DINNINGTON GROUP PRACTICE

PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP MEETING

HELD AT ANSTON SURGERY 13OCTOBER 2014

In attendance: Chair: Peter Cloke

Dr T J Douglas, Carolyn Partington,Kathryn Allen,Carl Raynes,

Peter Hinchliffe,Sandra Boot,Jean Wright, Maureen Rogers,

Iain St John, J M Reynolds, Lorraine Platt, Jeanette Williams,

Brian Lenihan, Kennedy Lowe, Cassie Buckley

Apologies: Ken Ward, Carol Cockayne, P Barson

Minutes of the last meeting

The minutes of the last meeting were agreed.

Matters arising

  • New Members – Maureen Rogers was welcomed to the group as a new member representing Woodsetts. KJA still couldn’t get hold of Roy Mugglestone to join the group and was informed there is a council meeting today.
  • Update on Students from Dinnington joining Group – CR has contacted Hannah Butler, part of the 6th form team at Dinnington Comprehensive. She is Head of the Vocational faculty in order to get some representation from our younger patients onto the PPG. The meeting was delighted to welcome Kennedy Lowe and Cassie Buckley who attended from the school..
  • Promoting NHS health checks – PC has put poster on the PPG noticeboards to encourage patients to come in for their health check. If patients ask for an appointment they need a blood test and 20 minute appointment with an HCA. A debate took place as to whether the blood test was putting patients off attending the appointment. The Practice has updated its records and is writing out to patients for health checks across all 3 sites.
  • Emergency Care Update – The new emergency care centre at Rotherham hospital is due to open in summer 2016 and will be a point of access for all. The walk in centre will be there alongside A & E and a GP at the site. Patients will be triaged by senior staff to the most appropriate place and assessed for what tests need to be done. It was asked whether they could have patient health records. They will be able to access patient’s main problems and drug allergies but not their records as they use a different computer system to us. NHS 111 will continue to give phone advice and inform patients where the best place to go will be.
  • Community events –We are taking part in the Macmillan Coffee Moring event on 12 November 2014 and would be grateful for as much support as possible. All sites are looking for raffle prizes and people to manage the stalls. Tea / coffee will be served between 8.30am – 1.00ish. We will have a food hamper and hoping for people to make and donate cakes.

Key Priority Areas

  1. Access
  2. Continues to work reasonably well and we are getting through the volume. It is putting the GP’s under quite a lot of pressure
  3. We need to look at balance between telephone & Face to Face appointments. GPs dealing with things on phone that take longer than 5 mins.
  4. There is concern about how we will manage with winter pressures
  5. Lots of positive feedback as well as concerns on the appointment system so it is difficult to evaluate.
  6. We need to educate reception staff a bit more as to what to say and how they can accommodate patients and not ask them to ring back
  7. Not many patients are using on line appointments although quite a few have registered.
  8. The group reported that younger people don’t like it as much as they don’t feel comfortable on the phone. They don’t like having personal questions asked by the receptionists. It was agreed that we would ensure receptionists explain why they are asking for the information – so they can direct the patient to the right place and that it is fine if they do not wish to say.
  9. The problems with confidentiality at the front desk were discussed and that people need to stand back from the desk
  10. TJD explained that the new appointment system is still work in progress and we are constantly reviewing it and trying to fulfil demand in the best way. What it has done is stop people having to queue up outside for an appointment.
  11. A discussion took place regarding the problems with the phone being answered in the morning. Now patients don’t have to ring between 8 – 8.30am to get an appointment – they can ring later and still speak to a GP. We are getting more phone calls in the afternoon.
  12. One of the PPG members agreed that they have found the new system very efficient. They have rung today and got an appointment when they wanted for next Thursday.
  • National GP Access Survey Results

KJA explained that we will not be doing the annual patient survey this year as the Friends & Family Test has replaced it. However there is a national GP access survey with results from all GP Practices. This survey asks all the questions we have in the past and some new ones. We will review the feedback from this latest survey at the next meeting. It currently has results

covering the periods July-September 2013 and January-March 2014. These can be accessed via the following link:

  1. Anston Phone System
  2. CP updated: we are now speaking to a different company about a telephone system over broadband. This new system has not been done in a medical setting before but has everything we want. We can go ahead quite quickly. We need to speak to Rotherham Foundation Trust who have part of our building to see if they want to go on the same system
  3. We will be looking to roll out at Anston first and get the same auto attend system that Dinnington has. Then we will change Dinnington & Woodsetts.
  4. Since we have changed to the new GP call back appointment system the telephone bill has gone up quite a lot.
  1. Dinnington Refurbishment
  • The Dinnington refurbishment had now been completed. We had an opening ceremony in August and Peter and Iain attended and we got some publicity in the local paper. All that is left to do is the automated doors. On 15 October the pharmacy door will be automated and patients can enter using a button by the door.
  • Having the new build certainly made a difference on flu Saturday with the waiting areas being much bigger.
  • Overall this key priority has now been achieved
  • Contract Changes
  • CP discussed the contract changes with the PPG. Every year the contract is renegotiated. Currently all over 75’s need to have a named GP, for 2015 / 16 all patients including children need to have a named accountable GP. It will probably be the registered GP
  • ISJ commented that even if informed of named GP most people are not bothered who they see.
  • Also we need to provide more on line access. Patient need to register by bringing in photo ID to book on line appointments. It was commented by PPG member that people who use the service think it is fantastic.
  • The younger members of the PPG were not aware of the website and want the link published more widely.
  • More detailed patient information will also be available by the website. The government is driving patient choice to be able to look at your own information.
  • The avoiding unplanned admissions project has been extended for another year. This is where we review patients with long term conditions to try and keep them out of hospital and review why they have been admitted.
  • Funding for the PPG ends next year. It will be a contractual requirement to have one with patients attending and actively engaged and acting upon feedback.
  • The use of IT is being promoted. 60% of Practices need to be electronically prescribing by March 2016. This is where we send patient’s prescriptions directly to the pharmacy via the computer system.
  • There will be an overall review of GP contracts and how they are funded.It could involve a significant loss of income. It will take 4 years to review all Practices and involve a series of negotiations. Some services may be given to private companies and we may have to say we can’t deliver some services any more if we are not being funded for them.
  • ISJ suggested that it should be weighted so more money is given to impoverished areas such as Dinnington
  • Overall these changes are affecting the basic income of Practices and some have had to close or give back the contract because it is not financially viable.
  • PPG Regional Networking Group Meeting 3 September 2014
  • Due to lack of time this item was cancelled from the agenda and any important issues from it will be raised at the next meeting.
  • Friends and Family Test

KJA went to a workshop 9 Oct 2014 regarding the FFT. The main points were:

  • Every patient must be able to complete the FFT survey at any time.
  • We can choose how we do it
  • Starter pack available with the question on it and feedback question. KJA showed the group examples of the survey
  • One company did it on FiFTeenth of the month to every patient that day and as a Practice we have decided that this is how we will manage it to avoid patients getting fatigued with giving feedback all the time
  • No minimum requirement for the number of surveys
  • We have to report numbers responding to NHS England. It starts in December 2014. December is a trial month and we don’t start reporting until February 2015 for January’s survey figures
  • We keep the feedback and don’t have to send that off. We need to review the feedback and communicate back to patient’s ‘You Said’ – ‘ We did’
  • GPs / Nurses can give the forms out to patients and it would help if PPG members came in on 15th of the month to help give out the survey.

AOB

  • Younger PPG members – It was really useful to get a perspective on the Practice services from younger people and we hope that the new members had enjoyed the meeting and would be returning for future meetings

Next Meeting

12January 2015

Summary of Actions

  • PPG to assist with Macmillan coffee morning and donate any raffle prizes they could

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