OK, you’re forgiven for thinking I wrote DNA rate, and you were expecting to read about how to reduce Did-Not-Attends, perhaps a mix of clever texting apps and a patient blame-fest of warnings, charges and excommunication. No matter, although we have shown that DNAs are a system problem, not a patient problem, and if you change the system, DNAs disappear.
I wrote DNH meaning Did-Not-Help, the patients who are told by reception, “Sorry, nothing left, call back tomorrow. And make it on the dot of 8, I should, we’re very busy.”
No clinical systems measure this, NHS England would rather ignore it, no political party understands it or has the method or means to deal with it. The various prescriptions of “waiting time targets” or “8-8 x 7 day opening hours” aren’t based on examination of the evidence, so the diagnosis is wrong and the treatment will fail.
We collect the evidence through our Datalog audit, real time, patient by patient, we have n > 300,000 from over 200 practices, and the average rate is… 12%. Yes, it’s roughly twice as high as the average patient DNA rate, and it’s not caused by patients but by GP practices and systems. The highest we’ve measured in any practice is a staggering 31% of demand turned away.
I’ve worked with enough GPs to know that the vast majority joined the profession to help patients, so the data may come as something of a shock, but something which should move us to action. True, there’s a small but powerful minority who seem to take a different view, maximising profit by minimising service to the point where they just escape being caught.
But we are concerned with the vast majority, those working hard to provide excellent patient service. Getting GPs to work harder is a sure fire vote loser, I think you know that. So the answer is giving them the method and means so that they can work much more efficiently, dealing appropriately with all demand and feeling in control.
Our task in fulfilling the vision “to transform access to medical care” is working out ever better ways to make this happen. We know that dreaded phrase, “Call back tomorrow… ” is uttered around 100,000 times per working day in the UK and our manifesto is to eliminate it.
You will vote many times in your life. Make your vote count.
You will live only once. Make your life count.
Harry Longman
Founder, Chief Executive, GP Access Ltd
PS Exciting to report that the next little piece of that road is now in place, two way secure messaging between GPs, their staff and patients. It enables more efficient use of GP time by not always having to find phone numbers and hope for an answer. Spoke to one user yesterday who already loves it after sending 3 messages! It’s built into askmyGP Transform and Improve.
What’s your DNH rate?
OK, you’re forgiven for thinking I wrote DNA rate, and you were expecting to read about how to reduce Did-Not-Attends, perhaps a mix of clever texting apps and a patient blame-fest of warnings, charges and excommunication. No matter, although we have shown that DNAs are a system problem, not a patient problem, and if you change the system, DNAs disappear.
I wrote DNH meaning Did-Not-Help, the patients who are told by reception, “Sorry, nothing left, call back tomorrow. And make it on the dot of 8, I should, we’re very busy.”
No clinical systems measure this, NHS England would rather ignore it, no political party understands it or has the method or means to deal with it. The various prescriptions of “waiting time targets” or “8-8 x 7 day opening hours” aren’t based on examination of the evidence, so the diagnosis is wrong and the treatment will fail.
We collect the evidence through our Datalog audit, real time, patient by patient, we have n > 300,000 from over 200 practices, and the average rate is… 12%. Yes, it’s roughly twice as high as the average patient DNA rate, and it’s not caused by patients but by GP practices and systems. The highest we’ve measured in any practice is a staggering 31% of demand turned away.
I’ve worked with enough GPs to know that the vast majority joined the profession to help patients, so the data may come as something of a shock, but something which should move us to action. True, there’s a small but powerful minority who seem to take a different view, maximising profit by minimising service to the point where they just escape being caught.
But we are concerned with the vast majority, those working hard to provide excellent patient service. Getting GPs to work harder is a sure fire vote loser, I think you know that. So the answer is giving them the method and means so that they can work much more efficiently, dealing appropriately with all demand and feeling in control.
Our task in fulfilling the vision “to transform access to medical care” is working out ever better ways to make this happen. We know that dreaded phrase, “Call back tomorrow… ” is uttered around 100,000 times per working day in the UK and our manifesto is to eliminate it.
You will vote many times in your life. Make your vote count.
You will live only once. Make your life count.
Harry Longman
Founder, Chief Executive, GP Access Ltd
PS Exciting to report that the next little piece of that road is now in place, two way secure messaging between GPs, their staff and patients. It enables more efficient use of GP time by not always having to find phone numbers and hope for an answer. Spoke to one user yesterday who already loves it after sending 3 messages! It’s built into askmyGP Transform and Improve.
PPS as election guide I defer to the inestimable @jtweeterson
@harrylongman
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