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As part of the new pharmacy contract and the clinical governance requirements, all pharmacies will be required to complete an annual patient satisfaction survey. Patient involvement is an important part of the Government’s aim to modernise the health service and these surveys will provide an opportunity for patients to voice anonymously their opinion on the service they receive from their local pharmacy.
The number of surveys to be completed will depend on the number of prescriptions dispensed and, as I write this article in August 2006, the final version is being user tested to ensure fitness for purpose. It will then be announced by the Department of Health (DH).
Once an announcement is made it is likely that patients will be asked, when visiting their pharmacy, to assess the promptness of supply, and quality of service and facilities. Satisfaction is measured through every point of contact between a pharmacy and a patient, whether it’s a phone call, collection of a prescription or a consultation. Therefore, it’s important that you understand how accessible your pharmacy is, not only for patients visiting the premises but also for patients phoning the pharmacy. What’s the parking like outside? Is there ramp access? Is there a call waiting or voicemail facility for patients to leave a message? Do you regularly check for messages and call back within a certain time?
It’s still unknown what questions will be asked on the questionnaire, but by conducting an initial audit yourself, you will probably be able to pre-empt which areas your patients will think are strong and which will be in need of improvement. Other areas that could possibly feature in the questionnaire are prescription waiting times, whether all the medicines required were available, the pharmacy environment (e.g. cleanliness and layout) and helpfulness of staff. On this last point it’s important not to forget that a patient is more likely to remember bad experiences over good ones.
Valuing your patients
Many pharmacies will never have asked for patient or customer feedback, which is understandable given the time pressures facing pharmacies today. Some may have attempted to do something in the past but unless the feedback given by patients is analysed, listened to and acted upon they might as well have not bothered. Just to say you’ve asked patients for feedback isn’t enough. For the patients it’s an opportunity for them to express their views. By conducting a survey, you are building important relationships by involving them. By soliciting their opinion, you are showing them you value them, which encourages good customer/patient relations and, in turn, loyalty. Not only will you have happier patients, but any changes and improvements you make as a result of their comments could also have positive implications on your bottom line.
The point of surveys
Most business successes are built on understanding the wants and needs of its customers and tailoring its products and services to suit them. Whether it’s a multinational conglomerate or a small business, the principle remains the same. And how better to find out what your customers feel and want other than by asking them? You may think your patients are happy with the service they receive but how will you know unless they tell you?
If a patient visits a pharmacy every week the natural assumption is to think that the service you are providing is good. But in reality it may be that the patient lives locally, has no access to transport and so has little choice but to visit you. So while the patient will probably continue to visit, it’s unlikely that either the patient or the pharmacy is getting the best out of the experience. Understanding areas of weakness is an opportunity to make improvements that will help to retain patients and their loyalty. It is even possible that, if these patients tell others about their positive experiences, new patients will be encouraged to visit your pharmacy.
What happens next?
When do I start? Where do I start? How do I analyse the results? How much will it cost? Do I have to report back findings to my primary care trust and my patients? All valid questions, but again, at the time of writing, until the DH makes an announcement, there’s little you can do other than prepare for what’s around the corner.
Once the final questionnaire is announced there is likely to be a number of free of charge resources and toolkits to assist contractors. However the reality is that, unless you have the time and expertise to conduct your own survey, you will need some help. There are likely to be several providers to help you with this, although it’s probably wise to research the offering before you employ the services of any one company. Some companies specialise in or have experience of conducting surveys within the healthcare industry.
Choosing how to manage a survey
You should ensure that, whatever solution you choose, the process is uncomplicated. Decide which staff, if any, will be involved and clearly explain the aims and objectives of conducting the survey. Additionally, if you want to analyse the results yourself, assess what resources you’ll need and how much time you’ll need to set aside.
Alternatively, if you are employing the services of a survey company, what is the process and how much will it cost? It’s likely that there will be different options, including paper-based and electronic, surveys in various languages and different analysis procedures. So assess the needs of your business before choosing a provider.
It’s also extremely important that your staff know about the survey. You’ll need to outline the aims and objectives to give them an understanding of the rationale behind it. Let them know how many questionnaires must be completed and what their responsibilities will be. Make them feel involved. A lack of understanding may lead to a lack of motivation – which is not ideal if you want to encourage patients to complete a questionnaire.
Stages of a survey
This can broadly be broken down into three areas:
1. Completion of survey by patients and collection of questionnaires
This is self-explanatory. If using a service provider, the likely process will be that you will be sent a batch of coded questionnaires or a pre-programmed meter and patients will be asked to complete the questionnaire (there will be processes in place to guarantee anonymity). Once the requisite amount has been completed, they are sent back to the service provider for analysis.
2. Analysis and feedback
Results will be processed and reports produced. Depending on your requirements, you can expect the reports to be presented in a variety of formats including graphs and, if required, raw data. For contractors who have more than one pharmacy, it may be worth asking your service provider for comparative data. Further down the line, it may be possible to gain information on how your pharmacy performs compared with the national average.
3. Reporting findings and highlighting action points
So you have the results but what do you do with them? It’s always a good idea to provide your patients with a “What you said about us” message. This can be included in bags or shown as a poster in the shop. It’s an opportunity to say: “We asked you what you thought, you told us, thank you, and this is what we’re going to do.” If you don’t give feedback, you may find you struggle the following year to get the required amount of questionnaires completed. Don’t forget – the survey will be annual. You’ll also need to share with your PCT the area where the survey identified the greatest potential for improvement and what action you are taking to improve. It’s also an opportunity to highlight your areas of strength.
Help is at hand
So whether or not you like the idea of annual pharmacy patient satisfaction surveys, they are just around the corner and will be here to stay. Obviously there will be free-of-charge resources from various organisations to help pharmacies manage the surveys and a number of companies providing a paid-for service. The important thing to remember is that, although this will involve extra work for a short period of time each year, the end result will give you a greater understanding of your patients’ needs and improve the patient experience. What better way to build customer loyalty?
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