Quality assurance visit: foot health clinic
Our team visited the foot health clinic at University of East London, Clinical Education Building, 1 Ferns Road to find out about patients’ referral pathway experiences as part of our joint Quality Assurance Project with NCCG.
Summary
The foot health clinic has an open referral system, meaning that they accept self-referrals, GP referrals and referrals from other health professionals. The clinic offers assessment and treatment for a range of foot problems, from Diabetic ulcer care to in grown toenail removal and musculoskeletal evaluation. On the day of the visit, HWN were able to speak with 7 patients.
They send letters to remind you of your appointment which is helpful for me
Findings
- 20% of the patients we spoke with rated their referral experience as ‘Excellent’.
- The only suggestion a patient had was to have transport available after appointments for those with mobility issues as they have to call a cab, which can take a long time to arrive. The patient who made this suggestion found it difficult to call a cab service because of difficulties with their hearing.
- The other 80% could not provide an honest rating due the fact they were unable to answer all the sections of the questionnaire
Recommendation
Discussions could be had about whether arranging transport on behalf of patients who requested it, would be possible.
