- GP practice
Otford Medical Practice
Report from 9 January 2024 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
The practice was last inspected on 24 January 2019 and rated as Good overall. On 18 January 2024, we carried out a targeted assessment regarding the quality statement: Equity in Access, under the key question “Are services responsive?”. This was conducted without a site visit. The purpose of the assessment was aimed to understand the current experiences of service users and examine the practice’s efforts to enhance patient access. Otford Medical Practice is located at Leonard Avenue, Otford, Sevenoaks, TN14 5RB. The practice has a branch surgery at Kemsing Surgery, West End, Kemsing, TN15 6PU. Information published by Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that deprivation score within the practice population group is 9 out of 10. The lower the score, the more deprived the practice population is relative to others. Latest available data shows the ethnic make-up of the practice area is 93.8% White, 2.4% Asian, 0.7% Black, 2.4% Mixed and 0.7% Other. Both sites are open Monday to Friday between 8am and 6.30pm. The practice offers face to face, telephone, video and home appointments. Extended hours are provided on Wednesdays 6.30pm to 8pm. Extended access is also provided locally by the Primary Care Network where appointments are available, including Saturdays and Sundays. A portion of the Saturday appointments are held within the practice on a rotational basis. Out of hours services are provided by NHS 111.
People's experience of this service
The National GP Patient Survey published in July 2023 showed feedback was below the local and/or national England averages for all indicators relating to access. Historic data also showed a decline in satisfaction with phone accessibility and overall appointment experience. Feedback from patients gathered via the patient participation group supported this. Feedback that had been collected from people who shared their experience directly with CQC showed the majority raised concerns about the challenges of obtaining an appointment and long phone wait times. Some also shared their dissatisfaction of the new online consultation tool that the practice implemented in August 2023 citing the process to be inefficient and ineffective. Other feedback, such as data from the Family and Friends test, indicated an improvement in overall patient satisfaction about the service offered.