Enter and View Report: The Haven Surgery

Report - 25 August 2019

Our report looks at the findings from when our authorised representatives visited The Haven Surgery in Burnhope.

At this surgery one of our authorised representatives carried out 14 individual conversations with patients and staff, using a set of appreciative questions to give people the opportunity to describe good practice they had experienced or seen. Two observation sheets were completed by the authorised representative during the visit, and no surveys were completed prior to the visit.

Our representative observed activity and spoke to people during our three hour visit to collect their own independent impressions of the practice and its services, which they recorded during and after the visit. A private space was available if patients felt the need to talk in confidence to us.

Recommendations

One of the most conveyed messages from the patients on the day, was how happy they were with the staff. The patients very much valued and appreciated the caring attitude of the doctors, nurses and reception staff
Patients felt that there is a good balance of professionalism and friendliness between staff and patients and that they are listened to, not rushed, made to feel at ease and encouraged to come back if unsure. Staff behaviours and culture is clearly to be celebrated and retained here
Patients told us how important the location of the surgery was to them and we observed an accessible, airy and bright, comfortable clean surgery with well thought out information and notices being displayed
There was mention of the potential for the floor being slippy when wet and higher level chairs for people with back problems in the reception area
Although there is not a lot of room at reception, which might mean you could be overheard, patients liked the reception area and appreciated having a TV and play area/toys for children
Patients were satisfied that onsite parking was good and you can always get a parking space
We witnessed examples of good and effective communication especially where services were delayed/running late
Patients told us that they were happy that you could book online and also appreciated text messages to confirm details
The electronic monitor running in the surgery, giving information on associated services and calling people to appointments, seemed to work well
Easy to access with no long waiting times and canceled appointments quickly and effectively offered up. Being able to make an appropriate appointment 9 was a priority for patients who generally said that you could get an appointment quickly and that this system worked well for them
There were lots of positive comments about good ‘services’ here-issues such as ‘good support for mental health issues’, ‘Counselling was very good’ and ‘good referral to physio’ resulting in confidence in getting appropriate care when and where it was needed- Referral to further types of complimentary services would be valued/welcomed
Retaining the systems and resources that allow for the services to remain at a high standard seems very important, and is clearly recognised as one of the most important aspects when it comes to patient’s confidence here