Out of Hours Service at Waters Meeting Health Centre
Summary:
Monday and Friday evenings were established as the most favourable times to visit the ‘Out of Hours’ service. Two sessions were attended and 57 individuals (53 adults and 4 children) were spoken to. A questionnaire was created for adults and a separate comment sheet was devised for children based on the ‘Kinda Magic’ toolkit.
The main findings are as follows:
- 68% attended the service due to difficulty in accessing the GP
- 21% had tried numerous alternatives and had either been directed to or opted for out of hours as a way of achieving an appointment.
- GP and NHS 111 were the primary referral agencies.
- Most patients felt that access to the service was simple, widely accessible and they felt able to access with confidence.
- Overall reports of the service were reported as good with staff considered to be friendly and helpful.
Conclusions:
Patients attended the out of hours for a variety of reasons but all cited that they were ‘unwell’. Principally the reason for attending was to get a same day appointment, the inability to get an appointment at their own GP practice and the desire to stay away from A&E.
Overall patients reported a good level of satisfaction with the service and the care they received.
The location of the centre is not seen as convenient for all areas of the borough in particular concerns were raised from patients from Westhoughton, Blackrod, Kearsley, Stoneclough, Horwich, Little Lever, Great Lever and Farnworth.
Recommendations were made to the system as a whole and specifically to the out of hour’s service.
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