News story: Customer Satisfaction Survey 2018 Action Plan

As previously published in April this year, the VMD Customer Satisfaction Survey 2018: Results were extremely pleasing. We appreciate the feedback we received and use this to help us improve the services we provide. Even though the scores reflected high-levels of satisfaction, we have taken a more in depth review into those areas where common themes were emerging; or where the scores were slightly lower.

The following table identifies these messages, and alongside we have noted the actions we are taking or where improvements had already been introduced just before the conclusion of the survey or shortly after. In some cases we have also included a reminder of long standing methods to help identify those dealing with the assessment of applications.

Validation

Message/Theme	Actions/Improvements
Ease of identifying correct person to speak to.	Validator names provided in all email correspondence.
	For general enquiries relating to validation or a particular procedure, a generic inbox will be created and advertised on related GOV.UK guidance pages.

Joint Labelling

Message/Theme	Actions/Improvements
Clarity of process & timescales	Guidance published on GOV.UK

Product Literature Standard

Message/Theme	Actions/Improvements
Clarity, consistency in its application, ease of navigation, and pragmatism in its use	Revised standard introduced shortly before the start of the survey. It is hoped that this will provide greater clarity and is more easily navigated. The HPRA were consulted and contributed to this revision.
	Further links are being developed with the HPRA to help facilitate the process.

Pharmaceutical & Feed Additives

Message/Theme	Actions/Improvements
Consistency of approach between assessors & identifying the correct person to speak to	Assessor names provided in validation letters.
	Changes in personnel reported in MAVIS and in Industry liaison meetings.
	Applications for new veterinary medicinal products are discussed at team meetings at quality, safety and efficacy level.
	Applications for new veterinary medicinal products are discussed by the Scientific Secretariat, a formal peer review meeting which includes VMD personnel and to which representatives from the Foods Standard Agency, the Environment Agency and Public Health England are invited to attend.

Biologicals

Message/Theme	Actions/Improvements
Consistency of approach between assessors & identifying the correct person to speak to	Assessor names provided in validation letters.
	Changes in personnel reported in MAVIS and in Industry liaison meetings.
	Applications for new veterinary medicinal products are discussed at team level.
	Applications for new veterinary medicinal products are discussed by the Biologicals Committee, a formal peer review meeting.

Pharmacovigilance

Message/Theme	Actions/Improvements
Consistency of approach between assessors; relevance of questions & knowledge of staff responding to enquiries	Weekly adverse event assessor meetings are being held so that issues can be discussed and a more consistent approach followed by all assessors.
	PSUR assessment training has been provided to all PSUR assessors.
	A desk instruction document has been drafted on how staff should respond to queries and how to deal with questions to which they are unsure how to respond.

Communications

Message/Theme	Actions/Improvements
Making people aware of new information in a timely fashion and ease of what you are looking for on the website.	RSS feed and email alert available to those who sign up which provides notification of news items and new guidance on gov.uk.
	Shortly after the conclusion of the survey a new quick links menu was added to the website to help with navigation with quick links to the most popular VMD related pages.
	A review of MAVIS is being conducted and how information published within MAVIS might be better presented on the website.
	The VMD also uses its Twitter Feed to circulate important messages.