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| 2011 |
PPG Members: Michael Boughton-Fox (MBF), Margaret Brown (MB), Brian Burrage (BB), Emilio Ceraudo (EC), John Doland (JD), David Harper (DH), Margaret Moffat (MM), Chris Stannard (CS), L.M. Stockman (LMS)
Diana Birley (DB), Nik Barton (NB) and Patricia Daniels (PD) were absent with apologies.
Surgery Representatives: Jenny Moyes (JM)
Dr Susan Gillard (SG) and Trish Hawitt Palmer (THP) were absent with apologies.
Guest: Joyce Jarvis (JJ)
The minutes from the meeting of 26 January 2011 were approved.
The surgery patient leaflet/brochure is still a work in progress. JM has spoken with THP who is integrating more changes into the existing draft. Two of these changes are the additions of a new doctor and a new receptionist who are to begin the first week of March.
Action: Deferred.
The article circulated by DH earlier this month is scheduled to appear in the Bar Hill News in March. Extra copies of the Bar Hill News (approximately 10-15) are being delivered to the surgery every month for the benefit of patients living outside the village but the extra copies soon disappear. Because the delivery of the Bar Hill News varies throughout the village, it's thought that some locals are taking home copies, thinking that they have not received their own copy when in fact it simply hasn't been delivered yet.
Action: JM will instruct the reception staff to delay putting out the extra copies until a week or so into the month, so that all village residents will have received their copies at home.
Another way to ensure patients from outside the village get to see the group's newsletter is to print off copies of the article to be left in the surgery or to make one copy to put on the bulletin board.
Action: DH will contact the editor of the Bar Hill News to discuss copyright issues.
For regularly-scheduled meetings, the church normally issues contracts. There is no meeting space at the surgery so it will be necessary to continue to use outside facilities such as the Octagon. The surgery will need to sign the contract on behalf of the group.
Action: CS will look into the contract situation with the church.
The Octagon is already booked for the last week of July. BB suggested that the July meeting be moved up one week to 20 July to avoid conflicts. This was agreed by those present.
Action: CS will check the booking schedule for July.
JM has amended the travel risk assessment form. Although the questions haven't changed, the patient now signs a declaration which states that they will be given information about necessary vaccinations if and when they are needed. Previously, the patient had to sign a declaration stating that they had been given all of that information before they actually had received it.
The NHS funds some of the travel vaccinations, particularly for diseases which pose a risk of spreading once a traveller has returned to the UK. However, other vaccinations are not covered. Occupational vaccinations such as those received by police, health care workers, etc., are paid for by the employer. However, holidaymakers are required to pay for any vaccinations not covered by the NHS. The charges appear on the form. Some of the vaccinations may be available at the surgery but for others, patients will need to visit the travel clinic on Huntingdon Road in Cambridge.
EC reported that 25 people showed up for the February walk to Dry Drayton, up from the 8 who took part in the inaugural walk to Lolworth in January. The Bar Hill parish council has been informed of overgrown pavements, overhanging branches, etc., on the health walk routes in Bar Hill so that they can be cleared. The walkers represent many levels of fitness and no one is left behind. The walks are growing in popularity and more people are expressing an interest in becoming a health walk leader.
Action: The next walk begins at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, 3 March. Meet at the surgery. PD has previously indicated that she will invite a representative from Natural England to give a talk to the group at the March meeting.
JM went into some detail regarding the prescription process at the surgery. There are two types of prescriptions, acute (for temporary conditions - for example, a course of antibiotics) and chronic (for long-term conditions - for example, under-active thyroid). Drugs that are taken regularly over the long term are those that are suitable for repeat prescriptions.
Medication is usually supplied for 28 days only, after which the patient must fill in their repeat prescription form to request the next 28-day course. With the doctor's consent, many regular repeat prescriptions can be done as a 'batch' of up to 12 months at a time. As an example, if a patient has a batch prescription for a medicine lasting 6 months, then that patient receives 6 prescriptions, post-dated appropriately (every 28 days) which he or she then takes to the pharmacy. The pharmacy holds on to all the prescriptions and the patient simply needs to show up every 28 days to pick up his or her prescription.
This saves time, both for the surgery staff who don't have to keep writing out prescriptions every month, and for the patient who doesn't need to keep returning to the surgery with repeat prescription requests every month.
Certain medications, particularly those involving liquids or gels but also including inhalers, cannot be done as a batch prescription.
Patients can ask that their regular repeat prescriptions be 'batched' if they wish. The surgery staff will review each case. Ultimately, the physician decides which medications are suitable for batch prescriptions.
Some patients take two or more medications regularly which may run out at different times, requiring multiple trips to the surgery and the pharmacy. It is possible to synchronise certain regular repeat prescriptions so that they run out simultaneously. This is done by prescribing odd amounts of things until everything is in sync. Again, the patient should ask at reception if this is possible.
EC asked if patients were informed as to the length of their batch prescription and JM replied yes.
JM said that some patients like to come to the surgery regularly to drop off or pick up prescriptions. However, for those who prefer more efficiency, batch prescriptions and prescription synchronisation is available in many cases. The patient need only ask.
There are occasionally problems with the system. JM said these problems were usually at the pharmacy end with prescriptions going missing temporarily. The surgery is in close contact with the pharmacy at Tesco and problems are usually resolved quickly.
JM mentioned that some patients believe that drugs are dispensed at the surgery but this is not the case. Only the written instructions are given out. These must be taken to a pharmacy of the patient's choice to be filled.
There are two prescribing clerks at the surgery.
Repeat prescriptions can be requested either by filling out the right side of the prescription form from last time and dropping it off at the surgery, or by emailing the request. CS asked about dropping off repeat prescription requests out of hours. JM replied that there was no facility for doing this but that she is looking into putting in some kind of post box for various out-of-hours deliveries.
EC raised the problem of patients being abroad for longer than 28 days. JM replied that there were NHS regulations covering this situation. Physicians are allowed to prescribe over the 28-day limit in some circumstances but if a patient is going to be abroad for an extended period of time, then that patient will have to buy their drugs locally.
DH apologised for the earlier problems with the members only section of the web site but was unable to determine what was causing the difficulty. The web site was slightly redesigned in order to make the approved minutes and previous agendas open to the public and DH revealed the URL of the members only section which is not available from the public web site.
The waiting area has undergone a major revision. The old play area has been removed: it was always in chaos and the shared toys were a health hazard because they could spread disease from one child to another. The chairs are spread out with a table with magazines and children's books in the centre. There is also a water cooler and music playing in the background. The new arrangement allows the reception staff to see all of the waiting patients which was not possible when chairs were in the hall.
There have been some negative comments from parents in regard to the lack of play area but JM said that it is not the responsibility of the surgery to provide toys, nor is it the responsibility of the reception staff to police ill-disciplined children. Children may bring their own toys with them and the children's books remain for their entertainment. Most comments about the new arrangements have been positive.
Although one of the toilets has a 'Men Only' type sign on it, anyone may use either of the toilets as they both have locks on the doors.
LMS asked about having named pictures of the staff on one of the bulletin boards. JM said that was in progress.
MM led a brief discussion about Community First Responders who are volunteers trained in first aid, particularly in heart defibrillation. Access to Bar Hill in an emergency can be difficult if there are traffic problems on the A14 so a group of Community First Responders may be ideal. Community First Responders are trained and supported by the East Anglian Ambulance Service. They keep important first aid equipment in their house when they are on call and are paid expenses.
Action: Deferred.
MM asked about patient questionnaires which have been given to some patients in the surgery recently. JM replied that this was done in all surgeries and that it was an in-house questionnaire to help improve services. There is a questionnaire for each clinician and patients are chosen according to who they are seeing. The results will be collated on a spreadsheet and analysed.
Action: Deferred.
JM needs assistance with getting information about public transport to hospital from Bar Hill.
Action: LMS will research the bus timetables and provide a leaflet outlining routes to both Addenbrooke's Hospital and Chesterton Medical Centre.
JM explained that the actual building is owned by Cambridge Community Services which is why there are a number of health providers which use it, not just the surgery. (The health visitors are now based in Longstanton.) A new doctor begins in March but it isn't possible to add more staff as there simply isn't any more room for them.
MBF brought up an article in the Daily Mail which claims that the NHS is moving towards a centralised system for booking GP appointments using call centre with 0845 numbers, which could be expensive. JM thought this highly unlikely, since each surgery uses its own appointment booking system which is not accessible from outside that surgery.
The meeting adjourned at 7:55 p.m.
The next meeting of the PPG will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 30 March 2011, in the Octagon. Tea and coffee will be served before the meeting, from 6:00 p.m.
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