GP practice sees patient satisfaction improve

Dyneley House Surgery has been trialling a new way of working to improve access to a doctor (also known as a GP (General Practitioner)) for 14,000 people in Skipton, where doctors sit in with care coordinators to give advice and support patients.

GP practices manage a wide range of patient requests every day, each requiring careful consideration to identify the most appropriate next step. Patients access services via telephone, the front desk and, increasingly, using online consultation (on a website or mobile phone application, for example). Practices must evaluate why help has been sought and get the patient to the right services or health professionals.  

This is known as 'triage', which means understanding what kind of support is necessary; how quickly this should take place and who is best placed to manage the patient or request. 

Dyneley House Surgery's latest friends and family test demonstrates the positive impact on patients. They are confident they’ll get access, see the right person, and have the continuity of care they need.

Additional benefits have included enhanced relationships amongst staff at the practice, who feel more united in their efforts to provide the best possible care for patients. Since trialling this way of working call volume has also become more manageable with improved call waiting times.

Rachel Pring, Managing Partner at Dyneley House Surgery, said: “After the COVID-19 pandemic there was a huge rise in demand for our services and we were really struggling to keep up with the number of calls we were receiving.

“By creating a closer working system for our care coordinators and clinicians we’ve been able to make sure that all the patients that need our help are consistently getting the quality of service they deserve.

“With support from the doctor, our care coordinators are able to make early decisions, prioritise patients with the most urgent health needs, ensure patients see the most appropriate clinician or are signposted to alternative services.

“This has evolved since the model was first introduced and care coordinators now confidently make these decisions with oversight from the doctor rather than being told. This triaging service has freed up GP time, so they can focus on more complex patients and still see the high numbers of people coming through the doors.”

A local campaign, ‘It’s a GP Practice Thing’ aims to increase public awareness of how GP practices are working, the range of services offered and the specialist team members who are available to help people get the care they need.