Minutes of PPG Meeting 13 April 2016

Previous Minutes: Agreed accurate.

Matters Arising:

Current research studies at the Practice include the following:

  • High cholesterol and heart disease
  • COPD
  • Type 2 diabetes with renal disease
  • Pain Medication (Opioid) induced constipation study
  • CANDID – cancer diagnosis decision rules study
  • Helicobacter Eradication Aspirin trial (HEAT)
  • Ten Top Tips – simple weight control
  • Asthma
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Impetigo

All patients will be allocated a “named GP” by 1st April. We are working towards personalised lists of patients for each GP - the main difficulty centres on equalising GP’s patient numbers. We are adopting a flexible approach and encouraging patients to see the same doctor.

PPG Umbrella Group Feedback:

Living Well is progressing but difficulty over funding.

All practices in area passed their CQC inspection.

Dr Mark Woodgate, Consultant Child Psychiatrist, attended last meeting to discuss under 18 mental health issues. He highlighted that the number involved had grown enormously and consequently there were too many to deal with. He gave a very downbeat report of the current situation highlighting that funding remained a key factor.

The Umbrella Group were awaiting a response from Derriford Hospital concerning delays in patient discharge medication.

Practice News:

Healthwatch Cornwall surveyed the appointment booking systems in 10 Cornish GP Practices. Oak Tree Surgery took part in the survey. The

three booking systems were as follows:

  • Telephone triage – as at Oak Tree Surgery. On the day service,

call back appointments can be booked online and in advance

  • Patients request an appointment with a doctor from 8.30 am five

days a week by ringing, online or in person. They can book on the day and up to 3 months in advance. Patients can request a call back rather than attend surgery if preferred. On the day appointments are limited and patients need to ring at 8.30 am to get one.

  • Same as above but no telephone call backs can be requested

Results of the survey showed that telephone triage was the easiest system to book an appointment on the day and in the future. Patients using telephone triage were more willing to communicate with a doctor through a phone, email and online. Recommendation was that Practices adopt telephone triage. Patient access is excellent and patients are generally much happier with the system and complaints are very few.

Of note: only 32% of patients surveyed felt they needed to see a GP in person.

Waiting Room 2 went on line from 1 April 2016.This will give patients access to parts of their medical record and also enables patients to book an appointment with a GP as well as being able to order medicines. Waiting Room 1 will be migrated to Waiting Room 2 over the next few months. Volunteers will be used as guinea pigs for Waiting Room 2 prior to full roll out. There will be a drive to encourage more people to use the system. Three PPG members have agreed to trial it for the Practice.

Our charity event for 2016 was discussed. We will research what Charities we could consider especially covering those that have readily available information we could use.

Any Other Business:

Independant Advocacy Service ( SEAP ) appointed to deliver statutory provision for Care Act complaints, Mental Capacity Act, Deprivation of Liberty Act and Mental Health Act. SEAP have offices in Dean Street, Liskeard.

CQC are carrying out an inspection of the Ambulance Service in June 2016. People can provide information to the inspectors prior to the inspection by going to the website

Workshops have been held dealing with end of life pathways. The key messages from these workshops can be found on