Issued Of Vision-impaired People When Accessing GP Practices, England

Main Category: Eye Health / Blindness
Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 21 Dec 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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Action for Blind People have been asked to carry out a scoping exercise on behalf of the Department of Health on what issues vision impaired people have when accessing GP Practices, from the point of actually needing to make an appointment to actually being in contact with a relevant professional practitioner (e.g. doctor or nurse).This could be an actual face to face appointment, telephone consultation, etc.

We would like to know what you find particularly difficult or challenging when you need to see your local GP or a member of the practice team. We would also be interested in learning any ways in which you fee your Practice has improved access.

We would be grateful if you could answer a few questions (below) which will help us to understand the real issues facing visually impaired individuals in GP practices throughout England.

Your feedback will be fed into the work of the GP Access Programme at the Department of Health who are looking at ways in which local health providers can improve access and better respond to the needs of particular patients including those with sensory loss.

Questions - What issues do you face when:

1. Registering with a Practice

-- If a new patient were you able to register with the Practice of your choice?

-- Why did you choose a particular Practice?

2. Getting access to the Practice

-- How do you make contact with the Practice (i.e. by phone, in person)?

-- If you require one can you always make an appointment (to attend or for a telephone consultation) when you need one and at a time convenient to you?

-- Have you been offered a telephone consultation with a doctor or nurse as an alternative to a visit? Is this something that you would find useful?

-- Are your particular needs in getting to the Practice recognised (ie offered appointments that allow plenty of time to get there or to arrange transport)?

-- How do you usually travel to the Practice for an appointment?

3. Attending the practice

-- Can you get into the building easily, eg finding the correct entrance, negotiating doors and other obstacles? Tell us of any good or bad experiences.

-- Is your sight loss recognised and any help offered to you from the practice team?

-- How do you check-in or tell someone you have arrived?

-- Are you allowed to take your guide dog through to the consulting room?

-- How do you manage to find your way around the building - is help on offer if you need it and who do you request it from?

-- How do you know when it's your turn and which room to go to?

-- Are the doors clearly marked or numbered?

-- How easy do you find it communicating with my GP?

4. After the appointment/contact

-- Can I get prescriptions and/or other information about medication or advice in large print or a format of my choice?

-- How do you find your way out of the consulting room, back to reception and to the exit?

d) Other information

-- How do you consider you have been treated overall? Was it a good experience or not?

-- Attitude of the staff and any required or received.

-- If you need to see more than one person (eg GP, nurse or have tests etc) or have more than one issue can this all be done during one visit?

-- If your Practice has done something to particularly help you when attending please tell us what it is and why it is important

-- What would you most like to see changed

-- If there is anything else you want to tell us about your experiences in getting access to your General Practice please do so here

Thank you for your time.

Please return your answers by 7th January 2009 to
Richard.tolson@actionforblindpeople.org.uk
or
Heather.billington@actionforblindpeople.org.uk

Alternatively you can post them to

Richard Tolson
Service Development Manager - Health and Social Care
Action for Blind People
PO Box 428
Scarborough
North Yorkshire
YO11 9BJ
England

http://www.actionforblindpeople.org.uk