified survey answers, some patients also helpfully made further comments on the services we provide, here is a sample:

Summary of comments

•	Excellent, everyone is very kind, helpful and supportive
•	Great service, very polite Dr and sufficient time
•	0844 to 0208 number is excellent and more convenient
•	Saturday AM surgery would be convenient
•	All areas are excellent
•	Phoning for an appointment takes too long
•	Excellent service
•	Saturday AM surgery for workers
•	Scheduled appointments are usually weeks away, any improvement would be good
•	More reading material in the waiting room
•	Should be made easier to book an appointment
•	Soft music in the waiting room and toys would be nice 
•	Online appointments and prescription service would be good
•	Happy the telephone number is changed
•	10 minute appointments per patient is unfair
•	Create ease of online booking appointments
•	Online appointments and repeat prescription service

The result of the survey was issued to the Patient Reference Group and the following recommendations to be carried forward as actions are as follows:

Online Appointment Booking
During mid 2013, we hope to offer the facility of online booking to all our patients. This will be done by issuing patients with a unique ID number with which they will be able to access appointments through our EMIS Website (www.rutlandhouse.nhs.uk). This is a secure site and there will be a selected number of appointments available per session that will be bookable online.

Repeat Prescriptions Online
Along with the above process of Online Booking, a similar system will be introduced which will enable patients to request their prescriptions via secure log in. At present we have just introduced an email address (secure via NHS Net) to the practice which enables patients to request prescriptions this way also. We realise the importance of offering patients ease and convenience in requesting prescriptions so have put the email option in as a stop gap until we are active with Online Booking/

Waiting Room
We are aware that the above area requires some modernisation during the coming year. We would like to introduce a small play corner for children using durable, washable toys. We plan to remove the table and instead display (updated) reading materials within plastic wall pockets. We are also considering introducing a Jayex board into the waiting room which will save the clinicians in the rear of the building having to come up and down to call patients in.

Conclusion
Once again, we have found the process of carrying out a patient satisfaction questionnaire very useful. We are delighted that in nearly all areas, our overall percentages have increased which shows that as a team we have taken on board the points that were highlighted in the results from 2012.