Whilst we do read feedback received from Patients, sometimes we cannot address your suggestions, or sometimes you ask questions which we can’t reply to as our survey is anonymous. We have therefore drafted a list of common topics raised.
- Why don’t you book appointments over 2 weeks ahead?
As part of the Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care, the NHS monitors GP practices’ appointments to check that routine (non-urgent) GP appointments are booked within two weeks
[https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/delivery-plan-for-recovering-access-to-primary-care-2/]
From a Practice perspective we have found that our DNA rate (patients who “Did Not Attend” their appointments) increases the further ahead they book appointments. Also it creates additional work when we need to change clinics due to clinicians annual leave.
We do our best to offer appointments on days/times that are most convenient for you and where possible, with the GP of your choice
- I was told I couldn’t see the GP of my choice because they were fully booked
We understand continuity of care is important for some people and we do not restrict patients from booking appointments with a preferred GP. Of course, each GP has a limited number of appointments, which is, of course, reduced when they have annual leave or sickness. Therefore, if a specific doctor is booked up two weeks ahead this means that their pre-bookable appointments have been booked.
- Why can’t I have a double appointment with the GP?
We do not allow booking double appointments unless this has been requested by a GP. Although we realise that some patients would like to discuss multiple problems and feel that a 20 min appointment would be beneficial, we have to consider the impact on capacity for all patients, and, for example, if 12 patients booked a double appointment our appointment capacity reduces by one GP morning or afternoon session.
Our GP team will give you time in your appointment and try to discuss/resolve what they can in one 10-minute appointment, however, if they feel necessary, they will book you another appointment if needed.
- Why are my appointments sometimes not running on time?
GP appointments are set at 10mins each, but the complexity of patient needs means that sometimes the appointments take longer than 10mins.
We have discussed extending the clinics but this impacts on the time in the middle of the day for the doctor to make home visits, and read patient letters, process prescriptions etc. Overall, when we have audited the wait time, we tend to find that most doctors may run behind at some point in the clinic but tend to catch up at other times.
- Is it acceptable to wait a week for GP appointment?
We have always aimed to offer patients the best access to appointments that we can within the resources available.
Our appointment system is designed to allow booking appointments 1-3 days ahead, and up to two weeks ahead eg if they wish to book a specific day or GP. Additionally, we have some same day appointments for patients who need to be seen urgently.
Demand for appointments has increased by 15-20% over the last 3 years, and we have recruited two additional GPs over the last 18 months (October 2023 and August 2024). All this additional capacity is usually booked and when appointments are booked up it isn’t clinically safe to just add more and more appointments.
We therefore need patients cooperation to use GP appointments sensibly, not to book multiple appointments which prevents other patients from getting an appointment, and to utilise the range of associated skilled staff such as our Pharmacists and FCPs.
- Why did I have to wait two weeks for a blood test?
Nurse appointments are classed as a planned care appointment ie non-urgent. Therefore, routine blood tests are typically booked within 4-6 weeks. However, if the GP is requesting an urgent blood test they will arrange this to be done at a specific timeframe, or may even be able to do it for you in your initial appointment.
- Why do your reception ask me the reason for my appointment?
Our patient support team ask for a reason for your appointment to ensure you are booked with the best person possible to help you. Sometimes this will be your usual GP, but our GPs specialise in different clinical areas and we want to book you with the right person, first to avoid booking an appointment with someone who has to refer you to someone else. For example:
- some of our GPs are trained to use dermatascopes (used to view skin lesions /moles etc) which often save time, offer reassurance to you and avoid unnecessary referrals
- some GPs provide minor surgery services so it is always best to see them first to find out if they can provide the service to you
- sometimes a GP is not the right person to see eg our FCP team (first contact practitioners are physiotherapist) are our Musculoskeletal specialists and can make direct referrals for MRIs and to the spinal services, which GPs cannot.
- our nursing team might review your diabetes or asthma rather than a GP and they can even do injections/coil checks, pessary changes, etc
- we have a larger clinical team which includes practice pharmacists who will do your medication reviews and social prescribers who can help with local support for long term conditions and care co-ordinators who may even come out and visit you.
- When I see a GP why do they ask what I think the problem is or what I think needs to be done?
For many years now there is a strong emphasis on the patient-doctor relationship involving the patient being involved throughout their consultation to better understand your thoughts and expectations on their presenting problem. You may find, therefore, that doctors ask you what you think the problem you are presenting with might be, whether you have any particular concerns about what it could be, and what you were hoping to get from the consultation i.e. had you read about any particular investigations, medications etc that you thought might be relevant. Of course, we might have differing views on what are causing your symptoms and the possible management plans based on our medical knowledge and experience but it is nonetheless important for us to understand your views so we can take these into consideration and ensure these concerns and expectations are addressed.
- When booking an appointment online could we please have the option of face to face or a telephone consultation
Currently face-to-face or video appointments are bookable online. We do not offer telephone appointments online as there are a limited number of appointments where we find telephone appointments useful. Therefore if a patient feels that a telephone appointment is preferable to a video appointment then we ask that this is triaged by one of the Practice Support team
- Why do you want patients to use NHS App
NHS App allows you to order repeat prescriptions, book appointments online, and to view your health record eg to see your blood test results, or your allergies and immunisations history. By having access to this information you no longer need to wait on the phone to speak to someone at the Practice, which reduces telephone demand, meaning those in clinical needs can get through to the Practice quicker.
We have regular drop-ins at both surgeries to help set you up on the NHS App if you are experiencing any problems or are finding this difficult.
Why do my texts from the surgery now have to be opened on the NHS app. and not directly on my phone.
In 2024, the NHS App was updated to allow patients to receive notifications and messages directly within the app.
There are several reasons why NHS Digital (the NHS IT provider) made this change. Firstly, sending messages via the NHS App is free, whereas SMS texts incur a cost. Additionally, the app offers a more secure, reliable, and efficient way to communicate. Unlike SMS, which has character limits, messages in the app can provide more detailed information.
To ensure you don’t miss important messages, there is a failsafe in place: if you haven’t opened the notification in the NHS App within 24 hours, you will receive an email or SMS reminder instead.
For more details about these changes and future updates, please visit: https://digital.nhs.uk/services/nhs-app/nhs-app-features/notifications-and-messaging-in-the-nhs-app
- Why isn’t the reception area more private?
Both reception areas in Marple and Romiley face the patient waiting room, which makes it very difficult to create privacy, whether a patient is sitting in the waiting room or standing behind another patient.
We therefore try to manage this by advising patients to ask to speak to someone in private if they wish to, and by using the TV health promotional adverts to reduce being overheard.
We are currently reviewing seating layouts to see if this may help in the future
- Why don’t you have more car parking spaces?
We are pleased that we have a good-sized car park, which is not the case for all GP Practices. However we are also aware that it is busy, and can be difficult to manoeuvre when large cars are parked.
Although Tree Preservation Orders on the land restrict us from amending the current layout significantly, we have drafted car park improvement plans to remove some of the garden area to widen the car park. However, we are still seeking NHS funding to support these plans.
In the meantime we strongly encourage patients to walk to cycle to the practice, if they can, and reduce the traffic congestion. We have invested in a large cycle park at the side of the building in Marple which is proving popular with patients, and it would be great if more people used this.
- When checking in for my appointment why does the Check-in Screen / QR Code not advise you which area to wait in?
Unfortunately, our Check-in screen system does not currently allow for automatic room location updates. However, our TV screen system does display the clinician’s room when calling you in for your appointment.
We understand the inconvenience this may cause, and we are actively exploring signage options near the check-in screen to better guide patients where to wait.
- My NHS App does not work, even after contacting the practice for new account linkage details?
On rare occasions there may be issue linking your NHS App to the Practice. This can happen for several different reasons, but can mainly arise from changing to a new Practice.
In this case, the Practice will reset and provide your with new linkage account details. However, if this fails to resolve the issue then we would suggest deleting your NHS Login, and restarting as a new user.
As a new user, you will be able to use the same email address / contact details as before. To do this, we recommend following the processes below:
Using NHS App to Delete my NHS account
To delete your NHS account from the NHS App:
- Log in to the NHS App.
- On Home screen, select the Account Icon
- Select Settings.
- Select Manage NHS account
- Select Login and security settings.
- Select Delete my NHS account.
- Enter your password to confirm.
OR
Using NHS Website to Delete my NHS account
To delete your NHS account from the NHS Website
- Log in to the NHS App website: https://access.login.nhs.uk/
- On Home screen, select the Account and settings
- Select Settings.
- Select Manage NHS account
- Select Login and security settings.
- Select Delete my NHS account.
- Enter your password to confirm.
Once deleted, you may re-register your NHS Account
To reregister your NHS account follow the process below
You will need to visit the NHS App, or NHS Website: https://access.login.nhs.uk/
- Enter your email address.
- Create a password.
- Enter the security code we email to you.
For added security, you will need to set up Two-step verification by:
- Providing a mobile phone or landline number.
- Entering the 6-digit security code we send to this number.
To access some websites and apps, you may need to provide additional information, such as identification, to prove who you are. This is so the NHS App can connect you to your NHS record and protect your health information.
Following this, you may still require linkage details from the Practice, and once you have re-registered you can contact the Practice by clicking here to Contact us Online