Dr Anne-Marie attended the last Inspire Patient Group (IPG) meeting to discuss the new system for patients to seek help/advice/appointments at the Inspire Practices.
This system is web based and will allow patients more options as to how to seek help. It is hoped that it will prove much more efficient for patients and should cut down the waiting times on the phone system.
If you visit the IPG pages on the Inspire Health web site (search inspire health chesterfield) you can read how to understand and use the system.
This certainly looks as though it will greatly benefit patients.
Dr Anne-Marie said the Practice valued the recent ‘3 wishes’ survey and wanted to work with patients to try and improve services offered to patients.
Early discussions with the IPG had revealed that the Practice had already been working on many of the issues raised by the survey and welcomed the opportunity to work in partnership with patients through the IPG.
She also mentioned the pressures that the GP’s faced in trying to ensure patients were being made safe. There is a shortage of staff and doctors throughout the NHS and although the Practice advertised for doctors they were not getting replies. The British Medical Association recommends that GP’s have 26 patient contacts a day to function safely- she has 2 and 3
times that on many days.
Anne-Marie confessed that this work load stress was concerning for the doctors and like many others she lost sleep at times because of concerns as to whether all the patients she had seen that day had been made safe.
It was strange to hear that this need to make patients safe sometimes
caused patients frustrations.
This was particularly interesting because a patient had contacted the IPG that day saying that when she had called the surgery feeling she needed antibiotics for a worsening chest infection and knowing with her medical problems she could soon worsen and end up in hospital she was told there were no appointments and no doctors available for a phone consultation.
She was advised to call 111 which she did and was directed to A/E. After the usual delays there she was seen and given antibiotics.
At first sight this does look as though the Practice has performed poorly. But when we understand that there are times when the Practice is in overload and there is little chance that a patient will get a call back before the end of the day then the doctors have to decide on an alternative and suggest 111. The patient was made safe by the end of the day although the path suggested was time consuming.
The doctors do not like having to make decisions like this and certainly wouldn’t do so if they had greater resources.
Dr Anne-Marie’s description of the personal stresses of GP life certainly influenced the thinking of the IPG members and she has now been persuaded to do an interview with us so we can understand more.