Please Let Us Know the First Part of Your Post Code Portsmouth Total 124

Please let us know the first part of your post code – Portsmouth total 124.
89 on-line
8 hard copies – Deaf Club
2 hard copies – Large Print
24 hard copy, Easy Read, learning disability
1 hard copy, Easy Read, brain injury

Do you consider that local healthcare services meet your health needs?

Always31

Most of the time26

Sometimes18

Not at all 5

80 responses: 71% Green, 23% Amber and 6% Red

Please let us know the reasons for your answer

Positive comments:

I am able to get GP appointments when I need them.
I rarely access health services but when I do I have always been satisfied with the service given to me.
Do not often need to use them.
I’ve never had a problem with my local healthcare services.

HIV screening drop ins available on a regular basis.
Rarely use health care services but recent visit to GP (first time in 5 years) didn’t feel I had enough time.

Negative comments:

Mobile phone only and so text . No landline. Typetalk therefore not suitable. No email.
GP no hospital, yes sadly my surgery just end of barrier.
GP, no hospital, yes++
Getting an orthopaedic appointment at QA is a nightmare.
It’s been slow to acknowledge reasons for my symptoms and get the appropriate diagnosis to start to treat my problems. In the end paid for private consultations to get the ball rolling to cope with the worsening problem.
Millbrook Healthcare, Hampshire wheelchair service are appalling. My mother is disabled with MS and has been waiting nearly 2 years for a standard wheelchair. Staff are evasive and unhelpful both to family and other professionals who try to find out information. I will be making a formal complaint.
Treatment outside of normal hours is limited to an inaccessible place at St Marys Hospital using public transport. There is not enough communication between the services, information is not passed between departments and appointments are often made that clash with each other, meaning that one appointment has to be changed and this can cause pain and trauma to already ill people. A practice without a lift cannot always arrange an appointment for someone in a wheelchair.
Long waiting time to get GP appointment unless an emergency.
Cannot get through on the telephone to book appointments which is difficult as I work full time.
Difficult to get a Gp appointment at point of being ill. Long waiting lists for other services – gynae etc.
Delays in getting GP appointments.
Becoming increasingly difficult to get a doctor’s appointment after our surgery closed and merged with larger group practice.
Difficult to get GP appointments.
The possibility of seeing a doctor/nurse/health professional before or after my work hours or weekends is near impossible. They ask you tl phone up 2-3 weeks in advance to see someone but you never know when you’re going to be ill!! Nightmare and I’m an insulin diabetic.
The reason I didn’t put always is sometimes it is difficult to get an appointment within a day or two if you are unwell. When you ring up for one they give you an appointment that is 2 to 3 weeks away.
Difficulty getting an appointment to see my doctor. My operation for removing prostate gland after cancer diagnosed went well with a few communication issues post operation.
Hard to get joined up GP and consultant care. My support services have disappeared.
GP surgery is very good but it can be difficult to access other services.
It’s extremely difficult just to get a GP’s appointment. I also required psychiatric support which just isn’t available in my area at the level I require it. I have had to go private. No effort ever made to provide accessible materials when have asked for large print. It is just accepted to not exist within the NHS.
Access to GP santing. Same day appointments have to be made between 0830 and 0900 (my working hours) and if I ‘phone up and say non urgent can I make appointment for following day/later in the week they say no you have to make a same day appointment. Why?
It’s very hard to get an appointment at doctors or hospitals. I have seen people checked over by ambulance crew to be ok and then later found to have a broken bone or be quite ill. 101 is a nightmare and should be used to be able to see the doctor as an emergency appointment during the day if needed. The reception staff at doctor’s surgeries believed that they know better than the person who is making an appointment and are always so stressed.
Eventually as has been the case with my two young children.
They treat me like a kid because I’m 17 and don’t take what I have to say about my health seriously resulting in having to take a grown up with me for them to listen to what I have to say.
Different doctor each time I have an appointment if I ever get one. I am diabetic and my daughter is disabled sometimes it seems it’s not a joined up service - lots of people to see where you have to tell your story every time. Appointments take far too long. I waited so long for an urgent gastro appointment I ended up using private services partly paid for by some health insurance but which I had to add too causing me hardship.
Not easy to get a GP appointment.
Some can be hard to access.
Our local health visitor clinic for Farlington and Drayton was cancelled completely due to funding. II now have to attend the clinic in Hawthorn Crescent which is a bit of a trek now when walking. I feel that when I visit my GP regarding weight joint pain I don’t get the response I was hoping. Some boroughs have schemes at the surgery where you can get referred to a slimming club for six week free.
Can find it very difficult to make a routine appointment to see a GP. The routine appointments are only released on a Friday and unless you contact before lunchtime on the Friday they are all gone. Due to work commitments this can be very difficult resulting in taking weeks to try and make an appointment which then won’t be for several more weeks.
It’s not always easy to get appointments and sometimes communication between departments seems poor eg practice nurse/GP/chemist/administration. Appointment made for a blood test at GP request - sent to chemist appointment made via receptionist – appointment with nurse who did not know this was needed but thankfully took the blood test.
Constantly led down on appointments, waiting months to be seen not enough professionals to help my disabled child.
Not Always as local GP service aren't as flexible as I'd like. For example the way you book appointments - to sign up online you first have to go into the surgery etc... which puts up a barrier to signing up to such a service
Don’t access services very often disappointing that can’t always get an appointment with at my doctor’s surgery.

Neutral Comments:

Have generally not required the use of healthcare services.
I have various health conditions which are managed by my local practice. I have used both my local pharmacists for advice and the walk in clinic at St Mary’s Hospital.
Have to wait 2 weeks for nurse or doctor appointments.
The only time that I am not 100% happy is when I cannot be referred to a specialist due to the fact that certain things are not available on the NHS. I would be happy to pay for certain services on the NHS but these are not available vie the NHS at alll.
Some positive improvement made in the past seem to go backwards when I moved to Portsmouth in 2001. It’s sad to see that GPs are so busy and there isn’t much time to discuss matters deep/long enough. Adult Mental Health has been always lacking of availability. Carer’s health should be included in the service user’s care by giving that choice.
Depends upon severity of illness / complaint

Are you able to be involved as much as you wish to be in decisions about your healthcare?

Always32

Most of the time51

Sometimes14

Don’t know11

Badly 1

109 responses: 76% Green, 24% Amber, 1% Red

The CCG will seek to move people between different services when necessary. For example, from hospital discharge to a community based service for rehabilitation.

Have you or a relative ever been transferred from one service to another?

Yes43

No61

Don’t know 9

If you have answered “yes” in Q4, in your experience how would you describe the way your transfer of care was managed? (If you have had more than one transfer, please describe your typical experience.)

Extremely well 12

Well16

Badly 7

Extremely badly 0

35 responses: 80% Green, 20% Red.

Please tell us why you have selected this choice

Positive Comments:

My father, 87, was in hospital and on discharge the nurse then visited him a home to continue his care and ensured his recovery.
I have seen no difference in quality or efficiency of service following the transfer.
Good social worker in the hospital.
Information is always clear and informative
Went to another surgery for specialist leg injury. Treatment superb.

Negative Comments:

My husband was to be transferred between Mental Health crisis team to recovery team but the referral was lost. This meant that he was referred to the crisis team again though the GP again. This meant that the recovery team would not support as they do not take direct referrals and so he was left to “recover” without support. This led to further issues down the line where he hit crisis again.
Medical records were lost in transit.
Communication could have been better but a lot of the time this is due to a lack of acute health staff being available.
No communication between the services which led to no home care being provided.
My father was moved at 11pm at night from QA.
Communication could have been better but a lot of the time this is due to a lack of acute health staff being available.
A relative waited 5 hours in a corridor waiting for transport from hospital to her care home.
Father moved from QA to Petersfield Community Hospital for rehabilitation after a fall. He was 92, had Alzheimer’s and was blind. He fell out of bed there, was often unwashed and unshaven. There was no physio. We were given a few days to move him with no support because he was self- funding. The staff were rude and insensitive. Used the term bed blocking. I found him a nursing home and he died a month later.
Lots of misunderstanding and confusion as to what services were still available and for what age range.
Waiting time to move depends on care plans being put in place. This takes too long and takes up bed space at the hospital.
Lack of respect. Months queue for in-house flat assessments.

Neutral Comments:

I have seen no difference in quality or efficiency of service following the transfer.

In relation to the information you are provided about your health care or about the health services available to you?

Not at all / Sometimes / Most of the time / Always / I don't know / Total
Are you given enough information? / 9 / 14 / 36 / 21 / 2 / 82
Do you understand the information? / 5 / 7 / 28 / 7 / 2 / 49
Is the information given in the best way for you? / 5 / 12 / 30 / 34 / 8 / 89

91 responses:

Enough Information: 70% Green, 17% Amber, 13% Red

Understand information:72% Green, 14% Amber, 14% Red

Given in the best way:72% Green, 13% Amber, 15% Red

The Easy Read survey responses were:

Yes14Sometimes 7Please tell us how well we are doing:

Very Well9

Well4

OK but we need to do more7

Badly 1

Like how well communicated with: 67% Green, 33% Red

Doing well in communicating: 62% Green, 33% Amber, 5% Red

Positive Comments:

Am always informed in a timely and accessible way
Information is always clear and informative

Negative Comments:

Large print documents never available
To understand the information i need to repeat to ensure i understand the information
I find that GPs sometimes assume you know how to access further services and I have to be clear to ask what it involves / how to access - the information is given in the best way for me most of the time but I couldn't tick that box as the survey wouldn't let me - I am visually impaired so I have to tell each individual service that I need large print (Which I don't always remember to do) - I'd like the NHS to look like one service and my information be passed between each part rather than have to complete forms / inform separately which can be difficult for me.
I have Hocm. No rehab offered, tho I have asked.
Was not always given the correct information therefore tests were invalid
I have been given computer print outs of ailments which were very complicated and raise more questions
It can be difficult to understand medical information
Following a diabetes diagnosis, I felt left very much on my own to begin with. Following appointment of a specialist diabetes nurse at my local practice, I felt much better informed & in control of my health.
Not always enough time for the health professional to explain fully or in-depth.
Sometimes your appointment time is too short to ask all you want
I never get any information!
Sometimes doctors who are in a hurry take the easy way out and look at your medical history and lump any new symptoms on to what every they know you have and say let’s wait and see or I’ts just that. twice I have had doctors apologised due to this and it being something else, once it was cancer and i was let waiting and seeing for four months. It’s because they don’t have the time or want to spend the NHS cash, but in the long run it ends up costing more.
Varying ways - generally not kept up to date (surgery is moving but weren't told) some doctors give you printed out information about your/your child’s case
GPs sometimes seem so rushed and haven't the time to discuss things fully.
Disagree with the views
Information is not always clear there is a lot of miscommunication
I have not always been satisfied with the information I received when asking questions about health care treatment.
My father did not always understand his outcomes and my mother also struggled but doctors will only speak to the patient!
I was not fully informed about possible side effects of medication during visit to doctor. All other experiences have been positive.

Neutral Comments:

I do not access the service very much and i ask if i do not understand
I have no experience with this.
As an ex nurse I understand most things.
Not given a choice but format suits me.
Depends on the doctor that i see
I have not had to use any health services for some time
I find information via other people and news bulletins. I am not sure whether I am always up to date or not.
Personally, I am able to understand the majority of information, though this may be due to my employment in the social care sector.
Because I ask and seek clarification if needed
I don't think I have ever been given information
Via email would be useful

When you have a doctor or hospital appointment, do you ever experience access problems? (please tick ALL the apply)

53 of 124 responders reported access issues (21 of these were learning disability clients), representing 43% of respondents.

Communication22

No access to foreign language interpreter 0

No access to British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter 4

No loop system 0

Mobility issues 3

Access to building 5

Transport problems 7

Other 8

The Easy Read survey responses were:

Yes15

Sometimes 6

Please give details:

My GP surgery runs a visual system to show when the GP is ready to see next patient - this is hard for me to see and embarrassing to have to ask at reception (as I don't look visually impaired) or to ask people in the waiting room to help. I would like this to be backed up by a sound system to tell me. I find your questions don't relate to visibility and this is something that I find a lot within the NHS which surprises me. Unclear signage and assumption that all people can see.
Can’t get appointment in a timely manner
Difficulties in getting back to professionals, if I have missed a call due to own work and other commitments. Difficulties in finding out who I should be in contact with to get to the right service.
Parking costs can be high when visiting hospital daily
When feeling dizzy, can't get to surgery.
Appointments not on a suitable day/time for me.
It's just so difficult to get hold of my GP's surgery, the phone is always engaged and when I do get through, it's hard to get an appointment when I need it.
As a carer of young person on the autistic spectrum, waiting rooms are not autism friendly. Very stressful when there are delays.
Being talked down to as having women problems and your be aright my dear. when it was found to be from another doctor on the same day to be cancer.
Not being given appointments for children, or given at school pick up times for other children, also access to other doctors surgery miles away making it difficult to access (in light of appointments at sch times)
These answers are for my father. When discharged from St Mary's my father was left until 6.30pm in the day room for an ambulance In the end my son picked my father up who subsequently fell as he got out the car as he was prone to falling, suffers with osteoporosis and who had broke his hip in the hospital due to falling over in the toilet. Not accepted to leave elderly folk like this for hours. The communication was about the hospital appointment for me. Took a long time to get through and find the right person to speak to. My appointment took 4 months and was graded urgent. Hence the reason why I used private health but I am only covered for so much.

Have you experienced mistakes or mistreatment when you (or someone for whom you care) have received treatment or care from the NHS?

Yes47