Sept. 4, 2023
Agenda
Gainford Surgery - Patient Participation Group Meeting - Tuesday 11th July 2023.
Gainford Surgery - Patient Participation Group Meeting @ Gainford Surgery
Agenda:
5.50pm – 6.00pm Arrival
6.00pm – 6.05pm Welcome, introductions, apologies & agreeing of minutes
6.05pm – 6.10pm Confirmation of
· PPG elected members
· date of next vote (April 2024)
6.10pm – 6.15pm PPG email update
· Out with the Old (gmail) in with the New (read only)
· Parish News help (volunteer please) to promulgate
· Terms of reference
6.15pm – 6.35pm County-wide Patient Reference Group
· Daniel Blagdon / member of his team to facilitate J
· Representation by the PPG to be considered
6.35pm – 6.40pm Staff Changes
· Alice (start date 28/6/23)
6.40pm – 6.55pm “Access”
· New changes
· Impact on patient population
· Routine / Urgent
· Clinical options (not just GP)
· ? Article for Parish News (volunteer please)
· Q & A
6.55pm – 7.05pm Staff Wellbeing
· Better Health at Work Award
· Group suggestions welcomed
7.05pm – 7.10pm Garden update
· Including garden sessions assistance
7.10pm – 7.15pm AOB
7.15pm Date of next meeting
7.16pm Meeting close
Minutes
CS opened the meeting to welcome everyone and explain that the Agenda provided would be slightly different as the CW PRG section would be the first part of the meeting tonight, to enable the guest speakers to finish the day earlier and once they have answered all questions and closed off, we would then revert back to the published Agenda.
County-Wide Patient Reference Group (PRG)
LG introduced two guest speakers: -
- DB representing the County-Wide Patient Reference Group (PRG), as well as
- AS who was the chairperson from the Barnard Castle PPG, representing the Teesdale Primary Care Network (PCN) Group.
DB, who is a member of the C-W PRG, gave the group information about these meetings; explaining that the C-W PRG met to share county wide level information relevant to GP’s and patients. They looked at future development, viewing things that are prevalent at the time of meeting, looking at the quality of public health, wellbeing, care homes, health, and care, as well as other areas – ensuring access to open information that they can share across the county.
AS, explained that the Teesdale PCN was initially 4 separate groups who then amalgamated. It is a great opportunity to share ideas etc.. and has been very useful - the group have learnt and shared learning together, within in the Teesdale area.
The Teesdale PCN meet bi-monthly via Teams (1st Friday @ 1.00 pm) and attended by Teesdale PCN community and practice representatives (PPG).
The County-Wide PRG meet monthly (3rd Thursday daytime and usually 10.00 am – 12 noon) either via Teams or F2F and are attended by Teesdale PCN Champion, PRG representatives from all practices within the area and well as other guest.
Further information can be found in “Induction Pack Patient Reference Group (PRG) Durham Dales, Easington and Sedgefield, as well as Teesdale PCN Patient Engagement Process, which were attached to the initial agenda.
After further discussions, it was decided that initially CS would represent GPPG, for the next couple of meetings, to get a feel for them, and then in time, both MF and WB would attend, either with CS or instead of, to ensure continuity from the practice.
At each following GPPG meetings, agenda items from the two above groups will be discussed and any relevant comments from the GPPG, will be passed on and the next relevant meetings.
It was emphasised that these meetings are a great way of learning new things, as well as sharing.
LR has offered to create a calendar to share with GPPG, so that they were fully aware of when the two different meetings would be.
The GPPG thanked both DB and AS for their time and explanations.
The meeting then proceeded with the agenda.
Minutes from Last Meeting
No issues were raised with regards these, so approved.
Confirmation of PPG Elected Members
The results from the last meeting were confirmed: -
CS Chairperson
NO Vice-Chairperson
LR Secretary
It was also agreed that these would be reviewed and voted on annually.
PPG Email Update
A new NHS.net email address has been created which will be managed by both LG and BT from Gainford Practice only.
Minutes are published on the GP website, as well as added to the notice board within in the practice. With this in mind, only member initials will be shown in the minutes, to assist with confidentiality etc..
Going forward, MS Forms can be linked to the email address, which in turn, will assist with ensuing KPI’s etc.. are maintained.
The new email address is nencicb-cd.gainfordsurgery.ppg@nhs.net
Communication is the life bloods of the surgery, but we also do not want to overload people. A new WhatsApp group is to also be set up to assist easier communication with PPG members, especially in light of the number of “junk” emails that people seem to receive these days. An appendix will be added to the GS PPG Terms of Reference that members have signed, to add mobile numbers and email address to be used for the group, going forward.
Staff Changes
A new practice nurse, Alice, joined the team on 28th June and she will work 3 days a week. The PPG wished Alice all the best in her role with us and look forward to meeting her in due course.
Carole, who was a temp practice nurse, has now left the surgery, and we thanked her for all her hard work and wished her well.
A new receptionist has joined the team, Leah, and she seems to have settled in very quickly, like a fish to water! And a great asset, several of the PPG had met her recently and commented on how professional she is.
Mandy, the practice pharmacist, is now almost a fully qualified clinical prescriber and hopefully in the next couple of months, she will start to see patients face to face, and looking after new patients inductions, reviewing cholesterol levels, helping with patients suffering with UTI’s etc.. with offering prescriptions if relevant. This is an exciting new chapter for the surgery, one that they are really looking forward to introducing as this should not only help free up more GP appointments, it will also assist those patients who have in the past, had to venture elsewhere, for pharmacist advice.
Access
New Changes
As shown above within Staff changes, great example is the work of the Clinical Pharmacist and how this will help with the surgery, freeing up GP times, helping patients getting seen quicker as well as helping them on cutting down on potential travel time if needing a pharmacist.
Impact on Patient Population
Over the last 3 months, the number of new patients has increased by over 100 patients, which means that we now have 3,553 patients on the practice list.
New patients can be from outside Gainford, but depending on where they live, this might restrict them having home visits, if the need ever arose - so, for example, people could join if they lived in Darlington, but they would not have any home visits, as it is outside the area. Each new patient application is reviewed individually and discussed fully with prospect patients if outside the area.
Clinical Options (not just GP)
As shown above within Staff changes and New Changes, great example is the work of the Clinical Pharmacist and how this will help with the surgery, freeing up GP times, helping patients to get seen quicker by a pharmacist. A few months ago, as a surgery, this option was not allowed for direct patients but hopefully within the next few months, we will have a new designated area for a few days a week, where this will be available.
Routine / Urgent
We are also looking for ways to encourage patients to book routine appointments in advance, wherever possible. These can be booked up to 2 weeks prior to the appointment, so for example, if you know you need to have an annual blood test done within the next month, to review cholesterol or blood sugars etc., contact the surgery two weeks before the required date so that these can be pre-booked, rather than phoning on the day or day before, and having to wait.
The surgery is also looking at potentially offering “working patient appointments” which would be either an early morning or late afternoon appointment, to help with our patients who work. These appointments, if made available, would be bookable via on-line, rather than phoning into the surgery.
Article for Parish News
It is imperative that we share news with patients, ideally via the local Parish News, and considering this MF has offered to write this up for the Surgery, working with CS and LG to ensure that we cover all areas that are needed.
The next article is due out mid-August.
Staff Wellbeing
This is becoming more and more important, especially in this day and age of social media etc.. to try to ensure that staff wellbeing is ensured, and the surgery would like to look to have 3 campaigns per year.
LR mentioned that the company she works for, recently introduced an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to all employees and they always look at ways to try to improve health and wellbeing.
If anyone had any suggestions on this, please email LG suggestions. LR will also email LG relevant emails that she receives from the company that they use and occasionally, there might be something useful within to help.
Wellbeing Garden Update
All is going very well – evolving and growing. Sessions within the gardens have begun and currently up to 2 sessions a week.
AOB
MF asked about the days that the Practice Nurses now work and LG confirmed that Alice works Wednesday/Thursday/Friday and Eleanor works Monday/Tuesday and Thursday.
Next Meeting
Next team meeting to be held on Tuesday 10th October, 6pm – 7.30pm at the Surgery.
Meeting Closed – thank you to all for attending.