Dartmouth Medical Practice (DMP) would like to thank all those patients who took the time to complete the recent Dart Patients/DMP Survey of Patients’ Opinions. We would also like to extend our gratitude to Dart Patients Participation Group (DPPG) for working with us on the planning, promotion, and implementation of the survey and for collating the results and producing their informative report.
Before outlining our response, we thought it might be informative to compare this year’s results with the 2022 survey, undertaken prior to our relocation to the new Health & Well Being Centre HWBC, for those areas of major concern. We have also added, where appropriate, the 2025 NHS survey result on the practice. The number of responses to the 2025 Dart survey was 933, an increase from 833 in 2022, responses to the 2025 NHS survey being 114.
- Patients continue to have a positive overall experience of the practice 80% reporting this as good, with 87% in the NHS Survey with 96% finding reception & admin teams helpful. In 2022 82% of respondents considered the Practice to be “very or fairly good”.
- Reduced difficulty for patients to get quick access to doctors for non-urgent treatment, with 24% of patients reporting they were seen on same day and 60% within one week and only 10% reported waiting more than two weeks. In 2022 the results were 12% same day, 37% within a week, 30% had to wait more than two weeks and a few much longer. In the NHS survey 64% of patients reported that choice of appointment was offered, 77% felt that the wait was the right length of time, 83% stated experience contacting the surgery was good
- Continuity of care and follow-up remains an issue despite improvement, with 44% reporting that the surgery provided continuity and 22% that it didn’t, 33% expressed no view. In the NHS survey only 33% reported being able to see/ talk to their preferred professional although 92% of patients reported that their overall experiences of their last consultation was good
- Continued strong support for the planned move of the Surgery to the new site but not by all, with 70% agreeing with the move (this was 81% prior to moving), 10% disagreed, with parking remaining an issue
- Regarding services at the new Centre, Minor injury provision remains an issue as it was prior to moving.
- Still a need to check patients post hospital discharge (after a serious operation) have needs met with 16% reporting follow up communications between Hosp and GP following admission/ contact with hospital was poor
DMP response to the recommendations
- Appointment System: We need to improve the booking process for more users, drawing on what works well and identifying what doesn’t, and communicating to patients how managing the timeliness of appointments keeps patients safe as it enables high risk patient presentations to be seen within an appropriate timeline; acute severe problems are seen on the day
- Continuity: better understand by working with Dart Patients’ Group, what continuity means to different patient groups, learn how we currently provide this for some patients, and identify where continuity provides maximum benefits to providing quality care to patients.
- Parking: work with the PPG, Dartmouth Caring and users to better use current communication channels with SHDC to effect change, especially for disabled parking issues
- Communications concerning ‘shared’ patients with local hospitals and timely responses to recommendations: work with our local hospital on timeliness of communication and internally on actioning hospital recommendations to include medications changes and communicating these to patients. Identify patients who need post discharge care and mobilise appropriate service partners, for example Intermediate Care.
- Minor Injuries: draw on the recognition by patients, in this and previous surveys, that this provision is recognised as a need. Acknowledge that an MIU is not feasible, but that appropriate delivery of minor injury care is possible with resourcing support and for the DMP to take this forward with Torbay Trust
Over the next twelve months we will work closely with the Dart Patients’ Group on the above issue and progress will be shared at the next annual public meeting
