ST MARGARET’S MEDICAL PRACTICE PATIENT PARTICPATION GROUP MEETING

15 May 2017

MINUTES

Present

-Dinah Penney (DP – Practice Manager)

-Belle Thomas (BT – Senior Receptionist)

Patients

-Nigel Edwards (NE) - chair

-Anne Hawkins (AH)

-Heather Flint (HF)

-

Apologies:

-Barbara Benedek (BB)

-Richard Eason (RE)

-Hilary Shenkin (HS)

Item / Actions
1 / Introductions and apologies (see above)
2
3 / Minutes of meeting of 23.3.17 agreed
Actions and updates from minutes
a)DP reported that the PPG minutes are now on the website – thanks to DP.
b)DP asked members of the Group to let her know what information about the PPG we would like to put on the TV screen.
c)DP will let us look at and comment on the in-house practice survey and will try to get a link to it from the website.
d)DP reported that the Hounslow Clinical Care Group (CCG)were hoping to set up WiFi within the practice. She said that she would chase this up with Robert Flann (from the CCG).
e)Test results: NE reported on feedback from the Brentford & Isleworth Locality PPG (B&I LPPG) where this had been raised following earlier. The B&I LPPG members had asked us (and other PPGs within the Locality) to try and get more details from patients who had raised the problem with the practice receptionists, e.g. patient’s name, date when raised with the practice, hospital clinic and date of attendance, and, to complete the ‘circle’, the date when the results were actually received by the practice. DP and BT kindly said they were happy to do this. It was agreed that this information would be documented for a period of one month.
f)Privacy at reception: DP and BT said that a number of steps were already being taken to preserve patient confidentiality – they never ask verbally for full mobile numbers, just the last three, or they ask the patients to write the numbers down; patient confidentiality was a very important part of the receptionists’ job. There were acknowledged physical constraints due to the layout of the practice but there had to be a balance between a patient-friendly approach (screens which had been used in the past had been removed for this reason) and preservation of patient confidentiality. We agreed that this topic, having been aired and discussed, could now be closed.
g)Carers’ support in practices: BB had provided information on the steps being undertaken by the CCG following discussions at the Carers’ Partnership Board – 1. Getting up-to-date information on GP TV screens (in progress). 2. Carer awareness as part of receptionist training is now being rolled out. 3. Carer information is being provided to Healthwatch Volunteers. On this point DP said that she had had no direct involvement with them. She said that she will follow this up. Next steps included getting a carers’ support information onto SystmOne, the Hounslow GP computer system. DP said that Dr Richard Baxter was the CCG lead for SystmOne together with Chanel Herdman at the CCG. DP said she would send Chanel’s email to NE. DP also commented that, because the practice was on the border of Hounslow and Richmond CCGs, there were occasional problems in terms of carers’ support although all patients of the practice regardless of their home address were covered by the Hounslow CCGs services. / Group members to respond
DP
DP
DP and BT
RE to try to get Kiosk working
DP
4. / Updates/issues from the practice:
a)DP reported that the practice was currently being painted, redecorated and upgraded. A new boiler was also being installed. The 10.00-4.00 parking restrictions in the surrounding roads had not caused as much aggravation for patients as feared. The practice car park was in use for practice staff.
b)The apprentice scheme, run in conjunction with Kingston University, was going well. The scheme involves an apprentice, studying for a Business Administration NVQ, being taken on by the practice for a year. They were now on their third apprentice.
5 / Updates/issues from CCG meetings:
a)Primary Care Patient Coordinators (PCPs): This service commissioned by the CCG aims to enhance and improve proactive care, prevention and self-care by working in Hounslow practices. As of 1st April 2017 16 coordinators have been employed within the CCG, three per locality (and one extra?). DP reported that there was a meeting next week to discuss this. As she understood it, the PCPCs had offered to help set up Multidisciplinary Team meetings (MDTs) and to help set up a recall system for diabetes (the recalls based on the patient’s birthday). DP said that they had not yet been trained to use SystmOne. She went on to say that, at this stage, she found it difficult to envisage how the scheme would work, and that, to her mind, it was a case of “Watch this space”.
b)Primary Care Home: This national initiative was launched in October 2015. The model is a form of multispecialty community provider that aims to reshape the way primary care services are delivered, based on local population needs. It is a multidisciplinary team working approach which provides comprehensive and personalised care to individuals. This scheme is still in its infancy – 15 rapid test sites across the country were chosen in December 2015. DP said that the practice had not yet had any involvement.
6 / Questions and suggestions:
a)How does the practice keep email and contact details up-to-date? DP said that when new patients contact the practice, they are asked for their current mobile and email addresses. Current patients are asked to confirm these details. DP added that they majored on mobile numbers (less likely to be changed). NE shared with the group, information obtained from another practice in the B&I LPPG on this subject. That practice includes mobile and email addresses on repeat prescription forms and, as well as checking mobile numbers when patients are booking appointments, carries out opportunistic checks on contact details. DP and BT liked the idea of details being put on repeat prescription forms. HF suggested that patients could fill in a card at reception and this suggestion was also picked up by DP and BT.
b)Bicycle racks: HF said that HS had asked her to raise the possibility of installing bike racks at the front of the practice. Currently cyclists could only chain their bikes up to the practice notice board – in wet weather this could mean walking across muddy grass. BT commented that racks could perhaps be sited adjacent to the rubbish bins with some form of paving across the grass. DP said she would investigate this. / DP and BT
DP and BT
DP
Date and time of next meeting:
NE reminded the group that, ideally, our PPG meetings should be held in the days prior to the B&I LPPG meeting (usually held bi-monthly on Fridays). The next such meeting is 21st July 2017. We agreed that we should alternate days and times to enable as many to attend the meetings. The suggestion was made that the next meeting should be Monday 17th July at 5.00pm. DP said she would confirm this.
The subsequent B&I LPPG meetings are 22nd September and 17th November. It would be good to try and book PPG meetings prior to these meetings – Thursday 21st September? Monday 13th November? / DP

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