Appointment Waiting Time
The practice is aware of a recent article published in various local news outlets based on waiting times for appointments, rating Ashfield Surgery 6th worst in the Midlands.
The article itself failed to provide a source for this data so it is difficult for the practice to verify the accuracy of the report. The practice feels that the data used is misleading and likely includes appointments the practice arranged for patients as part of annual reviews and scheduled follow up appointments, these are often booked more than 3 weeks in advance and would skew any data on waiting times for appointments.
That is not to say that patients have not experienced longer wait for an appointments on occasion. Like all practices, we experience periods of high demand for appointments. Surges in demand following bank holidays, and staff illness/absences can have an impact on day to day access. Due to longer waiting times in hospitals, we are also seeing patients return more often to general practice as a knock-on effect, this puts more demand on the remaining appointments we have each day. We are continually striving to improve access and ensure our patients are seen as quickly as possible.
Our own data collected about appointment usage shows that the majority of our GP appointments are booked the same day or same week. In May 2024 40% of all GP appointments were booked on the same day. 19% of appointments were booked the next day or later that week and 13% of appointments were booked the following week. The remaining 28% of appointments were booked more than two weeks in advance. This includes any follow up appointments booked by GPs following an appointment and annual reviews such as diabetics.
The number of appointments the practice offers has steadily been increasing year on year. Between 2017 and 2019 the practice offered on average 45,000 GP appointments each year. Post-Covid from 2021 onwards, the practice has on average had 47,000 GP appointments each year and we are on course to offer even more appointments this year. This does not include the additional non-GP appointments offered by our nurse team and the appointments available following the introduction of practice phyio’s, pharmacists and social prescribers. Our practice list size has also remained stable during this time around the 15,500 mark.
While we understand some amongst you will have experienced frustration in trying to secure same day appointments when you have needed it. Many others will also have positive experiences of being seen promptly when you have called up. We are grateful to all our patients who take the time to send us their thanks following a positive experience at the surgery. Constructive feedback about what is not working is also welcome and frequently discussed in our practice management meetings.
As a reminder for our patients, our Out of Hour service is available between the hours of 6:30pm and 8:30am weekdays and all day on the weekend and bank holidays. Your local pharmacies taking part in the Pharmacy First scheme can see patients for a variety of minor illnesses and patients can also register for the LIVI app and book free video GP consultations.
During the hours of 08:30 and 18:30 each weekday, we have a variety of staff on hand, including GPs, Nurses, phlebotomists, physios, pharmacists, social prescribers and midwives. Many enquiries don’t necessary require an appointment and can be dealt with either over the phone or via our website, including requests for Fit Notes, repeat medication and updates on referrals. For patients who might struggle to come in during our normal open hours, they can access our Extended Access Hub over at Ashfurlong Medical Centre on the weekend and we offer telephone consultations with GPs most evenings.
If you have not done so already, patients with a smartphone can download the NHS App to book, check and cancel appointments, order prescriptions, view your health records and contact the practice.
We want to thank all our patients for the feedback they provide and reassure you that the team here are working tirelessly to provide a caring, safe and responsive service to our local community.