Port View Surgery
Patient Participation Group Minutes
Tuesday 8th November 2016
Apologies: Roy, Susan, Jane, Marie, Jean
Present: Geoff, Lyn, Margaret, Peter, Tony, Lisa, Judith, David, Gail, Christina, Steph
Lisa (Chair),
Dave Bamber (Secretary)
Tina (Practice Manager)
Minutes from last meeting were discussed – no issues noted.
Actions from last meeting:
· Gluten free
Steph advised the group that the decision regarding the gluten free on prescription situation had come back as a no
Update from the East Cornwall Umbrella Group of PPG’s
Peter provided an update from the ECUG and the main concern was the Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP). This had been due for release on the day of the meeting (8th Nov) however it has now been delayed to next week. There had been definitive opposition to the plan in Devon, and when it is released in Cornwall it will be possible to voice our views on line. There should also be wide coverage in the media and once Tina receives the press release she will forward that to the group via e-mail for us to give our feedback, and also to pass onto family and friends in order for them to air their views. Tina and the practice staff will be responding to the STP proposals in a patient capacity, with the possibility of an official surgery response.
Lyn shared a recent related article from the Telegraph which was discussed by the group.
Peter and two associates attended the surgery of Sheryll Murray MP to talk about their concerns, and the MP said she was willing to formally pass on the matters discussed to her colleagues in Parliament.
The meeting with Dr Rehan Symonds highlighted the proposal to see more outpatients specialist matters (areas of most impact) dealt with out in the community to avoid patients travelling to Liskeard or Derriford. At the moment it was concentrating on 2 or 3 core ideas such as diabetes, rheumatology and leg ulcers. Tina confirmed that leg ulcers were a major problem; a recent audit showed that at Port View Surgery alone they accounted for 14 ½ hours of nurse’s time in one week.
NHS 111 and out of hours service integration
Tina updated the group on the retendering for the out of hours (OOH) service and NHS 111. The two are due to be amalgamated and the winning provider is due to start in June next year. A similar system currently in use up North is proving very successful with the patient’s calls being triaged by qualified doctors rather than call handlers. The hope is that if the tender is won by Devon Doctors then patients from Cornwall will be able to access Derriford hospital rather than having to travel to Liskeard or Truro. Tina advised that she hasn’t received a lot of feedback on the OOH service so indications are that it must be working ok.
Manning of reception/phones during peak periods
Tina gave an update on the Productive General Practice process currently underway which is similar to a time and motion study, focusing on two core processes, front of house and back office. The priorities at Port View are the amount of tasks sent electronically to the receptions staff by the GP’s such as phoning patients, registrations, chasing x-rays, prescriptions and day to day administration etc. The aim is to reduce this by 50%. This leads on to the current frustrations involved in the manning of the front desk by the reception staff when carrying out the daily tasks whilst at the same time dealing with patients who arrive in reception. This can lead to stress and mistakes. The aim is to ensure that staff have the right skills mix to cover their duties, and for the front desk to be manned by one person outside of the busiest time of the day with all enquiries directed to that member of staff on a rotational basis. The other staff would still be there, possibly working behind screens similar to those in use in banks. Lisa pointed out the working methods of other surgeries she has visited and noted that the current surgery door can be problematic for disabled visitors. Tina has applied for funding again; the last bid was unsuccessful.
Peter raised the point that although the reception staff are fantastic on the phone, there was benefit in having the same faces greeting people at the front desk; this helps build trust and rapport between patients and staff. Also the fact that the desks are so low down made any eye contact difficult, especially when coupled with the high counter. Tina reassured the group that it would normally be one of three staff manning reception.
Steph pointed out that hot desking and rotations were not popular amongst staff, and that one idea was to rotate three at the front, and retain four out the back. David mentioned that the library one stop shop was a good example. Tina will be consulting with all of us via e-mail to ensure a quick turnaround of ideas and suggestions.
Geoff commented about problems with the size of the print font on the current prescription forms which had also been experienced by other members of the group. Tina agreed that difficulties had been encountered with patients changing their destination pharmacy, only to change it back again shortly afterwards.
Lyn asked how long medical records should be kept for and recounted an issue she had with some eye medication that caused a problem. Tina advised that records should be kept from birth in most cases.
Surgery update
Tina advised the group that Dr Medcalf would be leaving at the end of January to take up a post at Torbay hospital. Jo Beer was also relinquishing her post as an HCA in order to concentrate on her art career. Adverts are out for replacements for both positions.
Focus sub-group
Lisa asked the group if any further thoughts had been given to pursuing a sub group in 2017. It was mooted that diabetes was a big issue currently, and anorexia was another worthwhile topic. Lisa has liaised with the Matron at St Barnaba regarding having the use of a room in the hospital for 1½ hours a week. This is primarily to support family, friends and carers etc and not intended to work directly with patients. Tina may have to have a CRB check but will look into it. The group was asked to give the subject some deliberation and bring something back to the meeting in December.
Geoff mentioned the idea of pain control, and how this is an emotive subject that can cause downheartedness and anxiety, and is also a big chunk of NHS finance. Geoff also updated the group on the dementia café which meets Tuesdays between 10:00 and 12:00, and has recently been given a grant for £3k.
Any other business
Tony highlighted that the group is now expanding in number, and may be on the verge of outgrowing the current meeting room. Various options were discussed and ruled out due to surgery operational need, with the only possibility being to use the downstairs room on a Tuesday after 6pm.
Next Meeting – Tuesday 13th December 2016 at 5:30pm.