A Visit to The Loxford Practice

Meeting the people who make Loxford Practice!

Let’s talk about The Loxford Practice, located within the Barking, Dagenham, and Redbridge triangle. They serve a diverse population of nearly 37,000 patients, many of whom face complex health challenges and inequalities.

Despite being incredibly busy, they manage to maintain an exceptionally high rate of appointment attendance. To give you an idea, they handle around 3000 appointments every four weeks, with nearly 2000 of those being same-day appointments. Impressive.

The success of a multidisciplinary team

Their success is largely due to a strong multidisciplinary team. This includes not just GPs, but also Pharmacists, Paramedics, Mental Health Practitioners, and Physiotherapists. They’re supported by Social Prescribers, Health Practitioner Assistants, Receptionists, Administrators, and Management. The communication within this team is clear and consistent, ensuring everything runs smoothly.

A big part of their efficiency comes from their easy-to-use IT systems. These systems make it easier to triage and manage the patient journey. For instance, they offer a patient app called DrIQ, which handles about 200 requests daily for appointments, repeat prescriptions, and more. Over 50% of their patients use this app, significantly improving the triaging process and overall service.

Adding to the practice

Like many practices, they’re facing a shortage of clinical room space. However, they’re addressing this by opening five additional clinical rooms in their three-story building soon. This expansion is crucial, especially since their patient population is growing by about 200 new patients each week.

My final thoughts

It’s clear to see that the success of The Loxford Practice is dependent upon the exceptionally efficient tools and systems and a high functioning clinical and non-clinical team.

Well done, everyone and thank you for meeting with me today.