A survey of patients using GP services of The Practice Group (TPG) rates experience of nurse practitioners very highly
A remarkable 95% of patients using the GP services of The Practice Group (TPG) have rated their experience of nurse practitioners positively, as indicated in a recent patient experience survey. The questionnaire was designed to find out patient’s views on attending an appointment with a nurse practitioner rather than a GP for minor illness, allowing GPs to spend more time with patients with more complex healthcare needs.
The questionnaire covered the overall patient experience with nurse practitioners, including questions such as, ‘Did the patient feel at ease?’, ‘Was the patient fully examined?’, and ‘Did the Nurse Practitioner know the patient’s history and what medication they take?’.
The questionnaire was text and picture based and translated into Polish, Punjabi and Urdu, as well as English to ensure that patients with learning disabilities and those who do not speak English as a first language were able to provide feedback to TPG.
The results concluded that:
- 97.6% felt at ease during their consultation;
- 98.5% said the nurse practitioner examined them fully;
- 92.1% said the nurse practitioner knew and understood their medical history and the medication they were taking;
- 97.1% felt they had the opportunity to plan an active part in the decisions made;
- 98.5% said the Nurse Practitioner listened to them during their consultation;
- 97% said the Nurse Practitioner explained their diagnosis clearly.
“Our nurses work extremely hard on a daily basis, and the results from this survey demonstrate how brilliantly they’re doing,” said Michelle Danks, director of nursing, at TPG. “It’s our aim to provide our patients with the best care possible and to ensure they feel supported and reassured every time they visit one of our surgeries. I’m proud to see how happy our patients are with the treatment they receive from our nurse practitioners. We have shared these results across our surgeries including with patients in surgeries with recently recruited nurse practitioners to highlight the positive impact these new members of the team will have on patient experience.”
At a time when practices and hospitals are stretched to their limits across the UK, knowledgeable and experienced nurses prove extremely valuable in providing expert care and helping to give GPs and A&E departments the opportunity to focus their efforts on those in need of more urgent or tailored care.
The nurse practitioner survey was carried out across a number of TPG practices across England. There were 206 surveys completed and overall, the results were overwhelmingly positive.
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