Patient feedback – The Key to a Successful Practice
Patient feedback is one of the most valuable tools a practice can use. Whether it be to retain existing patients or attract more new patients.
An overview of different types of feedback and how to gain it:
NHS Friends & Family (Eng)
- Was brought in in 2014
- Designed to help NHS service providers and commissioners assess if patients were happy with the service
- Using a simple tick box of extremely likely to recommend to don’t know and blank box to respond to rating
- Allows NHS services to monitor services and patient dynamics nationwide
- If you have an NHS contract it is a legality to use NHS friends and family test
- A summary of your results should be accessible to your patients
General Feedback
- Digital/Electronic
- Paper
- Verbal
- Specific i.e treatment specific/customer service – varying demographic groups of patients
Digital/Electronic
- Most dental software providers will have their own version that allows you to gather digital feedback from your patients
- This can be done in practice or by follow up emails or specific marketing campaign
- You can, however, do it independently using email software such as Mail Chimp
- You can then have this on the homepage of your website or use with social media as a marketing tool
- Video reviews
- Sending links on regular practice newsletters
Paper
- In practice questionnaires using simple star systems that allow comments to reflect their star rating
- Anonymous comments box or handed out by specific member of staff
- It is important that patients see this done by all members of the team including our dentists – not just ‘admin’ staff!
Verbal
- Simple questions for example – how was that for you today?
- Some patients prefer a chat about their experience
Specific
- Treatment
- Customer service
- Varying demographic/groups of patients including children
What to ask
- Why us?
- Were they happy with the service and care you provided?
- Did they feel treatment options were explained to them?
- Is there any way the practice could be improved?
- How did the practice and surgery look?
- Would they recommend you?
- Can we use their feedback to help other patients/marketing?
Do
- Record if/when/how a patient has been asked for feedback – No nagging!
- Learn how to respond appropriately
- Ask for consent to use their feedback and explain how it will be used
- Involve the whole team when reviewing feedback
- Ensure your compliant with GDC standards etc
- Set staff targets
Don’t
- Be afraid to ask for feedback even if you feel the patient may not be happy
- Complicate questionnaires
- Keep it to yourself – show the patients that you have listened and responded to their feedback
Are you compliant?
CQC
- All practices have to receive feedback to be able to demonstrate that you are responsive to your patients
- How you deal with feedback and your responses are an indicator of a well led practice (82% of practices that fail CQC inspections fail on the well led outcome)
- Prior to a CQC visit you will be asked to request feedback from your patients and be provided with a sealed box for them to use.
- Patients can leave feedback through all three governing bodies i.e. CQC, GDC and BSA/NHS England. If you actively continuously request feedback from your patients and respond appropriately, you can avoid potential investigation by these bodies, who communicate with each other.
- If a complaint goes to any of these governing bodies you could be flagged up as a risk and CQC inspection will be arranged.
GDC Standards
Principle Two
2.1 -Communicate effectively with patients, listen to them, give them time to consider information and take their individual views and communication needs into account.
Principle Four
4.2.7 – Explain to patients how information or images will be used, check the patients understanding of what they are agreeing to, obtain and record the patients consent to their use, only release minimum information necessary for the specific purpose, explain to the patient that they can withdraw their information at any time.
How to deal with negative feedback
Don’t ignore it!
- Most of us don’t like confrontation so find this kind of feedback difficult. We take it as a rejection of us. Use it as a tool to improve.
- Monitor feedback platforms Friends&Family, Google reviews/Facebook/NHS Direct
- If you receive negative feedback in person – in many ways this is the hardest as they are right there. Listen – empathise – say what you will do to follow up/deal with their complaint and then ensure that you do it!
“Treat negative feedback as an opportunity to learn where you might be dropping the baton. We will all do that at times and it is good to review policies and procedures” - Thank them for providing their feedback (and sound like you mean it, even if you don’t!) and for the opportunity for you to respond, improve and if necessary apologise.
- Do not discuss any clinical case and say that you cannot do this due to patient confidentiality. DO NOT enter into a debate – even if you are right, the audience don’t know that, and you will look petty and unprofessional.
- The only time I would recommend that you challenge the complaint is if you feel they have the wrong practice (which is not uncommon) but consider data protection.
- Negative feedback isn’t necessarily a formal complaint but treat it as though it was as the next one might be!
How feedback can help grow your practice
- Showcase your feedback results – patients want to feed confident that they have chosen a good practice and will recommend to friends/family/colleagues
- Quoting testimonials for marketing campaigns will attract new patients, but remember to measure your return (ROI)
- Dominating local webs searches is now one of the most important tools available to practices looking to acquire more new patients, google reviews are extremely successful at helping you do this!
- Take advantage of online reviews and especially google reviews to showcase what you do and how well you do it, even a negative google review can be balanced by a positive response.
References:
1. Software of Excellence Whitepaper. Facing the Challenge of New Patient Acquisition. 2014
2. National Association of Specialist Dental Accountants and Lawyers (NASDAL). 2015
3. Software of Excellence Whitepaper. Facing the Challenge of New Patient Acquisition. 2014
BrightLocal. Local Consumer Review Survey. 2014
“Whichever form of feedback you receive on whichever platform – remember you are demonstrating that you are an effective, caring, responsive and well led practice and that patient centred care is at the forefront”