The Burwell Surgery Newsletter
EARLIER this year we conducted a patient survey and asked 250 of you to complete a questionnaire. The survey covered the service provided by the doctors and the practice as a whole. The survey was analysed and the results collated by a national company who carry out over 4,000 surveys of doctors' surgeries each year. We now have the results and would like to share them with you.
I am pleased to inform you that the overall score for the practice was above the national average and we received some very favourable comments which are very encouraging. The highest score was for the respect shown to our patients. However there are some areas where we didn't do so well and which we need to improve on.
The worst area was waiting times. 10 minutes are allocated for each routine appointment, however the doctors try to give each patient the time they need and this sometimes results in the doctors running late. We do provide double appointments if patients are attending with more than one problem. Please let reception know when booking your appointment if this is the case. All the doctors are aware of this problem and try to keep the wait to a minimum. The receptionists endeavour to inform you if their surgery is running late but please ask if you feel your wait is excessive.
Some patients also expressed concern about the opportunity to speak to doctors on the telephone. All the doctors are happy to carry out telephone consultations. When you request this service you may be given an actual appointment time for the doctor to ring you or if that is not available the doctor will return your call at the end of surgery. Urgent calls are put through to the duty doctor immediately and for more information on this please ask at reception.
The children's play area, or lack of it, was also an issue raised by some of you. Due to concerns of health and safety and infection control we have kept the toys to a minimum with a Lego table. Although we provide books to encourage parents to read to their children whilst waiting, we realise this is not sufficient. We have since purchased an activity table and are happy for parents to bring their child's own toys in with them if they wish.
We will repeat this survey later in the year but are happy to receive comments at any time. May I just remind you, to help us keep our records up to date please notify us if you change your address or telephone number as this is important if we need to contact you.
Opening Times
We are open from 8.30 am until 6 pm Monday to Friday. The prescription line is open from 9 am until 5.30 pm Monday to Friday. We close on the third Thursday afternoon of each month for training. If you need a doctor at any time when we are closed always telephone 01638 741234 and your call will be redirected to Suffolk Doctors on Call.
Thank you for helping us to improve our service to you.