GP PATIENTS RATE EXPERIENCE 'GOOD'

Released 17/06/2013

The results of the latest NHS GP Survey show that patients are generally happy with the overall service they receive but identify areas for improvement

The majority of patients in England (87%) rate the experience with their practice as ‘good,' with almost half (45%) describing it as ‘very good,' according to the latest national GP Survey.

Those with long-term conditions were the most satisfied with just under 89% giving a ‘good' rating.

The survey covers the period from July 2012 to March 2013 and gained a response rate of 35%, equivalent to 971,232 completed questionnaires out of a total of 2.75m distributed.
The survey also indicated a shift in patient requirements.

Despite 80% of patients booking appointments over the phone, nearly a third (31%) said they would prefer to book online, and 225 said they experienced problems getting through on the phone.

Just over a third of patients (36%) were able to actually see or speak to someone on the day they initially contacted the surgery, but 15% waited a week or more to see or speak to someone.

Most who were able to get an appointment said that this had been convenient (92%), with just under half saying that this had been ‘very convenient.'

Once in the surgery, 26% of patients had to wait over 15 minutes, and while more than half (59%) are happy with their waiting time, one-in-four (25%) believe they wait ‘a bit too long'. Worryingly, 10% felt they have to wait ‘far too long'.

Over half the respondents (58%) said they knew how to contact an out-of-hours GP service. But only one in eight (13%) had tried to access the service in the past six months. Of those who did so, most found it easy to do so (79%), with 38% describing it as ‘very' easy.

However, 31% said it ‘took too long' to get the care they needed. Although (81%) said that they had trust and confidence in the out-of-hours clinician, 12% said they did not.
Overall, 70% said their general experience of out-of-hours GP services was good, with a third (31%) saying it was ‘very' good.

Dr David Geddes, head of primary care commissioning at NHS England said:" "Nine out of ten contacts the public have with the NHS are with their GP practice. The GP patient survey highlights where patients are satisfied with the service they receive, but also helps us identify areas where we could do better and where NHS England along with CCG leaders need to focus.

"The GP survey gives us insight into patient feedback on GP services in and out of hours and this will form an important part of our work to modernise and develop the contribution that general practice can make to the NHS going forward."

Integrating Consumer Values into Corporate Policy

5/23/2013   By: Kameron Gifford, CPC

Healthcare reform has again taken center stage in America, but this time it is about more than just satisfying political agendas, improving quality and creating models that reduce costs. No, this time it extends beyond outcomes and even access; to the very core concepts of delivery and design.

Today’s movement will revolutionize the way we deliver care and transform the very definition of value. Our ability, as an industry, to innovate and adapt to align with consumer’s needs and expectations will determine future success or failure.  Advances in technology, new medications and accessible care will never change the current trends in healthcare spending alone. Ultimately, for healthcare to be effective it must be meaningful to each consumer.

What Do We Know About Consumers?

We know that engaged patients cost less and enjoy a better experience of care. We see this again with engaged providers; who spend less than their counterparts and are more satisfied with the care they provided. Studies on consumer behavior highlight the inherent connection between trust and action, while the endless amount of “big data” only confirms the differences in consumer’s needs, preferences, barriers, goals, outcomes and costs. Most importantly we know that educated consumers make better choices and that knowledge drives consumption.

3 Steps to Innovating Corporate Policy

1.      Re-Align your Agendas to those of your Consumers (value, needs, goals)

2.      Remove Barriers – Think outside the box (trust, privacy, comfort)

3.      Invest in Education for Consumers

Consumer Power

The entire healthcare industry is on the verge of disruption. Consider for a moment this impact on the financial industry. ATMS and online banking have significantly replaced the need for tellers. Consumers are now managing their own money and trading their own stocks for 7% of what we used to pay our brokers. This same technology now enables travelers to purchase airline tickets from their smart phone from anywhere, anytime and anyplace. Airlines have responded by innovating corporate policy to support consumer’s needs. Today, the same consumer who purchased their airline ticket online can now download their boarding pass and check in right from that same phone.

What is your company doing to support the next generation of healthcare consumers?