ELMHAM PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP

MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON

THURSDAY 14th September 2017

Present: Chair–John Mallen (JM),Secretary -Liz Waddy (LW),

Ted Sansom (TS), Susan Brock (SB), Ken Walton (KW)

From the Practice: Dr Alice Griffiths-Jones, Dr Rob Spooner

Judith Wood (JW)

In Attendance: Chair, Swanton Morley PPG, GinaEames (GE), Suzie Burton (guest)

  1. Apologies for absence received from: Roger Thorneley, Linda Rose and David Sanders
  2. Minutes of the Last Meeting

Minutes of the last meeting held on July 13th, 2017 were approved and signed.

  1. Matters Arising
  • Minutes from the First AGM on July 13th were approved and signed.
  • LW is in discussion with the Care Home Nurses about a mutually convenient date.
  • DS had raised the issue of non-recyclable containers for creams and ointments. Cathal Daly the practice pharmacist, has investigated this and confirmed that these containers ARE recyclable (they have a different symbol on the base).
  1. Members’ items
  • Suzie Burton, our guest, gave the group a really useful overview of the work done by Dereham Cancer Care. This was delivered from a very personal viewpoint which highlighted to Suzie that there are significant gaps in the support available for younger people with cancer.

Suzie is working hard to gain opinions from younger cancer sufferers and has visited all the local surgeries and talked to the Practice Managers.

Group members were happy to distribute literature about the organisation and the surgery already promotes it on the waiting room noticeboard.

  • There was a discussion about attracting new members including the possibility of having a virtual group which might be more appealing to younger members. It was agreed that whilst the current meeting format has value, it would be useful to encourage input from patients unwilling/unable to attend through the use of Social Media, an information screen in the surgery and items posted on the PPG noticeboard in the waiting room.

JW suggested that it would be helpful for LW to talk to Annabel, one of the surgery team about this.

  1. Practice Items

JW gave a succinct description of how the model of a Multispecialty Community Provider would work. A number of the practices in Mid Norfolk are already starting to work together. The model will require the practices to form a new company to enable them to hold a contract with Secondary Care providers in order for them to expand their service provision.

JW also discussed that there is a move for practices to provide services over 7 days – the logistics of this will not be straightforward as not all the practices have the same computer system.

JW introduced Dr Rob Spooner to the Group and gave an update on recent staff changes. There is still a problem with sickness in the nursing team which has a knock-on effect to the appointments. The surgery team is doing its best to address this.

JW said that an updated version of the areas covered by each partner will be available soon.

  1. Chairman’s Items

None

  1. Any Other Business
  • GE reminded the Group about a production called Finding Joy which is being shown at Norwich Playhouse on September 26th
  • GE also talked to the Group about the Norfolk Carers Convention and passed on some information about this to JW to circulate at the Practice.
  1. Date & Time of Next Meeting- Thursday November 9th at 7.30pm