Local Patient Participation Report – March 2015

Dr Lewis & Partners, Audley Mills Surgery, Rayleigh

Introduction

This is the fourth year of the Directed Enhanced Service that the Surgery signed for Patient Participation. The purpose of the Enhanced Service is to ensure that patients are involved in decisions about the range and quality of services provided and, over time, commissioned by their Practice. It aims to encourage and reward Practices for routinely asking for and acting on the views of their patients.

The main way that it does this is to ask for the establishment of a Patient User Group and regular meetings with them to review agreed aims and to discuss issues that arise.

Dr Lewis and Partners have been fortunate to have a Patient User Group for a number of years and this is now known formally as the Audley Mills Patient Participation Group (AMPPG). Meetings are held with the Group, which are usually attended by two GPs, the Practice Manager and the Practice Business Manager on a six monthly basis, but quarterly updates are also sent to all members of the Group.

Progress

Last year, the members agreed that the plans for the next year should be as follows:

1. The Surgery would consider an automatic patient check-in system that can be used by patients without having to go to reception. Apart from this assisting the patients themselves, it was thought that this would free up the receptionists and would help them to deal with patients on the phone more easily.

This is now in place and is proving very popular and helping to keep down the queues at the reception desk.

2. The partners would be discussing the 0844 number at their next meeting with a view to timetabling when this could be changed.

From 1 October 2014 a new telephone system has been in place and this has a local number, which enables patients to include this in their bundled calls.

3. There will also be a further reminder to all patients that they can make appointments in advance as the Surgery offers appointments up to 3 or four weeks ahead.

This was done.

During the Year

(Minutes of the meetings for the year are available on the Practice website)

At the PPG meeting in September 2014 it was agreed to work on :

  • promoting the 111 system, possibly by using the JAYEX Board and the phone system
  • promotingSystm Online and to encourage patients and the surgery to use e-mails, text and online booking as much as possible
  • to look at the use of St Luke's walk-in centre by the Practice and to advise the local Clinical Commissioning Group that this was a valuable service, as there was some likelihood that it could be removed.

At the PPG meeting in March 2015 the following was discussed :

  • Friends and Family questionnaires

The Practice now had to comply with the Friends and Family Test which was issued by the NHS. This had started in January 2015 and the Practice had approached this in two ways -handing out cards which could be used to access a website to make comments and also leaving forms in reception for patients to put in a box. The first results have been extremely encouraging as the vast majority of comments were very favourable.

  • Web GP

This followed a proposal from the Clinical Commissioning Group for Practices to sign up to a software package which would allow patients to send messages to the GP as well as to look at self health information and perhaps send information to pharmacies. It would probably be launched in the next few weeks and patients would be advised of how to use it by means of posters in the waiting rooms and possibly by leaflets.

  • Online Access to notes

The Practice already complies with practically all of the requirements for online access as it allowed patients to make and cancel appointments and to apply for repeat prescriptions through SystmOnline. However, from 1st April patients would also be able to apply for a copy of their summary care record. He said that this was a very brief document as it only contained details of acute prescriptions over the last 12 months, current repeat prescriptions and any allergies.

The Practice has also been involved in the following new schemes over the last 12 months :

Dementia Enhanced Service

Unplanned Admissions Enhanced Service

Advising all over 75’s of a named GP

As well as the usual various schemes/service provision etc :

Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring

Zoladex injections

Minor Injuries

Phlebotomy

Wound management

Vasectomies

Rotavirus

Shingles

Flu and Pneumovax

Childrens vaccinations

Extended Hours

Minor Surgery

Asthma Clinics

Diabetic Clinics

Smoking Cessation

NHS Healthchecks

IUCD/Implants

Nursing Home visits

Steve Doherty

Practice Business Manager

30.3.15