Download Practice Access Policy

Wakefield District General Practice
COLLEGE LANE
SURGERY
Patient Access
Policy
Version Control
Version
No
Date
Details of Changes included in Update
V0.1
01/04/16
First draft
V0.2
29/04/16
V0.3
08/05/16
V0.4
12/05/16
Authors
Sarah Shepherd
Changes made in line with feedback from a selection of
Practice Managers, WCCG Contract Manager & Quality
Manager.
Changes made by Greg Connor following feedback from
Alison Sugarman
Changes made by LMC and following feedback received in
Access Workshop held 10.05.16, from Practice Managers
To be Updated – July 2017
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Sarah Shepherd
Greg Connor
Sarah Shepherd
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1. Aim
This document sets out how College Lane Surgery ensures that all patients are able to access
timely and appropriate clinical care.
2. Objectives
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Patients are able to access information, care or treatment by a GP or appropriate
member of the practice team in line with their clinical needs.
The ability of patients to access the above does not vary on account of
characteristics such as age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual
orientation, geography or socio- economic status.
Clinicians and staff are able to manage available resources to meet demand
effectively so that the best possible levels of service and access are maintained at all
times.
Patients and carers are aware of to get the best from the practice and are involved in
monitoring and developing the systems and procedures to ensure that their needs
are met.
3. Rights and responsibilities for the patient
3.1 Patients’ Rights
As a patient you have the right to:
 join the practice of your choice in the area where you live following acceptance by the
practice;
 easily-accessible information about your practice and how to access care via the practice
leaflet and website;
 appropriate urgent care as per Section 5 Access Targets;
 clear information about your treatment in a suitable format so that you and the clinician
may make an informed decision about the best course of action;
 privacy and confidentiality;
 be treated with dignity and respect at all times (including access to a chaperone if
required);
 comment or complain if you are not satisfied with the service provided.
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3.2 Patients’ Responsibilities
As a patient it is your responsibility to:
 treat all practice staff with respect;
 ensure you attend any appointment made at the surgery and arrive on time;
 cancel an unwanted appointment as soon as possible so it can be offered to someone
else;
 inform the practice if you change your address or telephone number so the practice can
contact you urgently if needed;
 inform the practice if you have any special needs, including communication needs, so
the practice can make any necessary arrangements;
 let a member of the practice staff know if you are unsure about or dissatisfied with your
care so that it can be explained or put right;
 do your best to look after your own health;
 use the services of the practice appropriately.
4. Surgery opening hours and appointment times
College Lane Surgery operates from the following surgery premises:
Address
College Lane Surgery (Main branch)
Barnsley Road
Ackworth
Pontefract, West Yorkshire
WF7 7HZ
Thorpe Lane Branch
Thorpe Lane
Thorpe Audlin
Pontefract
West Yorkshire
WF8 3HE
Telephone Numbers
Telephone: 01977 611023
Fax: 01977 612146
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Out of Hours: 111
Opening Times
Main Surgery - College Lane, Ackworth
Monday
08:00 - 18:30
Tuesday *
07:00 - 18:30
Wednesday
08:00 - 18:30
Thursday
08:00 - 18:30
Friday
08:00 - 18:30
Saturday*
Alternate weeks "prebooked only”
Sunday
08:00 - 11:30
Closed
* Extended hours only. Please check at reception times may be subject to change.
Branch Surgery, Thorpe Lane, Thorpe Audlin
Tuesday
09:00 - 11:00
Friday
09:00 - 11:00
All sites are closed for staff training for a maximum of ten Wednesday afternoons (from 12
noon) each year. Details are displayed clearly on the practice website and each practice site
at least four weeks in advance together with instructions on what to do if you need helps
when the surgery is closed.
The practice provides a first and last pre-bookable appointment with a GP or equivalent
senior nurse;
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COLLEGE LANE SURGERY
Monday – No pre-bookable appointments with GPs – On-the-day appointments only
Tuesday – 7.20am to 5.50pm
Wednesday to Friday - 8.30am and 5.50pm
THORPE AUDLIN SURGERY
Tuesday – 9.00am to 10.50am
Friday – 9.00am to 10.50am
The practice provides standard appointment length of 10 minutes but longer appointments
are available on request for patients who need more time.
Extended Hours:
Tuesday Mornings (Worker’s appointments): 7.00am – 8.00am
Saturday Mornings (Two GPs, alternate Saturdays): 8.00am – 11.30am
[Any practice which offers routine or urgent appointments as part of the General Practice
Access Fund or Systems Resilience Fund must insert the details here]- do we do this??
5. Access standards
5.1
Routine consultation standard
All patients will be offered a telephone or face-to-face consultation with a doctor or other
suitable practitioner (such as a senior nurse) within two working days of contacting the
practice, unless the call is triaged to be safe for a longer time frame or the patient may
choose to wait longer if they want a more convenient appointment or to see their preferred
practitioner.
5.2
Urgent clinical assessment standard
All patients who believe that they have an urgent medical problem which needs to be dealt
with the same day (and cannot be offered an appointment that day) will be contacted by a
doctor or another suitable practitioner from the practice within four hours, provided they
clearly identify themselves to the receptionist and supply a contact telephone number and
where possible a brief indication of the problem. The patient must inform the receptionist if
he/she believes the problem requires attention more quickly.
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5.3
Repeat prescriptions standard
The practice will generate and sign all repeat prescriptions within two working days of
receiving a request to do so, except where;
 the practice has tried and failed to contact the patient where this is needed before
the prescription can be issued safely,
 or where a medication review is pending and must be undertaken before the
prescription can be issued safely. The request for a medication review will be
highlighted on the patient’s most recent prescription.
The practice aims to generate and sign repeat prescriptions within 24 hours of request but
because of the need to ensure patient safety patients should allow two working days. The
practice will do its best to provide prescriptions in urgent circumstances but will not
compromise patient safety to do so.
Please do not submit comments of a personal nature when requesting your
prescription, instead please telephone the surgery. The online form is for
prescription ordering only.
Repeat Prescriptions
Patients on long-term medication can order repeat prescriptions in the following ways:

By
telephone - call between 10:00 - 16:00 Monday to Friday.
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In person - drop your repeat slip off at reception with the required items clearly
marked.
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By post - send it to us with a stamped addressed envelope if you want us to post it
back to you.
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Online - please contact reception to arrange your username and password access. If
you have done this already, follow the link at the top of this page.
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Electronic Prescriptions at your Chemist, ask for details
Patients on repeat medication will be asked to see a doctor, nurse practitioner or practice
nurse at least once a year to review these regular medications and notification should
appear on your repeat slip. Please ensure that you book an appropriate appointment to
avoid unnecessary delays to further prescriptions.
Please allow two full working days for prescriptions to be processed and
remember to take weekends and bank holidays into account.
6. If you miss your appointment or are late
There would be much shorter waits for appointments if every unwanted appointment was
cancelled and so available for another patient to use. It is frustrating for doctors and nurses
to be under pressure to provide better access when up to 1 in 10 appointments are wasted
by people who simply do not turn up.
Cancellations
Please give us at least 24 hours notice to cancel an appointment. This can be done by
telephoning reception on 01977 611023 or on-line. Please act responsibly by attending a
booked appointment, or cancel and allow us to use it for someone else.
If you attend the surgery late for your appointment it may be difficult to fit you in without
making other patients wait longer. Please try to attend just before your appointment slot
but not too early. If the surgery is running late you will be informed by reception so that
you have the option of re-booking.
Late Attendance
Should a patient arrive more than ten minutes late for an appointment it is marked as “did
not attend”. In the event of the patient arriving after this period reception will contact the
clinician to ask if able to see the patient. All efforts will be made to accommodate late
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arrivals however this may not always be possible and they will be rebooked as appropriate.
Should the patient feel the problem is urgent and needs dealing with on the same day they
should inform the Receptionist dealing with them who can alert the clinician and
accommodate this request as required.
Late attendance should be avoided if possible however, if it is for unforeseen circumstances
or within reason, we would encourage patients to alert reception staff as soon as possible
who can inform the clinicians and attempt to accommodate them.
Doctor or nurse running late?
We apologise for running late and for keeping you waiting. When a GP or nurse is running
more than 30 minutes late, a receptionist will come to the waiting area and inform the
patients of a delay. If your doctor is running late, it is likely to be for a good reason and we
will be happy to provide you with an explanation, we would thank you for your patience and
understanding should this occur.
There are several reasons for why your GP or nurse may be running late and we do our best
to run to time. There are also ways in which patients can help us too.
These reasons include:

Patients coming to a single appointment with many problems
If you feel you will need to spend more time with the doctor, or have a number of issues
you wish to discuss, please book a double appointment.
If we have called you in for review we will not have time to deal with any other issues
within the same appointment; please book an additional appointment so we can
allocate the time that you need.
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Patients arriving late for their appointment – see above
 Other family members, friends wish to be seen at the same appointment
One patient = One appointment
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Emergencies
Due to the nature of our work, our day can be unpredictable.
Inevitably patients can be very unwell, become unwell in the surgery or there can be
unavoidable emergency situations. These can include urgent telephone calls, home
visits or even requests for help from other staff members to help with sick patients. We
ask for your understanding and empathy when these situations arise.
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7. Seeing the doctor or nurse you prefer
For some problems you may not mind which doctor or nurse you see but there may be
times when you may have a firm preference or it is best for you to see a particular
practitioner. All patients are also assigned an “allocated named GP”, this may not be your
usual GP however this can be changed at request. Where possible we will attempt to
accommodate requests to see your preferred practitioner however this may not always be
possible.
8. Improving access for patients
The practice is always pleased to receive comments and suggestions about its services
including how easy it is to access them. Please contact the Practice Manager if you have
comments or suggestions to make. The Practice Manager can be contacted via Reception or
by calling 01977 611023.
Patients are encouraged to join our Patient Participation Group (PPG) and the practice
keeps the group up to date with the audits it carries out every six months to monitor access.
The Patient Participation Group can be contacted in a number of ways:
Website: http://www.collegelanesurgery.com/ppg.aspx
Email:
Surgery Waiting Area: Please see PPG noticeboard
The practice has, or is working towards, a ‘Young Person Friendly’ accreditation. All
reception staff have received training in assisting young people to get the best from the
practice. There is access to resources specifically for young people via the practice’s website
and the practice provides a dedicated clinical advice service for young people at least once
per week (in consultation with young registered patients and at least equivalent to a half
hour telephone or face to face surgery conducted by a suitably qualified nurse or doctor).
Dementia Friendly Practice: In March 2015, we joined the campaign and the majority of our staff
completed training in Dementia to support our patients, carers and community.
Sensory impairment…..
Interpretating services
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The Practice uses a telephone based interpretation service for patients who require it.
Please attempt to inform reception in advance, or at the time of booking, if this may be
required and we will inform the GP or Nurse and allow for extra time during the
consultation to accommodate this.
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