(1st Feb 08) Choice Update
Delivery of the Choice questionnaires to participating practices has been completed. These questionnaires should be issued to relevant choice referral patients during the period Jan 21st – March 28th. Enquiries concerning practices who believe they have not received their questionnaires should, in the first instance, be directed to gppatientsurvey@pcc.nhs.uk
In those cases where it is confirmed that a practice has not had its allocation of Choice questionnaires delivered, they will be referred to their SHA who hold a limited quantity of spare questionnaires. These spare questionnaires are uncoded (ie they do not include the practice codes) and as such will need to be coded manually by practices in order for them to be processed by Ipsos MORI. Uncoded questionnaires received by Ipsos MORI will be unable to count towards the practice’s overall result and as such may affect eligibility for performance payments.
General queries about the GP Patient Survey can also be directed to:
Click here to access the latest FAQs on the Choice DES
Information on 07/08 DES
The 2007/08 Access and Choice and Booking Directed Enhanced Services (DESs) have now been published. Practices that have not already been invited to participate in these schemes will again be invited to sign up by PCTs. These schemes link rewards for delivering good access and discussing choice with patients referred for hospital treatment with patients' experiences of those services. These experiences will be measured through the GP Patient Survey in early 2008. For more information, click here.
Click here to access the letter to practices from DH
GP Patient Survey Results (06/07)
The results of the GP Patient Survey have now been published on the DH website. Click here to read this document.
Technical guidance notes relating to how the GP Patient Survey was designed and implemented can be found here
SHAs and PCTs will want to be prepared for media enquiries. GP practices will shortly be receiving display materials for their waiting areas which will give patients information on headline results.
Useful resources
Case studies
The following case studies have been drawn from the queries directed to the PCC GP Patient Survey helpdesk and illustrate some of the typical scenarios received and how these were resolved. (Click here to download these case studies in pdf format).
Case Study 1
Practice A contacted their PCT to seek confirmation of the GPPS process as they had not appeared in the final results. Because they operated in a particularly deprived area they thought it was possible that patients had not completed the questionnaires. The GPPS Helpdesk, having liaised with Ipsos MORI, was able to provide details of when the Choice questionnaires were delivered and who signed for them. The Practice subsequently discovered that, although they had received the questionnaires, they had temporarily mislaid them and as a consequence had not distributed them within the agreed time frame.
Case Study 2
The Helpdesk was contacted by a PCT who believed Choice results were missing for two of its practices. On further investigation by the GPPS Helpdesk it was revealed that in each of these two instances Ipsos MORI’s nominated courier had made two separate attempts to deliver the Choice questionnaires. Ipsos MORI had also written beforehand to practices to make them aware that delivery of the questionnaires would be taking place in the next few days and that a member of the practice’s staff would need to sign for the delivery.
Case Study 3
Practice B contacted its local PCT to say that it had not received any Choice surveys. The practice had, at the time of the GPPS, been going through a merger and investigation by the GPPS Helpdesk revealed that they were not included on the DH list supplied to Ipsos MORI. As a consequence the Helpdesk was able to confirm that no questionnaires had been sent out to the practice. .
In each of the above instances PCTs were reminded that they had local discretion in deciding whether to pay or not pay practices and that the DH would not make judgements in individual cases.
Further information
Further information can be obtained by contacting the PCC GPPS Survey Helpdesk (gppatientsurvey@pcc.nhs.uk)
Briefing for PCTs and SHAs
Updated briefing for April 2007
Access the latest briefing paper produced by PCC
Information about the Choice survey
Click on the links to access latest briefing, FAQs and guidance, a copy of the letter sent to GPs in advance and a copy of the letter sent in the packs sent to practices
Patient Website
Access the GP Patient Survey site for patients
Download guidance and FAQs published by DH on 27th November
GP Patient Survey - Latest Information
The GP Patient Survey - Your doctor, Your experience, Your say (formerly the national patient experience survey), a component of the "Improved Access Scheme" Directed Enhanced Service will be sent to 5m patients in January 07.
Information for SHAs, PCTs and Primary Care Commissioning Advisors to raise awareness about the Survey can be found on this site and on the DH site.
Practices may find it helpful to know that an extension has recently been agreed on the Apollo software download from October 25th to November 1st.
An email helpdesk, gppatientsurvey@pcc.nhs.uk, for PCTs/SHAs is now in place.
Click on the link to access the following documents: