Case Study: A City Centre Practice Improving Capacity and Utilisation
Albion Health Centre
Tower Hamlets
What was our problem?
Our CQC visit highlighted that we had an incredibly high demand for GP appointments; appointment availability and access were both highlighted as an area of concern on our report.
Mismatch in demand
We used Apex to identify a mismatch between same-day and pre-booked appointments: this was part of our high DNA rate (9%). Using quality improvement methodology and real-time data we changed the ratio of same-day and pre-booked appointments offered to patients. We monitored appointment utilisation in Apex so that we could reallocate unused appointments. This improved our uptake of capacity from 440 to 540 slots per week.
Overall benefits
Following the regular review of data through Apex, we achieved the following improvements to access: 22% increase in appointment capacity, 4% reduction in DNAs and no additional GP resources were required to meet our demand.
To find supporting data, navigate to Productivity & QI > Did Not Attend (DNA).
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