Kensington Group Practice

Summary

A request for staffing, appointment availability, and financial data for Kensington Group Practice was partially fulfilled by the Department of Health and Social Care. While current GP numbers and appointment policies were disclosed, historical data on emergency appointments and waiting times were withheld as they are not held in the requested format.

Key Facts

• As of 31 March 2019, Kensington Group Practice employed 5 GPs with a whole-time equivalent of 4.1.
• The practice policy offers 4 emergency appointments per GP session per day.
• Routine appointments available per session per GP range between 12 and 14.
• Historical data on emergency appointments is not held split by urgent and non-urgent categories.
• Information on unmet emergency appointment requests is not held by the authority.

Data Disclosed

• 5 GPs
• 4.1 whole time equivalent
• 36 sessions per week
• 4 emergency appointments per session
• 12 to 14 routine appointments per session
• 31 March 2019
• 1 April 2014
• 31 March 2015
• 31 March 2016
• 31 March 2017
• 31 March 2018
• 31 March 2020
• 8th April 2019
• 15th April 2019

Exemptions Cited

• Information not held
• Information not held in the format requested

Original Request

Question 1: The number of GP's currently employed by the practice? Question 2: The number of emergency GP appointments currently made available on each day at the practice? Question 3: The average number of emergency GP appointments made available per day in each year between 1 Apr 2014 - 31 Mar 2019? Question 4: What was the total number of emergency GP appointments made available in each year between 1 Apr 2014 - 31 Mar 2019, and the percentage of those that were taken up by patients? Question 5: The number of requests for emergency appointments that were not able to be met in each year between 1 Apr 2014 - 31 Mar 2019? Question 6: The number of appointments currently made available on each day for non-emergencies (i.e. advance bookings)? Question 7: What is the average waiting time for non-emergency appointments in each year between 1 Apr 2014 - 31 Mar 2019? Question 8: The number of patients currently registered at the practice, and as at 31 Mar 2015, 31 Mar 2016, 31 Mar 2017 & 31 Mar 2018? Question 9: Budgeted and Actual expenditure of the Practice in each of the last 5 fiscal years. Question 10: Budgeted expenditure for the Practice in the year ended 31 Mar 2020.

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Chief Executive: Malcolm Couch Freedom of Information Team DHSC, Crookall House Demesne Road Douglas IM1 3QA

(01624) 642621 dhsc@foi.gov.im Website: www.gov.im/dhsc

Our ref: 781565 15th April 2019

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on the 1st April 2019 and states:

"Question 1: The number of GP's currently employed by the practice? Question 2: The number of emergency GP appointments currently made available on each day at the practice? Question 3: The average number of emergency GP appointments made available per day in each year between 1 Apr 2014 - 31 Mar 2019? Question 4: What was the total number of emergency GP appointments made available in each year between 1 Apr 2014 - 31 Mar 2019, and the percentage of those that were taken up by patients? Question 5: The number of requests for emergency appointments that were not able to be met in each year between 1 Apr 2014 - 31 Mar 2019? Question 6: The number of appointments currently made available on each day for non- emergencies (i.e. advance bookings)? Question 7: What is the average waiting time for non-emergency appointments in each year between 1 Apr 2014 - 31 Mar 2019? Question 8: The number of patients currently registered at the practice, and as at 31 Mar 2015, 31 Mar 2016, 31 Mar 2017 & 31 Mar 2018?

Question 9: Budgeted and Actual expenditure of the Practice in each of the last 5 fiscal years. Question 10: Budgeted expenditure for the Practice in the year ended 31 Mar 2020."

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the public authority does not hold or cannot, after taking reasonable steps to do so, find some of the information that you have requested. . Regarding Kensington Group Practice Question 1: The number of GP's currently employed by the practice? The number of GPs currently employed as at 31.3.19 by Kensington Group Practice is 5. Each GP works a set amount of sessions per week (1 session is equal to either a morning or an afternoon session). Between the 5 GPs they work a total of 36 sessions per week and the GPs are working a mixture of full and part-time hours with a whole time equivalent figure of 4.1.
Question 2: The number of emergency GP appointments currently made available on Each day at the practice? Kensington Group Practice’s policy for making emergency GP appointment slots per day is that they offer 4 appointments per GP session, per day. Therefore the total number of emergency GP appointments made available on each day will vary dependent on the number of GPs working and sessions provided. If the emergency appointments are filled and more are required for that day, the GPs working are tasked to contact those patients and triage as clinically appropriate. This should mean that any patient who clinically needs to be seen that day will be seen. Question 3: The average number of emergency GP appointments made available per day in each year between 1 Apr 2014 - 31 Mar 2019?

This information is not held by the Department of Health and Social Care in the format you have requested it. The Department does regularly monitor the number of GP appointments provided but it is not split into urgent and non-urgent.
Question 4: What was the total number of emergency GP appointments made available in each year between 1 Apr 2014 - 31 Mar 2019, and the percentage of those that were taken up by patients? The Department does regularly monitor the number of GP appointments provided but it is not split into urgent and non-urgent.
Question 5: The number of requests for emergency appointments that were not able to be met in each year between 1 Apr 2014 - 31 Mar 2019? This information is not held. Question 6: The number of appointments currently made available on each day for non-emergencies (i.e. advance bookings)? The Practice makes available between 12 and 14 routine appointments and 4 urgent appointments per session per GP.
Question 7: What is the average waiting time for non-emergency appointments in each year between 1 Apr 2014 - 31 Mar 2019? As you will appreciate the waiting time for non-emergency appointments does differ. However as of today (8th April) the waiting time for a routine appointment at Kensington GP Practice is 1 day (next available routine appointment is 9th April). Question 8: The number of patients currently registered at the practice, and as at 31 Mar 2015, 31 Mar 2016, 31 Mar 2017 & 31 Mar 2018?

We have provided the figures of the numbers of patients registered at Kensington Group Practice as requested in the table below: Date Number of Patients Registered 31 March 2015 11,059 31 March 2016 10,652 31 March 2017 10,340 31 March 2018 10,013 31 March 2019 9,081 Question 9: Budgeted and Actual expenditure of the Practice in each of the last 5 fiscal years. The budget for General Medical Services is accounted for in terms of patients and services and is therefore not allocated to Practices. This information is not therefore available. Question 10: Budgeted expenditure for the Practice in the year ended 31 Mar 2020. The budget for General Medical Services is accounted for in terms of patients and services and is therefore not allocated to Practices. This information is not therefore available. I have detailed below the information that is held.

Please quote the reference number 781565 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi.

I will now close your request as of this date.

Yours sincerely