This module will offer a suggested five-step plan to introducing 15-minute appointments, based on the case study of one practice that has offered longer appointments for around eight years.
The module covers:
- Research and discussion of a possible scheme within the partnership
- Running a trial
- Extending the scheme and adapting it over time
- The challenges and benefits of the 15-minute scheme
After reading this article you should also look at the data Dr Bruml and a trainee compiled on their access system. Click here to see the resource.
You will be asked to record your learning points and some action points to earn a suggested 1 CPD credit. Below are some suggested questions to reflect on as you work through the module:
- What are you and your partners’ views on the success of your current access scheme?
- Do you know how often and how long surgeries over-run on average?
- How would offering longer appointments affect your practice business? How would you model a pilot of this scheme? (If you already offer longer appointments, how could you adapt access to make your system more productive?)
- Benefits from longer appointments at Dr Bruml’s surgery included reduced over-running, improved patient satisfaction, improved QOF score and better doctor-patient relations. DO you think your surgery might be able to achieve any of these benefits through longer appointments?
- If you don’t offer longer appointments yet, what are the challenges you’d face if you tried to implement this access scheme?
