Riverbank practice patient participation group (rpppg)

[Riverbank PPPG]

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www.riverbankpractice.co.uk/website/S55037/files/Screen_Update(9).PDF

www.riverbankpractice.co.uk/website/S55037/files/Topic_of_the_Month_Travel.PDF

www.riverbankpractice.co.uk/ppg.aspx

[DSTOTM]

All good and well. Can I offer a suggestion which you may wish to adopt? You have installed a large television screen in the practice informing the patients about a whole whost of things but I can't understand why you can't inform your patients if a Doctor is running 45 minutes late?

A patient enters the surgery, tells the receptionist that he / she is there for a 4pm appointment.... the receptionist says "take a seat". 4:45pm the Doctor calls the patient into his consulting room. It has happened on more than one occasion with me and on more than one occasion to other patients of your practice I know.

Surely it is common courtesy to let the patients know if a Doctor is running behind schedule? I now always ask the receptionist if the Doctor is running late but am still annoyed by all that info on the TV screen........ If a Doctor is running an hour late then it should mention that on the TV screen OR the receptionist should have the common courtesy to say "The Doctor is running an hour behind".

Thurso is a very small place and you can get a lot done in one hour so please use your "information screen" to inform your patients or at least train your receptionists to inform patients of any delay to their allotted appointment.

Thank you.

[Riverbank PPPG]

Reply to DSTOTM
The Riverbank Practice Management and the RPPPG would first of all like to thank you for your suggestion on informing patients if appointments are running behind schedule.
It has been the policy of the practice for some time now for the receptionists to let patients know if there is a possibility of a delay and by how much if known. We apologise if any delays have not been advised to you and other patients recently.
It would be difficult for us to add this information to the screen as it would have to be updated all the time.
However we will add the following slides to our screen highlighting that patients can ask the receptionist if appointments are running late. We will also remind the receptionists to let patients know when there is a possible delay.