Weoley Park Surgery

Updated 28 February 2024

Weoley Park Surgery is a NHS GP practice which provides primary care services to patients in Selly Oak and Kings Norton area of Birmingham. The practice is rated as good overall, with all key questions rated as good. We carried out an announced assessment of one quality statement, equity of access, under the key question Responsive at Weoley Park Surgery on the 6 March 2024. We carried out the assessment as part of our work to understand how practices are working to try to meet peoples demands for access and to better understand the experiences of people who use services and providers. We recognise the work that GP practices have been engaged in to continue to provide safe, quality care to the people they serve. We know staff are carrying this out whilst the demand for general practice remains exceptionally high, with more appointments being provided than ever. However, this challenging context, access to general practice remains a concern for people. Our strategy makes a commitment to deliver regulation driven by people’s needs and experiences of care. The assessment of the quality statement equity of access includes looking at what practices are doing innovatively to improve patient access to primary care and sharing this information to drive improvement. We found that the practice had organised services to meet patients’ needs, particularly those who were most likely to have difficulty accessing care. The practice used feedback and other information to monitor and improve access. The practice had taken action to improve access, for example, increasing capacity and had plans for further improvements through a new telephone system. However, these improvements had not been reflected consistently in the most recent GP patient survey data.

Updated 28 February 2024

In 2023 results from the National GP Patient Survey showed responses to questions relating to access were below the national average. Previous trends in the patient survey had been above the national average but had declined over the last two years. Results from the Friends and Family Test were more positive. Of 153 responses between November 2023 and January 2024, 79% of patients rated the practice as good or very good. Among the responses received there were 12 comments which positively mentioned access and 4 negative. There were two reviews left on the NHS Website relating to the practice, one of which the patient referred to difficulties in receiving a timely appointment. Patient feedback gathered by the practice was also more positive. The practice had undertaken inhouse surveys relating specifically to access. Results from 112 patients between December and January 2024 showed 88% of patients responded positively to questions about accessing the service. However, these results cannot be directly compared to those of the GP National Patient Survey. The practice also shared complaints they had received in the last 12 months none of which related to access. Minutes from a Patient Group Meeting in 2022 showed discussions about lengthy waits on the telephone when contacting the practice. The practice had informed the group that they were planning to implement a new cloud-based telephone system in the near future. We recognise the pressure that practices are currently working under, and the efforts staff are making to maintain levels of access for their patients. At the same time, our strategy makes a commitment to deliver regulation driven by people’s needs and experiences of care. Although we saw the practice was attempting to improve access, this was not currently reflected in the GP patient survey data.