| home | meetings | events | miscellanea | contacts |
Over the past few months, several bidders have tendered proposals to provide primary healthcare services in Bar Hill for the next five years. Earlier this year, Malling Health Ltd. was awarded the contract and took over the running of the surgery in Bar Hill last month. The purpose of this meeting was to allow members of Malling Health Ltd. to introduce themselves to the residents of Bar Hill and to answer questions about the running of the local surgery.
John Doland, chairman of the maple surgery patient participation group, opened the meeting with a welcome and introduced the representatives from Malling Health Ltd.: Dr Thomas Reichhelm, managing director and medical director; Julie Styles, regional manager in the east of England; Lesley Davis, practice manager at both the Bar Hill and St Neots surgeries; and Dr Yasser Rasool, the new full-time GP at the Bar Hill health centre.
Dr Reichhelm then took the floor to explain the origins of Malling Health Ltd.. The company was founded in 2007 by the GP partners and practice manager of the West Malling group practice. Over the past few years they have successfully bid to run other practices and were recently chosen to take over primary healthcare services in Bar Hill. Dr Reichhelm stressed that the company was GP-owned, led and operated.
Dr Rasool then had the opportunity to tell the audience a little about himself and his family. He noted that many of the patients he had seen in the past month asked the same question: Are you going to be our regular doctor? He reiterated Dr Reichhelm's earlier comment that patients' number one concern is continuity of care. Dr Rasool has connections with the local community and is looking forward to serving as GP in Bar Hill for the next five years. He said that he was very impressed with the community spirit of Bar Hill, particularly in regards to healthcare, and reaffirmed that everyone at the surgery was open to feedback, both good and bad. The new NHS is about change, change for the better.
Dr Reichhelm then invited questions and comments from the nearly 100 people in attendance. He urged everyone to send their comments to their PPG members as the surgery meets with them regularly.
Q: What special interests will the new GPs be bringing to the practice?
A: Dr Rasool has spent some time in accident and emergency departments and is also interest in diabetes and ophthalmology. Dr Prince has a special interest in mental health. GP have to cover a lot of ground in a typical surgery so it is important to get a broad skill set.
Q: What is the situation regarding the nurses and the healthcare assistant?
A: The healthcare assistant is still in post but both nurses have moved on to other surgeries. Malling Health Ltd. is advertising for a nurse and a nurse prescriber, and there have been some encouraging responses. In the interim, a locum nurse will be employed at the surgery.
Q: Are we registered with a particularly GP or with the surgery? What do we tell our dentist, optometrist, hospital admissions, etc.?
A: This is another question that is frequently asked. The NHS is using a new model in which patients register with a practice rather than with an individual GP. Just tell whomever that you are registered with the maple surgery in Bar Hill.
Q: You offer more GPs and more hours. Does this translate into more appointments?
A: Appointments have doubled in number already and appointment lengths have lengthened from 10 minutes to 12½minutes. The surgery is now open all day, including over lunch unless there is a staff meeting. If that is the case, the closure will be advertised at the surgery for at least two weeks in advance.
Q: Will there be extended hours?
A: From October we hope to offer extended hours. We are working with the PPG to determine whether it is better to have early or late hours. Also, it depends on which clinicians are available to work which hours. Our staff also have families and a home life.
Q: How quickly will a patient be seen?
A: It depends on the situation and who you need to see. The receptionist will ask you for a few details regarding your problem. All the office staff have signed confidentiality agreements so you may share such details in complete confidence. The receptionist needs to know what the problem is so that they can try to determine what kind of appointment best fits your needs (GP, nurse, healthcare assistant, telephone consultation, home visit, etc.).
Q: Are home visits allowed, particularly for someone recently home from hospital?
A: Yes, but we try to see patients where it is best to see them. This is usually at the surgery but in some cases a home visit may be preferable, particularly if the patient is unable for any reason to get to the surgery. This is quite a selective process when it comes to choosing who gets a home visit and who doesn't.
Q: How much will Malling Health Ltd. be investing to keep older or vulnerable patients independent and at home?
A: Responsibility for new technologies is mostly due to the clinical commissioning groups who commission services. It is hoped that the new CCGs will be able to integrate services - hospital, surgery, social services - better than the previous arrangement but everything is still new so we're not sure exactly how things will work. Our contract doesn't allow for these kinds of investments now but that could change in the future. We would be very interested in trialling new technologies and services in order to improve patient experiences and outcomes.
Q: What is the protocol for medication reviews for patients with repeat prescriptions?
A: Medications are another hot topic! These reviews are all about patient safety. Annual or even more frequent reviews are good practice, depending on individual circumstances. Some medications need very close monitoring and others don't. It may even be appropriate for patients who are very stable on their long-term medications to be monitored by their pharmacist.
Q: All too often the pharmacy at Tesco receives hundreds of prescription requests at once and it can take a long time to get a prescription filled. Sometimes prescriptions even go missing, if only temporarily. What is the communication between the surgery and Tesco pharmacy?
A: Unfortunately, the IT systems in the surgery are controlled by the NHS, not the individual practices, so it isn't possible to have the surgery computers and the Tesco pharmacy computers connected.
Q: Is there a drop box for prescriptions for when the surgery is closed?
A: No.
Q: What happens when a patient gets a letter from the hospital regarding treatment?
A: When hospitals write to GPs, a copy of the letter is often sent to the patient. All such letters are reviewed by a GP and if further action is required, the surgery will contact the patient. Patients are encouraged to come in and discuss such letters and treatment options with their GP.
Q: Will there be a patient leaflet or brochure?
A: Yes, we are contractually obliged to provide this literature and we are in the middle of putting one together.
Q: Is the current facility (the Bar Hill Health Centre) sufficient for your needs?
A: It looks all right for the moment but time will tell.
Copyright ©2013 by the maple surgery patient participation group
Last updated on 1 June 2013 by the Webmaster