You may see in the news in the coming weeks details about the National GP Patient Survey. This is conducted by Ipsos on behalf of NHS England that was published yesterday. This independent survey is sent out randomly to patients aged 18 and over, and the data reflects feedback collected between January and March 2025 the busiest and most challenging time of year for General Practice.
Despite significant pressures, School Lane Surgery scored above both the National and local ICB averages in several key areas, including:
- Helpfulness of reception and admin teams
- Confidence and trust
- Being treated with care and concern
- Overall patient involvement
The percentage of patients who rated the surgery as a good overall experience was 81%. This is compared to the National average at 75% and the local average at 78%. We are incredibly proud of our team for achieving these results especially when you consider the challenges we were facing at the time. These being:
- Fewer GPs and reduced clinical staffing overall
- No Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) Hub, limiting same-day appointment capacity
- High levels of staff sickness, including COVID
- Our previous appointment system
Now, while we are pleased with the results we know there is still room for improvement, and we are working hard to continue to improve. We heard your feedback loud and clear and have already made, and continue to make, improvements, including:
- Welcoming new clinical staff
- A prescribing Advanced Nurse Practitioner joining us in August
- Two new GPs due to start later this year
- A move back to a same-day appointment system
- Reopening of the online appointment request forms
- Streamlining of internal processes
- Planned refurbishment of the waiting rooms and other areas at School Lane in the coming mid-Sept
- Negotiating to lease three additional rooms at the Healthy Living Centre to increase our capacity. (Just a reminder: the HLC is not owned, run, or operated by the surgery. We only rent space in the building.)
We know things haven’t always been perfect. We know that there are times where you feel frustrated. General Practice has faced over a decade of chronic underfunding, and although the new NHS 10-year plan offers some hope, change will take time. All we can do is promise that we are listening and working to continue to improve.
Don’t forget, if you would like to join the Patient Participation Group (PPG), you are more than welcome. We’d love to hear from you if you are a patient and want to get involved. Info on the PPG can be found on the website.
What won’t change is our commitment to our patients, to our staff, and to being a surgery at the heart of the community, one we can all be proud of.
Thank you for your patience, your continued support, and a very big thank you to our entire team, both those in patient-facing roles and those working hard behind the scenes for helping deliver these results.
Next year we will be aiming for 95%!!