Accessing GP surgeries
Through our work, women from the Bangladeshi community have a better understanding on how to access their GP surgeries for appointments and use their systems. They have also had their concerns listened to and questions answered.
When engaging with female members of the Bangladeshi community we heard some of their worries, concerns and experiences they had when trying to access a GP service, either for themselves or for members of their family. They told us that they felt that this had been made worse with the introduction of eConsult triage tool. The women spoke about language barriers for themselves and other members of their community being a massive obstacle and that some people were not accessing their GP due to the difficulties they face when trying to make an appointment.
Through our contacts, we were able to invite local Practice Business Manager,
Paul Weddle to the Sunderland Bangladesh and International Centre Lady’s Group to meet with the ladies in person to answer some of their questions about eConsult and issues around telephone systems, speaking at appointments on behalf of their family members, the use of interpreters within GP surgeries and collecting prescriptions from local pharmacies.
What difference did this make?
The ladies agreed they now have a better understanding of how the systems highlighted in the meeting work, including the eConsult triage system and why many GP surgeries are choosing this way of triaging their patients. Some of the ladies stated that they felt more confident to try using eConsult in the future but also felt reassured that they could still call the surgery or pop in to make an appointment if necessary.
By working together with Healthwatch and the Bangladesh and International Centre, Paul, as a Practice Business Manager, now also has a better understanding of some of the issues that some of his patient population may be having and can now make reasonable adjustments for those who need them. He can also now share this with his colleagues in Primary Care across the city to give patients all across Sunderland a better experience.
The ladies thanked Healthwatch and Paul for their attendance and agreed that as a result of the meeting all their questions had been answered, they felt listened to, heard, more at ease with their previous concerns and were happy with the outcome of the meeting.
Downloads
You can read the questions they asked and Paul’s answers in this document:
