Healthwatch Rutland have recently published their latest Enter and View report based on Oakham Medical Practice.

What is Enter and View?

Healthwatch Rutland has the statutory right under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to carry out 'Enter and View' visits into NHS health and adult social care services. Healthwatch staff and volunteers (Authorised Representatives) work together to carry out these visits.

The aim of the visits is to listen to the feedback of service users, their families, carers and staff and observe service delivery and the facilities available for patients. The feedback and observations, along with survey data are collated into a report including any suggested recommendations. The service provider then has the opportunity to comment on the report before it is published.

What did Healthwatch Rutland find of Oakham Medical Practice?

The group said: "We conducted a number of visits to observe the environment and speak to people face to face. We also created a survey which was available for people to complete online or in a hard copy."

Findings included:

• More patients value face-to-face appointments than virtual appointments and some expressed a wish for greater continuity of care with a doctor they know and who knows them
• Patients would like more available appointments and sooner. Some reported that they had been told in the Practice to book by phone but were then unable to get through
• The difficulties of the last few years have undermined trust and created anxiety, but some patients have noticed an improvement over 2023

You are able to see the full Oakham Medical Practice report on the Healthwatch Rutland website.

If you are interested in becoming an Enter and View authorised representative for Healthwatch Rutland, supporting the team on future Enter and View projects, please contact Hollie on: [email protected] or call 07399584572.