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Chapter 8 – Measuring the patient experience in England

8.1 A new national, patient experience survey will be introduced in quarter four of 2006/07. It will, over time, help the Government understand, from the patient's perspective, how well action to deliver national priorities is being implemented. In its first year, the focus of the survey will be on primary care and the delivery of access and choice through general practice. Patients' responses to the survey will trigger practice payments on:

• opportunity to consult a GP within two working days
• opportunity to make advance bookings
• ease of telephone access to the surgery
• opportunity to book with a practitioner of preference
• where relevant, recalling a conversation with a GP about choice of secondary care provider.

8.2 The final wording of the survey is currently being developed by the Department of Health. The General Practitioners Committee (GPC) and NHS Employers will shape development of the survey and ensure that drafting reflects the spirit of new General Medical Services (nGMS) negotiations for 2006/07.

8.3 The current wording is:
(i) When you last contacted the practice, were you able to consult with a GP within two days?
(ii) When you last contacted the practice to make an appointment for a problem which was not urgent, could you book ahead?
(iii) Are you satisfied with the ability to get through to your practice on the telephone?
(iv) When you last contacted the practice with a problem that was not urgent, were you able to make an appointment with a particular GP if you were prepared to wait?
(v) Do you recall a conversation with your GP about choice when you were referred for your first consultant out-patient appointment.

The final wording is subject to validation by polling experts.

8.4 It is expected that the survey will be issued to patients and the results collated by a third party who will protect patient confidentiality and ensure practices and Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) are not burdened with unnecessary administration. PCTs and practices will be notified of the results. PCTs will then be able to make payments to practices. Where practice IT systems cannot support the automated extraction of samples of patients, alternative arrangements will be made. These arrangements will be designed to minimise, and ideally eliminate, any workload for practices and PCTs. They will be finalised and tested in a pilot phase managed by polling experts and involving all parties. This pilot phase will be concluded by the end of summer 2006.

8.5 More information about the survey and its deployment will be available later in the year.