PATIENT REFERENCE GROUP
Minutes of Meeting Held on Tuesday 9 July 2013
in the Boardroom at Minden Family Practices
Present: Brian Challis Chairman
Denise Gribben Patient Member
Marlene Hawkesworth Patient Member
Bernard McAuley Patient Member
Jacqui Roscow Patient Member
Jennifer Martinez Patient Member
Colin Wood Patient Member
Dr Priyanka Saxena Minden GP
Michelle Armstrong Group Director
Bernadette James Practice Nurse
Katie White Medical Student
1. Apologies
· Apologies were received from: Herbert Ganz, Karen Partington, Susan Storey, Mohammed Zaffar, Tracey Lindsay and Matt Linaker.
2. Minutes and Action Points from the Last Meeting
Minutes
· The minutes of the last meeting were agreed.
Action Points
AP1 / Michelle to contact Bury Hospice to see if they have any spare unwanted electrical items from their old building (like a TV or DVD player for our waiting area).· Not a priority at the moment but has been discussed in Group Meeting with GPs. AP cleared.
AP2 / GPs qualifications to be included in the Patient Leaflet.
· Done. AP cleared.
AP3 / Obtain list of National ‘health campaigns’ in 2013 and email to all members of the Communications Group.
· Included on today’s Agenda. AP cleared.
AP4 / Add Marlene to the Communications Group members list and advise her of the date of the next meeting.
· Marlene said she felt thrown in and out of her depth but said she will come to anything and listen. She can only take notes by hand. Michelle stated that volunteers can do as much or as little as they wished. She has been invited to sit and listed at next Communications Group Meeting – Brian or Ann to let her know the date of this (AP1). Marlene asked to leave a message when contacting Michelle as Michelle is often in meetings etc.
AP5 / MJA to ask GPs at Group Meeting what clinical issues are for 15-25 year old age group and feedback to PRG.
· Consensus of opinion is that we are tackling the wrong age group. Should be older patients or two bands as follows:
15-19 years of age; and
45 years (on edge of chronic health problems).
Play into Communications services, decide what areas. We can tackle in a number of ways. We have a policy of referring patients to BEATS (exercise on prescription). BEATS is useful for exercise and social side. We should make patients more aware of Health Trainers. Need to get Health Trainers to attend a PRG meeting. Everything centres around communication and knowing what’s on and what is available.
3. Matters Arising
· No name for suggestion box has yet been decided upon. Could be called “Points of View”.
· Improvements in self booking-in system – some issues discussed at Team Meeting.
· Vision on-line is being introduced and we are trying to educate patients to use self signing-in.
· Michelle to speak to receptionists about usage of self booking-in screen. The best thing that worked was when we first opened in Moorgate PCC and volunteers helped patients use the screen – there seems to be an underlying fear of it.
· Michelle said we need to look at patients coming in and how we book appointments for them.
· We are trying to encourage them to register their email address so they can book their own appointments via the web. Approximately 520 patients have registered so far and we are seeing an increase in using this system of booking.
· Perhaps volunteers could come in and show patients how to use it and give out information slips about booking appointments on-line and run through it with them.
· We can set up a ‘demonstrator’ computer to show patients what it looks like and what happens with it, and how they do it.
· Jackie volunteered to help with this task – needs to give dates when available to Ann (AP2).
· Marlene would like to be shown how to use a computer and Michelle said she would arrange for a member of staff to show her – again, needs to give dates when available to Ann (AP3).
4. Staff Attitude
· Jackie mentioned a discussion that some Minden patients had had about our receptionists – they were complaining that staff seem too busy, give no eye contact, putting their eyes down when they appear at front reception. She said one of the patients had just had heart surgery and came down to see the nurse but forgot to get a dressing – when he asked at reception he was told to go home, ring in and book to come back and see her.
· Michelle said it is frustrating that patients with issues don’t ring up to discuss their concerns with someone as there could be valid reasons for some of these things happening. Patients need to ring or email Michelle as it is difficult to make changes based on anecdotes.
· Michelle said there had recently been changes on the front desk, with new members of staff being trained up.
· She said that receptionists are the first port of call and we want patients to have a good experience.
· Brian said he had witnessed staff handling a patient’s complaint very well when he was issued with a parking ticket due to having to wait longer. The receptionist explained that Minden do not run the car park and need to go by the car park owner’s rules.
· Everybody remembers bad experiences and comments, even though there have been good experiences in between.
· We need to encourage patients to highlight issues in the appropriate way, giving facts, so that we can investigate.
· It is also difficult to explain the reasons behind these issues to patients at times.
· If a system/process is not working for one patient it may not be working for others, but it may also just be a one-off bad experience.
· We need to make patients aware of what we can/cannot do and will/won’t do and need to direct patients to contact Michelle.
· We will re-energise the rules on the front desk. If there are more than 3 people in the queue, to get another member of staff to help – receptionist on front desk could pick up the phone to do this rather than physically going into back reception.
· If staff are coming out onto front reception and not making eye contact – they may well be dealing with another job but obviously patients are not aware of this. For example our secretary will regularly bring typed letters to the front reception desk ready for patients to pick up but she cannot stay to answer queries or book patients in as she is very busy with all the GPs referral letters in the back office.
5. Communication & Engagement Framework (Brian / Michelle)
· A draft document has been prepared and Michelle gave a short PowerPoint presentation on it, going through the aims and objectives etc.
· The purpose of the framework is to guide communication and engagement over the next 12 months.
· It can be a public document – once the document is finalised we can publish it on our website and email it, making patients aware of it.
· If anybody has any comments on the document please communicate them by any means to Michelle (AP4).
· Michelle to publish email address to all so can email any time – she will also give a phone number (AP5).
· We will bring this item back to our next meeting – it will be on the Agenda (AP6).
6. Patient Survey (Michelle)
· Patient Survey to be discussed in Practice meetings and with all staff.
· We will be looking at 3 areas (which is felt to be realistic) to improve results.
· Question numbers 3 and 18 – we feel we can improve on these.
· PRG need to look at another area we can improve on that is achievable.
· There is difficulty with Patient Partner as not all appointments are available on it.
· Some patients don’t know which practice they are in – 1, 2 or 3.
· Nothing shocking or unexpected was in the results.
· We need to look at how systems work and whether we need so many steps in them from a patient point of view.
· PRG don’t need to do anything yet until we get numbers of how many patients use each thing.
7. Any Other Business
No other items to discuss.
8. Date of Next Meeting
The date of the next PRG meeting is Tuesday 3 September 2013 at 5.30 pm in the
boardroom.
Action Points from Patient Reference Group Meeting held
on Tuesday 9 July 2013
AP / Task / Who / WhenAP1 / Brian or Ann to let Marlene know the date of the next Communications Group Meeting. / BC / AC / ASAP
AP2 / Jackie (who has already agreed) and any other PRG members to give details of dates free to come in and help demonstrate appointment booking to patients in the waiting area. / ALL / ASAP
AP3 / Marlene to give details of dates free to come in and be shown how to use computer. / MH / ASAP
AP4 / Any comments on Communication & Engagement Framework document to Michelle please. / ALL / ASAP
AP5 / Michelle to publish phone number and email address so all can contact her at any time. / MJA / ASAP
AP6 / Communication & Engagement Framework document to be kept on Agenda for our next meeting. / AC / For next meeting
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