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| 2011 |
PPG Members: Brian Burrage (BB), Emilio Ceraudo (EC), Patricia Daniels (PD), John Doland (JD), David Harper (DH), Margaret Moffat (MM), Chris Stannard (CS), L.M. Stockman (LMS)
Margaret Brown (MB) was absent with apologies.
Surgery Representatives: Trish Hawitt Palmer (THP)
Guest: Joyce Jarvis (JJ)
The minutes from the meeting of 25 May 2011 were approved.
THP said that the surgery was happy to provide space for a Memorial Garden collection box but that the staff could not be responsible for the security of the contents and that some kind of document to that effect would need to be drafted and signed. Also, the maple surgery is donating £50 towards the cost of the Memorial Garden.
Action: CS will see about producing such a document and getting it signed.
Results from The GP Patient Survey, conducted quarterly by MORI, are available online at the NHS Choices web site. The latest quarterly poll is not yet available but a summary of the 2010 results include the following higher-than-average results:
However, there were some lower-than-average results as well:
Note that these results include polls conducted before the maple surgery took over at the Bar Hill Health Centre.
Action: THP will bring the most recent poll results to future meetings as part of the ongoing discussion to improve services at the maple surgery.
The in-house survey is still a work in progress. Forty patients per clinician must be polled and this target has not yet been met. The results will be sent to the NHS for analysis.
THP is putting the finishing touches on the document and will pass it to LMS for editorial review. There will be copies available in the surgery and one will be given to each new patient. CS suggested mentioning the availability of the new brochure in the Bar Hill News so that interested people can stop by to pick one up. PD pointed out that some patients don't live in Bar Hill and suggested posting the brochures to this minority.
Because diabetes is currently receiving so much media attention, it was decided that this condition should be the topic of the first evening medical lecture. THP said that the surgery had clinicians with special interest in diabetes and could probably lead the discussion. Additionally or alternatively, it might be possible to have a representative from Diabetes UK in attendance.
A provisional date of Wednesday, 14 September was suggested, beginning at 7:00 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. and lasting two hours.
Action: CS will check for church hall and Octagon availability and costs. He will also contact Diabetes UK.
If audio-visual equipment is required, the church hall is probably a better venue than the Octagon. The group will need to come up with a catchy slogan, posters and other advertising. JD mentioned that a poster should be put in the new village notice board in front of the parish council office and not on lamp posts, bus shelters, etc., because posters found on street furniture will be removed. Posters may also be put up in the library and perhaps the Tesco pharmacy. LMS suggested that if the lecture is open to the public, then posters should be distributed in surrounding villages as well.
THP expressed concern over the group's involvement with CFR. She pointed out that the PPG is not a community group but an extension of the surgery and since CFR is not associated with the surgery, it is not the business of the PPG. MM, who brought the idea of the CFR to the group earlier this year, agreed that is was not surgery-related and that the PPG would not be involved in organising or running any CFR group that might establish itself in Bar Hill.
MM will operate a stall at the July village fête with information regarding CFR. (She is doing this privately, not as a member of the PPG.) There will an array of equipment, plus demonstrations by a practising CFR from another area. MM said that two members of the public have already volunteered to be trained as a CFR and it is hoped that the stall will drum up more interest. PD thought that the surgery was missing an opportunity by not getting involved and that it was inconsistent for them to support the PPG in organising health walks but not in starting a local CFR scheme. Both CS and PD supported putting together a group, perhaps separate from the PPG, to continue with the CFR endeavour.
JJ asked if the surgery would accept donations of magazines for the reception area. THP said that donations of magazines would be welcomed. They should be handed to the reception staff.
maple surgery has signed a contract with the NHS to provide health services at the Bar Hill Health Centre until April 2013. The surgery is currently in 'turn around'; so it has been given extra funds to help with the extra work in quality assurance.
Because of a large backlog of work yet to be done, the surgery will be closing for one afternoon per month. Emergency cases will be handled by Urgent Care Cambridgeshire via the surgery's telephone number, and a doctor will be available at the surgery if needed.
The surgery also plans to create another consulting room which allow for an additional physician to hold clinics.
One of the major tasks during the 'turn around' of the surgery is summarising the old pre-computer paper patient notes. This process has already started but is not yet complete. Summarising patient records is a highly specialised task and the surgery will be employing additional people to do this. For instance, it will be necessary to scan in letters, put test results on the computer, add diagnosis codes, etc.
From early July the surgery is trialling an early morning appointment system. On one day a week, appointments beginning at 7:00 a.m. will be available with the nurse or a GP. It is hoped that patients requiring an appointment before work or school, or those needing to undergo fasting blood tests, will be able to take advantage of this early opening. The surgery will monitor patient satisfaction and try to find the best time and day of the week for early opening. The change to the hours will be advertised widely, including the NHS Choices web site, the Bar Hill News and, of course, the new patient brochure. CS enquired if there would be late opening hours as well but THP said that was not being considered immediately. The surgery is contracted to provide a set number of minutes per week but if the early opening hours are not a success, then late opening may be considered instead.
THP acknowledged that continuity and consistency of care was a major concern for patients and the surgery is working hard to provide this. JJ said that she wanted to see 'her' doctor but has had to see several different GPs recently. She was pleasantly surprised at how easy and comfortable it actually was to switch between practitioners and still get consistent care. MM pointed out how well the reception staff made sure that she was always seen by the same doctor for the same problem. BB said that he had had difficulty making appointments far in advance and THP said that was due to the fluid staff situation.
Action: Deferred. DH will print off information from Community Car Schemes for distribution next time.
LMS suggested that it was probably time to formalise the purpose and structure of the PPG. The group needed to address several questions:
Action: Deferred. DH will distribute examples of other PPG constitutions via the mailing list for discussion next time.
The meeting adjourned at 7:50 p.m.
The next meeting of the PPG will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 20 July 2011, in the Octagon. Tea and coffee will be served before the meeting, from 6:00 p.m. Note that this is one week earlier than usual due to schedule conflicts.
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