Minutes of the Acorn Surgery Patient Participation Group

(Acorn Patient Team)

1 November 2016 (October meeting), 6-7pm, Room G89, OakTree Centre, Huntingdon

Present: Martin Wilsher (Chair), Claire Holman, Dean Bloom (Treasurer), Trish Hawitt Palmer (Acting Secretary), Peggy Clark, Verena Bruce, Roger Bruce, Brian Shoesmith, Carol Primett, Chris Osborne

Agenda item / ACTION
1.  Welcome & Apologies for absence / Apologies were received from Izzy Wynn, Paul Westerman
(new member) and Mary Blackhurst Hill (belatedly)
2.  Minutes of the last meeting / The minutes of the last meeting were agreed as a correct record. The minutes were signed by the Chair.
3. Matters arising / Item 6: THP will send out the Terms of Reference electronically to members as this document was ratified at the last meeting.
Item 7: PC clarified that attendance at the balance class was by self-referral from information obtained at the Health Awareness event and not by the Practice direct and that the classes are organised by the County Council.
4. Treasurer’s report / The Treasurer tabled details of the financial situation and reported that that there is a balance of £720.27 in the bank account which includes £80.84 from most recent book sales, and withdrawal of the £500 donation towards the 24-hour blood pressure monitor.
THP updated that further book cases have been placed in the main waiting area to house the large amount of book stocks held within the Practice; further receipt of books has been put on temporary hold due to difficulty storing these. Notification will be made when book stocks begin to drop that further donations of good condition books are welcomed. It was agreed that as the current sole source of fundraising, book sales are healthy and bring in £40+ per month.
There was brief discussion re the PPG purchasing a printer to support the Anticoag Clinic and quotes being obtained.
5. Feedback on Flu, Health Check & Carers Event / The Chair thanked members of the group who had attended on 8th October to help with the event which it was agreed was a success overall. THP added her thanks on behalf of the Partners and the Practice for their input into the event which couldn’t have run as successfully without the PPG’s input.
Pharmacy had carried out several health checks but had capacity for more on the day. Attendance was lower for flu jabs than the Practice would have liked and discussions took place re whether the methods of invitation could have been a factor. It was agreed that future input into events by the Pharmacy Team would be desirable.
6. Patient Survey 2016 / THP gave feedback regarding the most recent patient survey put together in collaboration with the PPG; there have been 73 responses via the Practice website and 17 hard copy responses which need to be inputted via the website in order to be included in the automatic evaluation. Agreed 100 responses as a minimum before publishing results. THP will resend link to survey to patients on the PRG; has recently posted on Facebook to promote further response.
THP shared Friends and Family test outcomes with the Group for the previous month.
7. PPG ToR ratification / Noted that these were agreed at the last meeting but will be sent out electronically to members in due course.
8. Review of the Year for AGM & Plans for 2017 / Preparations for the AGM on 29th November were discussed in terms of reflection of the past year’s successes and the Patient Group’s plans for 2017 so these can be included in the powerpoint presentation by the Chair. Areas for inclusion were identified as:
·  Donations, purchases & fundraising during 2016
·  Patient Survey outcomes 2016
·  New members
·  Newsletters
·  Health Awareness Events
·  Flu clinic & Pharmacy collaboration
·  Charity of the Year 2016
Plans for 2017 to include widening patient participation, focusing on more meaningful engagement between the PRG and PPG and plans for Health Awareness Events across the year.
THP will also prepare the usual ‘review of the year’ from the Practice’s perspective.
Invitations are being made using a range of methods, including email, Facebook and Twitter, and paper invitation slips which will be handed out to patients and also included in medication bags by Pharmacy team. Saf & Hassan Walji to be invited to the AGM.
As there is no December meeting planned, it was agreed that mince pies and hot drinks will be available at the AGM.
9. Any Other Business / a) THP shared information regarding the CCG’s Self Care Campaign which encourages GPs not to prescribe medications which are available for patients to purchase over the counter. It was highlighted that in some cases, due to the amounts required to be taken on a regular basis (eg. paracetamol), or if the patients do not pay for their prescriptions, it was not feasible to request this of patients and that in these situations, GPs will issue a prescription. The main aim of the Campaign is to reduce unnecessary high spending on medications for mainly minor ailments so that any savings can be better utilised within the NHS. The Practice plans to advertise and promote the Campaign during Self Care Week starting 14th November and THP requests the support from the PPG to organise the display of information. Suggestion that this could be the focus of a health education/health awareness event.
b) CP suggested consideration be put to purchase of a plasma screen to be mounted in the waiting area with a continuous loop of patient information using a USB or similar to advertise practice and PPG-specific information which can be regularly refreshed, particularly as poster and information in paper format can often be overlooked.
c) PG raised concerns about the costs of a portable BP machine for home use versus the cost of a 24-hour BP monitor as her own experience of the 24-hour machine was not particularly successful in obtaining consistent recordings across the 24-hour period. It was clarified that these were very different models of recording a patient’s BP and generally needed to support any onward referral to cardiology, and that not all patients would be able to self-monitor using a portable machine.
9. Date of next meeting / AGM 29th November 2016, 6pm

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