K20857 CobbsGarden Surgery

Patient Participation DES

January 2013

The purpose of the Patient Participation DES is to ensure that patients are involved in decisions about the range and quality of services provided and, overtime, commissioned by their practice. It aims to encourage and reward practices for routinely asking for and acting on the views of their patients.

This report shows how this practice has implemented the Patient Participation DES.

CobbsGarden Surgery Background

Cobbs Garden Surgery is a well established semi-rural practice serving Olney and the surrounding villages. Over the last couple of years we have had to restrict our practice area due to the increase in population in Olney itself. The practice moved into a purpose built surgery in 1991 with 3 full-time partners and attached staff with a population of 6,300 patients. Since then the practice has grown by 2,389 patients and recruited 2 new doctors, one full-time and one part-time giving us a W.T.E. of 4.25.

The patient population at the practice is, in the main, white British (see pie chart below)

The primary purpose of the practice is to provide good healthcare to all age groups and access to all services funded by the primary care trust and neighbouring hospitals. We have responsibility for a large elderly population including those who live in 3 residential homes, 3 areas of sheltered housing –two private and the other local authority owned, and a nursing home for Nuns.

The practice is open on a Monday from 8am until 8.30 pm, Tuesday to Friday from 8am until 6.30pm and on a Saturday from 8.45am until 11.15am. The surgery on a Saturday morning and from 6.45 pm until 8.15pm on a Monday is for extended hours to offer more out of office hours for patient’s convenience. We offer various appointment times within these hours, for doctors, nurses, phlebotomists and our health care assistant, including specialist clinics for example asthma and diabetes. Patients can book up to six months in advance for all doctor’s, nurse’s or clinic appointments. Patients can make appointments or speak to a receptionist on the phone or face to face during our opening hours. The doctors at the practice actively encourage patients to see the same doctor each time to ensure continuity of care, unless it is more appropriate to see a doctor for a particular complaint, for example a dermatology problem could be seen by either Dr Bartlett or Dr Winter.

Patients can usually make appointments up to 6months in advance and every patient who requests a doctor’s appointment will be seen on the day unless they can be helped by a phone call. All doctors do phone consultations.

Our patient list is open to all people who live in the practice area of Olney, Emberton, Clifton Reynes, Warrington and Weston Underwood.

PPG Background

At the beginning of 2009, the doctors decided to try and form a patient participation group. The surgery has had a “Friends of Cobbs Garden Surgery” for many years but this is primarily a fund raising group and it was felt that we needed a different group of patients for this purpose. Each doctor chose a few patients who were invited, by letter, to become members. A cross section of men and women, young and old were invited in the first instance, 16 in all and 6 patients agreed to come along to the first meeting on 27th April 2009. These 6 patients consisted of 2 men and 4 women, the ages ranged from 29 to 80, all white British. Our practice population has a higher proportion of elderly patients than the average Milton Keynes practice and this proportion of the patient population is well represented.

The PPG met monthly for the first three months and then every 2months for that first year. The group now meets quarterly. After the first couple of meetings attempts were made to increase the age range and numbers of the PPG. The PPG put posters up in the waiting room, the library, local churches, and the notice board in the town square. An articlewas placed in the Olney Phonebox (a local magazine that is delivered to all households in the area). They put up a notice board outside the practice in order to promote themselves and their initiatives. We spoke to our health visiting team and asked for names of young mums to approach – we recruited 2 new members from this group of patients. An extra 2 new patients came along following the article in the phonebox.

During the first few meetings time was spent deciding the aims of the group. We agreed that the PPG should exist to clarify any gaps within the practice by, not only liaising between patients and staff, but also ensuring that any issues raised are relevant to our situation in Olney.The group will not be a channel for complaints or as a way for someone with their own agenda to push it through.

Over the last few years, the PPG have done a number of things for the benefit of our patients. Some of these are:

  • Set up a carers group in Olney in conjunction with MK Carers, continuing to attend every month and provide tea and coffee.
  • Provided bike racks and buggy locks for secure fastening outside the surgery
  • Attended flu clinics to promote winter warmth and the PPG
  • Applied for and been successful in getting funds from Olney town council to keep our specialist nurse for the elderly.

In the last year we have added an area to our website that is solely for information/news about the PPG. We also have a representative on the Patient Congress and have been actively seeking patient’s views via the website and posters at the surgery to be fed back to the Congress.

Patient Survey

As part of the PP DES (patient participation directed enhanced service), the PPG agreed to devise a patient survey and discuss the content with the doctors. It was agreed to concentrate on reception service, including confidentiality, repeat prescriptions and appointments. (A copy of the survey is available on the practice website).

The members of the PPG carried out the survey in October 2012, handing paper copies to patients in the waiting room as follows:

SURVEY DISTRIBUTION METHOD

The number of patients surveyed = 470

The Practice size = 8500

% of Patients surveyed = 5.5%

(1) SURGERY

The overall survey took place over 4 complete days and 2 Saturday mornings. The rationale is set out below:-

2 RESIDENTIAL HOMES

Four separate residential care homes were visited and the Senior Care Worker/Manager responsible for dealing with CobbsGarden was asked to comment on their experiences with The Surgery. These four homes had a total of 68 residents.

(Bay House 11, St Josephs 12, Westland’s 17 and Broomfield’s 28).

3 SHELTERED ACCOMODATION

Clifton Court Sheltered complex was visited and 30 copies of the survey were left with the Warden who agreed to distribute them to the residents. These were collected one week later.

4 COX AND ROBINSON (CHEMIST)

Cox and Robinson agreed to help with the survey in two ways. Firstly they displayed copies of the survey on the counter and asked CobbsGarden patients to fill them in whilst waiting. Secondly copies of the survey (with a stamped addressed envelope) were included in their prescription deliveries, with a short explanatory note and a request to post the completed form.

The completed surveys were then analysed by 2 members of the PPG with prior experience in this area and a report was produced. (a copy of the report is available on the practice website).

The report was distributed to all PPG members, the doctors, staff and practice manager at the surgery. The report was then discussed at the PPG meeting on 3rd December 2012 and action points agreed, to be presented to the partners at a practice meeting. The action points were agreed by the partnersand a plan was written. (a copy of the action plan is available on the practice website).

Work has begun on implementing the actions in the plan.