Patient Participation Group

Minutes

Thursday 25th February 2016

PPG Meeting
Location: / Meeting Room
Date : / Thursday 25th February
Time: / 17.00pm
Attendees: / Joyce Brittain (Joint Chair), Steve Howe (Joint Chair), Roz Holden, Dr Stokes, Claire Bruce, Joan Bamber, Barbara Carrington, Jessie Hughes, Su Winter
Apologies: / Julia Codling, John Codling, David Tyrer, Leah Fraser
Visitors: / Dr Saket Jalan
Topic / Action
Agree minutes of last meeting – 7 January 2016
Matters arising
Steve confirmed that the Care Quality Inspection Report on the Practice had been published and confirmed the information given to the group by Dr Stokes at the last meeting. The group was pleased to hear that the Practice had been assessed as good overall with lots of positive messages in the report.
Announcements – Dementia Cafes
There are two cafes that have been established to cater for people with dementia or people who care for someone with dementia.
1.  Floral Pavilion Café – 11am to 1pm on 19 May and 16 June and then 3rd Tuesday in the Month
2.  New Memory Café, Heart of Egremont, The Old Egremont Mission Building, junction Union St and Guildform St, CH44 ODP – 2pm to 3.30pm on second Thursday of each month
More information at http://www.stgeorgesmedicalcentre.com/dementia-cafe/
Discussion on the role of the CCG Medicines Management Team with Dr Saket Jalan, Prescribing lead CCG, and Steve Riley from the Medicines Management Team
The group welcomed Dr Jalan to the meeting. Unfortunately Steve Riley was stuck in a traffic jam so was not able to join the meeting.
Dr Jalan was the Prescribing Lead person in Wirral CCG and had been in that post since May 2015.
He described the role of the Medicines Management Team (MMT) as offering specialist clinical and senior management expertise, alongside hands-on experience of working in GP practices to improve medicines management and patient outcomes. The team includes pharmacists, technicians and support staff. Practice-based pharmacists and technicians work alongside prescribers and staff in GP practices to facilitate the implementation of best practice and improve patients’ treatment outcomes. They look to get the best value for money when prescribing by using the most cost effective treatments.
One of their pharmacist team attends our Practice for half a day each week to review medication for patients. Any patient with ten or more medications is reviewed on a regular basis. All patients will have their medication reviewed annually.
The MMT administers the “Script Switch” software which aims to identify the best cost effective medicine that can be prescribed for patients and ensure that new more effective medications are used. Dr Jalan assured the group that in the Wirral the Script Switch software is not implemented automatically and is always subject to local review. He accepted that the whole system needs to be better communicated to patients to improve their understanding why medications are being changed. If any changed medication does not agree with a particular patient they will always agree for them to go back to the original. They are currently looking at ways to improve their communication and agreed there was a role for local pharmacies to play in this.
Dr Jalan agreed that there were some issues with Nursing homes with over ordering of medication and they were looking at ways of improving this situation.
Dr Jalan welcomed the use of “Medicinewaste.com” leaflets by the Practice to inform patients of the cost of medicines and encourage them to only order what they need. He agreed that involving other medical practices in the approach should be encouraged.
Wirral Patient Voice Group meeting – 15 March 2016
·  Reducing waste in prescriptions initiative, joint presentation by our PPG and the Medicines Management group
·  Volunteers to attend this group and help with the presentation (Steve is unavailable on this date)
Steve Riley from the Medicines Management Team would be attending the next Wirral Patient Voice Group meeting on Tuesday 15 March at 6pm. He would be explaining to the Wirral wide group the role of the Medicines Management Team. Steve had agreed that our PPG would outline what we have been doing recently and encourage a wider campaign to reduce the cost of prescriptions across the Wirral. More GP Practices would be encouraged to purchase the “Medicinewaste.com” leaflets to help get the massage across.
Steve is unable to attend this meeting but has agreed to produce a briefing note for the meeting to support the presentation made by Steve Riley.
Steve was looking for some volunteers from the group to attend the Wirral Patient Voice Group meeting on the 15 March. Two volunteer members would be ideal and Joyce, Su, and Jessie would see whether they could attend. / Joyce
Su
Jessie
New Primary Care Quality Scheme (PCQS)
·  Follow up discussion on ways of making savings in Prescription costs (see letter from Dr Stokes following the partners meeting)
Following our last meeting Dr Stokes had responded in writing to the discussion points made regarding making savings in prescription costs. The practice had purchased posters and 1,000 leaflets from “Medicinewaste.com” and these were being used when talking to patients about repeat prescriptions. They were also prominent in the waiting room.
Dr Stokes agreed that it would be beneficial to improve the knowledge of the reception staff in the medicines management area and they would look at introducing this as part of their ongoing training. / Practice
Tea Parties for the Elderly – carried forward from last meeting. Report back from Steve on possibility of introducing these for the practice. Possible use of Wallasey village Library
Barbara had seen an article in a national paper which looked at the benefits of introducing “Tea Parties” for the elderly. They were seen as being beneficial to the health of the participants especially the ones that suffered from loneliness.
Steve had contacted the charity “Contact the Elderly” to find out how the scheme works. They informed him that they look to a GP practice to identify patients that would benefit from attending a Tea Party and these would normally be held once a month on a Sunday as being the day when loneliness was at its worst. They recommended groups of about 8 people worked best. You needed at least two co-ordinators to organise the events plus volunteer drivers to transport the people if required. Drivers would need to be DDS checked.
The group thought that the idea was worth pursuing but thought that it would be better to have a more informal event without a limit on numbers. It was agreed that the Wallasey Village library would be the best venue and this could be opened on a Sunday afternoon as Barbara was a key holder.
Dr Stokes thought that the practice would be able to identify some patients that could benefit from attending but thought the doctors should contact the patients in the first instance to see if they would be interested.
It was agreed that the first Tea Party would be held on Sunday 17 April from 2 to 4pm. Jessie and Barbara would act as co-ordinators and a poster would be produced to go up in the waiting room. / Practice
Barbara
Jessie
Wirral GP Federation
·  There are currently 33 GP practices signed up to this federation. Is the Village Medical Centre involved or thinking of joining?
To be carried forward to next meeting / SH
Date of next meeting
Thursday 5 May at 5pm / All