Patient Participation Group 2014/15

Report by Marcia Martin (Practice Manager)

Practice Name: Greyfriars Surgery

Does the Practice have a PPG? YES
Method of engagement with PPG:From January 2015 Face to face , previously it was a virtual group
Number of members of PPG: 8 (still recruiting)
Detail the gender mix of practice population and PPG:
% / Male / Female
Practice / 3074 / 3149
PPG / 2 / 7
/ Detail of age mix of practice population and PPG:
% / <16 / 17-24 / 25-34 / 35-44 / 45-54 / 55-64 / 65-74 / > 75
Practice / 1102 / 585 / 833 / 832 / 869 / 688 / 692 / 602
PPG / 2 / 1 / 3 / 3
Detail the ethnic background of your practice population and PPG:
White / Mixed/ multiple ethnic groups
British / Irish / Gypsy or Irish traveller / Other white / White &black Caribbean / White &black African / White &Asian / Other mixed
Practice / 4087 / 11 / 422 / 6 / 7 / 9 / 8
PPG / 7 / 1
Asian/Asian British / Black/African/Caribbean/Black British / Other
Indian / Pakistani / Bangladeshi / Chinese / Other
Asian / African / Caribbean / Other Black / Arab / Any other
Practice / 22 / 4 / 3 / 8 / 18 / 13 / 6 / 7
PPG
Describe steps taken to ensure that the PPG is representative of the practice population in terms of gender, age and ethnic background and other members of the practice population:
  • General advertisement on notice boards / and on website to encourage patients to join/have their say
  • The meetings are flexible (time wise) to allow for workers, parents etc….. to attend.
  • Disabled access promoted

Are there any specific characteristics of your practice population which means that other groups should be included in the PPG?
e.g. a large student population, significant number of jobseekers, large numbers of nursing homes, or a LGBT community? YES/NO
If you have answered yes, please outline measures taken to include those specific groups and whether those measures were successful:
No
Outline the sources of feedback that were reviewed during the year:
  • Feedback from both the virtual and face to face group
  • Suggestion box in the surgery
  • Complaints and incidents at surgery team meetings
  • Friends and family feedback
  • Informal general comments from patients through staff members (logged as incidents)

How frequently were these reviewed with the PRG?
  • Twice with an email to the virtual group
  • Once with the new face to face group
Note – we changed over from a virtual group to a face to face group in Jan 2015
Priority area
Description of priority area:
Website outdated
Not mobile friendly
Not easy to find the information required
What actions were taken to address the priority?
Greyfriars has invested in a new website – which is mobile friendly.
Easy for patient to use the interactive forms for pre-registration, asthma checks
Easy –at a glance to make appointments, order medication etc
Result of actions and impact on patients and carers (including how publicised):
The new website was launched March 5th, but lots of comments re how user friendly it is.
Patients are using the form capacity to submit information prior to appointments.
We have advertised the new website in surgery and with flyers to patients.
Priority area
Description of priority area:
Patients unable to get through on the phone – especially first thing in the morning and limited appointments available online to book.
What actions were taken to address the priority?
The surgery has investigated the option of a purchasing an integrated queuing system for its phone system, this would ensure calls were answered in proper rotation, but it proved too costly at £7,000. The surgery is satisfied it has enough lines – but it’s the volume of calls –therefore the action is to encourage more people to use the online facilities.
We have doubled the amount of appointments added to EMIS access, to allow more patients to book online.
Every Morning –there are now ‘rapid clinic@ appointments released at 8am every morning
And the new website allows patients to pre-register online – and book one appointment.
Patients are encouraged not to ring before 12pm for results – and the rational for this is added to the website.
Result of actions and impact on patients and carers (including how publicised):
We have seen a rise in patients using the online booking facility (40 new patients since January 2015)- and currently have 936 patients signed up for EMIS access.
We have advertised the services both on traditional notice boards – on our electronic notice boards and with prescriptions.
Priority area
Description of priority area:
Some patients (identified through several sources of feedback) felt unhappy to be offered the The Rapid Clinic which is available for on the day appointments dealing with minor illness and run by a Nurse Practitioner. As this clinic is bookable on the day, it is felt to be a really good service for patients.
What actions were taken to address the priority?
Patients have been interviewed and invited to fill in a questionnaire to pinpoint particular concerns. Complaints have been addressed through the complaints procedure.
We have produced a power point to educate patients about the role of the Nurse Practitioner. The power point covers training, skills and appropriateness of the clinic.
Our nurse practitioner regularly doubles up with our GP registrars as a learning exercise for both parties, and also does a joint clinic quarterly with a GP partner – as part of appraisal assessment.
Result of actions and impact on patients and carers (including how publicised):
The rapid clinic operates on average at above 90% capacity – on most days (demonstrating its popularity and use)
Patients are more informed about the role of the Nurse Practitioner. .via electronic noticeboards/website
We plan to circulate a questionnaire later in the year – to monitor any change.

Report on previous issues/ areas raised in 2013-14

  • Telephone appointments – we have increased these – and all GPs have allocated slots in surgeries to take phone calls from patients – which is advertised.
  • We continue to over lunchtime appointments on Mondays and Tuesdays – always popular.
  • We have audited our referral times and non-urgent referrals are always made within a 5 day period.
  • Reading materials for patients (both adults and children) is refreshed monthly
  • We did not fit an extra handrail to the first floor – as it would have unduly narrowed the staircase, but patient s can request to be seen on ground level or basement level.

Hopefully this report demonstrates our willingness to listen, act and Improve your service.

Please feel free to send any comments to

And if you would like to get involved contact me at the surgery or via the email above.