Customer Service Excellence Email Response Audit 2013-14 (QM054c) Department: Quality Assurance Summary by: Nassir Ahad (Quality Improvement Auditor) Date: November 2013
Background: In December 2009, the Trust published a customer service policy and standards offering a service that is efficient, effective, excellent, equitable and empowering with the patient and their family, friends and carers always at the heart of service provision. An audit regarding email response times to Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) enquiries was undertaken in November 2010 and a re-audit was undertaken in May 2012. This audit seeks to assess whether standards regarding email response times are being maintained within PALS. In addition, this audit also includes assessing response times to Private Patient enquiries. Aim: To measure whether the customer service policy and standards regarding email response times are being followed, offering an efficient and excellent service. This will be done for PALS and also the Private Patients department. Standards: The best practice standards are derived from: The Royal Marsden Customer Service Policy and Standards. The Royal Marsden Patient Advice and Liaison Service Policy and Procedure. Methodology: PALS A random week was audited in each of the following three alternating months in 2013: May, July and September. Month Week commencing May 13/05/2013 July 22/07/2013 September 09/09/2013 This was done via Datix, checking the date of the PALS query with date of response and completing the data collection form (Appendix A). Private Patients A random selection of 20 enquiries from each of the following five months in 2013 was audited: May, June, July, August, and September. This was done by checking the response times to emails that were received in the central Privatepatients inbox and completing the data collection form (Appendix A). Results: PALS 141 emails were received by the PALS team across the three audited weeks via the trust website. Figure 1 shows the number of emails received during the specified weeks in each of the three months listed above. Page 2 of 6
No. of emails received Figure 2 shows the types of enquiries received by PALS. The majority were miscellaneous (88/141) which included such enquiries as travel insurance / directions, referrals, work experience, clinical electives, data protection issues and emails from members of staff. 60 50 Emails received by PALS via the website 50 47 44 40 30 20 10 0 May July September Figure 1 Types of query received by PALS 6% 2% 11% 19% 62% Miscellaneous Clinical Advice Concern Praise/Thanks Figure 2 Private Patients There were 100 randomly selected enquiries that were audited over the five months in 2013 for Private Patients. There were two types of enquiry: email and telephone. There were 90 email enquiries and 10 telephone enquiries. Figure 3 shows the types of email enquiries received by the Private Patients department and Figure 4 shows the types of telephone enquiries received. Page 3 of 6
Types of email query received by Private Patients 8% 3% 1% 15% 73% Appointment Second opinion Treatment cost Treatment advice Information request Figure 3 Types of telephone query received by Private Patients 20% 80% Appointment Second opinion Response Times: PALS Figure 4 The Royal Marsden Patient Advice and Liaison Service Policy and Procedure states: PALS will ensure that a response to all written queries/concerns is made within two working days. If PALS staff are unable to resolve the issue at this point, it will keep relevant people informed of progress and set realistic time scales for resolution of which the person raising the concern must be informed. 134/141 (95%) emails were responded to and closed within one working day, and 7/141 (5%) were responded to and closed within two working days. There were no incidents where emails took more than two working days to respond to and close. Page 4 of 6
% Figure 5 shows the comparison of response times from the audits undertaken in 2010, 2012 and 2013. All 141 emails received by PALS during the three weeks audited in 2013 were responded to and closed within two working days. 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 96 100 95 Within one working day Email response times in PALS 3 5 0 1 0 Within two working days More than two working days 0 2010 2012 2013 Private Patients Figure 5 All 100 randomly selected enquiries received by the Private Patients department that were audited over the five months (90 via email and 10 via telephone) were responded to and closed within two working days. Conclusions: The audit has confirmed best practice. All enquiries made to PALS for the weeks audited were responded to within two working days. In addition, enquiries made to the Private Patients department for the weeks audited were also responded to within two working days. A re-audit should be undertaken within 12 months. It has been advised that other areas that receive emails via the website should be included in the re-audit. Staff should be congratulated on the high standards of customer service. Recommendations: 1. Re-audit emails received by PALS in 12 months time. 2. Re-audit emails received by the Private Patients department in 12 months time. 3. Audit other areas that receive emails via the website. Page 5 of 6
Appendix A Date Query number Type of query Method of enquiry (e.g. email, telephone) 24 hour response Y/N 48 hour response Y/N If more than 48 hours was the enquirer informed Y/N Page 6 of 6