Healthwatch Hounslow Report Reveals Mixed Patient Experience Across Local Health and Care Services

Healthwatch Hounslow Report Reveals Mixed Patient Experience Across Local Health and Care Services

Healthwatch Hounslow's latest report reveals a mixed picture of patient experience across local health and care services, with recurring concerns about access and communication alongside positive feedback on staff support and treatment quality. The report, which collected 376 reviews across various services, highlights specific areas for improvement and outlines planned actions.

The report highlighted that 79% of reviews for GP services were positive, 61% for hospitals, 70% for dentists, and 89% for community services. However, key areas for improvement persist, including appointment availability and online booking systems for GPs, A&E waiting times and communication for hospitals, and the cost of treatment for dentists.

Peter Goulding, Chair of Healthwatch Hounslow, presented the findings, noting that while overall satisfaction levels remain consistent, the recurring themes indicate a need for continued focus on addressing these persistent issues. The report's recommendations are aimed at driving tangible improvements in patient care.

GP Services: Addressing Access and Digital Barriers

For GP services, while 79% of reviews were positive, a significant portion of feedback (25%) cited difficulties with the availability of standard appointments. Issues with online booking systems and long phone waiting times were also highlighted. In response, Healthwatch Hounslow and local providers are planning several initiatives:

• Improve availability of standard appointments: This involves reviewing and optimising appointment scheduling to ensure available capacity is used effectively, monitoring demand at PCN level to adjust availability, and improving the process for informing patients of cancelled appointments and managing rescheduling.
• Optimise telephone accessibility and digital access: Efforts will be made to improve phone call wait times, review call-back systems and other communication routes, and support patients through changes to digital services at an appropriate time.
• Enhance communication skills of staff: This includes providing clear information on waiting times for appointments (verbally or digitally), keeping patients informed of any changes, and actively listening to patient requests.
• Support patients with changes to local services: Regular communication via SMS, app, or post will be implemented to inform patients about service changes. Patients will also be directed to local services that carry out other elements of primary care, and staff training will be enhanced to ensure timely patient information.

Hospital Services: Focus on Waiting Times and Communication

Hospital services received a 61% positive review rating. A&E waiting times remain the most significant concern for patients, cited by 22% of feedback. Communication issues and appointment cancellations were also frequently mentioned. While the report does not detail specific planned actions for hospitals, these remain key areas for ongoing attention.

Dental Services: Tackling Cost and Transparency

Dental services, while receiving a 70% positive rating, saw the cost of treatment emerge as the primary concern for patients, cited by 30% of reviews. A lack of explanation of costs was also noted by 20% of patients. Factors contributing to these concerns include the structure of NHS contracts and the increasing prevalence of costly private practices. To address this, recommendations include:

• Explaining NHS dental costs and exemption entitlements clearly.
• Producing accessible information on the cost of different NHS dental procedures.
• Offering a variety of payment plans to ease the financial burden on patients.

Community Services: Continued High Satisfaction with Targeted Improvements

Community services, which encompass pharmacies, community health, adult social care, and mental health services, received the highest positive feedback at 89%. However, even within this highly-rated category, areas for improvement were identified. For community health services, referral times are a concern, and for physiotherapy, the effectiveness of exercises has been questioned. Patients have reported that Exercises not always helpful (17%), with some stating this is not solving my problem. The report notes a shift to a group format for physiotherapy, where patients are provided with links to exercises and contacted six weeks later. While some find this approach useful, others feel their issues are not being resolved. Specific feedback from physiotherapists on this matter is not detailed in the provided information.

Methodology and Data Collection

The Healthwatch Hounslow Q1 Patient Experience Report gathered a total of 376 reviews. Engagement took place at local health providers and community spaces. The reviews were broken down by service category: GPs (224 reviews), Hospitals (83 reviews), Dentists (30 reviews), and Community Services (39 reviews). While the report identifies key themes and recommendations, a detailed description of the analysis methodology is not provided.

This report underscores the ongoing commitment of Healthwatch Hounslow to advocating for improved patient experiences and highlights the collaborative efforts required between patients, providers, and the local health board to achieve these goals. Further details on the Hounslow Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy can be found here.