Information on how to get patient to doctor numbers

LTA

Don't suppose anyone knows how or if you can access patient numbers per doctor for your local practice? I'm trying to oppose a housing development and it seems very possible that our local surgery is overstretched so it would be good to prove it would put extra strain on this.

Biggles

Have you not asked the practice whether they feel they would be overstretched?

The current numbers per doctor isn't necessarily so relevant, it depends on the type of practice (eg urban or rural etc), it may be that they are already overstretched, or it may be that they have a partner presently looking to take on more hours so it would be no problem.

If they couldn't cope, they themselves would be your best advocate. If they were hoping for the extra patients' income, nothing you could say would be valid.

MrsManda

As Biggles says, numbers like that aren't actually relevant.
However if you want those kind of numbers you can put in a Freedom of Information request to your local authority or Primary Care Trust

stuvee02

MrsManda wrote: »

As Biggles says, numbers like that aren't actually relevant.
However if you want those kind of numbers you can put in a Freedom of Information request to your local authority or Primary Care Trust

:think:This intrigues me... I have wondered about this ratio in the past as getting an appointment with a named doctor (i.e. the doctor I am registered to within the practice) is nigh on impossible.

Surely this ratio is relevant. If, as many do, a practice identifies the number of doctors holding surgeries each day or even better what hours they are available you can very easily esimate how may patients the practice can see each week. If you use a very severe estimate of never spending more than 10 minutes per patient (the average is probably higher) then the practice I am registered with can see about 980 patients per week. That's a fair number but then they have about 14,000 people to deal with based on the local population and number of doctors practices in the area.

If my maths is correct that means less than 15% of people who might need/want to can get to see a doctor at this practice within any week. These very rough calculations do not take account of breaks for lunch, toilet, fags(!) etc and assume that every minute scheduled for patient time is spent seeing patients, The timetable for my practice does separate out 'Admin' time and I didn't include that in the calculation but it also identifies that some patient time is given over to specific groups of patients (mother and baby, elderly) and that time has not been taken out of the equation; it's patient time of one type or another.

Given the number of the population who for whatever reason require regular doctors visits (the very young, the very old, the chronically ill), the ad hoc doctor visits by anyone needing to see the doctor, the occasions when doctors are unavailable I would suspect the maximum available capacity for the practice is probably closer to 10% of the population covered and I would imagine that this is why I can never get an appointment within 2 weeks with a named doctor?

I do think the ratio is actually very important and useful to know but having said that if there's new housing being built the practice may be able to claim more money from the PCT (if that's how it works??) and provide more doctors?

Is this ratio not considered by PCT at any level?

Stu

Biggles

Practice sizes and workload will be considered by the PCT for various purposes.

The point to the OP was that just looking up the numbers is not relevant if s/he is seeking to oppose a housing development, it would be much better to approach the practice direct and see where they stood on the matter.

It may be, for example, that they were hoping to take on an extra partner, and the additional patient numbers would help them afford to do that. If that were the case, the OP would be wasting their time.

Still, there having been no response after a month, we assume the OP has read the responses and moved on without the courtesy of a reply.

BLUis

LTA wrote: »

Don't suppose anyone knows how or if you can access patient numbers per doctor for your local practice? I'm trying to oppose a housing development and it seems very possible that our local surgery is overstretched so it would be good to prove it would put extra strain on this.

where abouts in the country are you?

BLUis

stuvee02 wrote: »

:think:This intrigues me... I have wondered about this ratio in the past as getting an appointment with a named doctor (i.e. the doctor I am registered to within the practice) is nigh on impossible.


You are not actually registered with a particular doctor anymore, you are registered with the practice. You are able to see ANY doctor you want. Most practices only put a particular drs initials on a patients records so that they know how many they have registered to each particular doctor as they are only allowed to have so many per GP.

I realise that some patients like to see a particular Dr but sometimes, it just isnt pratical!

daveyjp

Don't waste your time on objecting. You can only object on planning issues.

Provision of health services is not a valid planning issue argument so won't hold any weight. If it was the PCT would be consulted.

[Deleted User]

LTA wrote: »

Don't suppose anyone knows how or if you can access patient numbers per doctor for your local practice?

Numbers can be obtained from the surgery practice manager on application in writing.

In theory a full-time GP can have 3500 patients on their lists but in reality it is likely to be much less, more like 2000.

If the surgery becomes full it can apply to the PCT to close its list but not many do.

The number of GPs in a surgery doesn't always give a true picture of hours-per-patient as some GPs may only be part-timers.

And if you're working out hours-per-patient don't forget to factor in home visits, they take up a large part of the day for most surgeries.

Debt_Free_Chick

daveyjp wrote: »

Don't waste your time on objecting. You can only object on planning issues.

Provision of health services is not a valid planning issue argument so won't hold any weight. If it was the PCT would be consulted.

Agree entirely.

If the proximity of a GP's surgery were a planning issue, then new properties would only ever get built near to surgeries with spare capacity.

In reality, I think that the surgeries develop in order to serve local demand ... or not