Statham Grove Surgery Patient Participation Group Minutes
7.4.11 1pm
Present:
Patients: Irene Bateman
Elsie Dines
John Dervan
Marian Fielding
Terence Greenham
Daphne Kemp
Linda Kelly
Stanley Merchack
David Pike
Susan Pike
Staff: Louise Robinson – Practice Nurse
Ruther Silverman – GP
Claire Lister – Practice Manager
We discussed what we all wanted from a patient participation group.
Ideas expressed were:
· Broader patient representation
· Better advertising of group and meetings
· Improving communication between the practice and patients
· Concern re the current political changes to the NHS
· A forum for discussing how to influence the wider process
· A mechanism for influencing local service once changes to the NHS are implemented
· Health promotion and education eg with osteoporosis
· Peer support for patients with certain medical conditions
· Concern was raised with the quality of clerical services in hospitals and if complaints could be actioned, efficiency could be improved. Could this group act as a patient body by writing to the appropriate services?
· The government proposals suggest the patient participation groups carry out patient satisfaction surveys in the future. It looks like funding will be available.
Dr Silverman explained to the group some of the proposed changes to the NHS and how this will impact on local service and patients. We discussed how local structures have changed already with the dissolution of City and Hackney PCT and it’s merge at a sector level with Tower Hamlets and Newham into the East London City Alliance (ELCA). The Director of Primary Care for the sector is Steve Gilvin (previously of City and Hackney PCT). Hackney GPs are predominantly already members of a commissioning group called ELIC. We hope that we can feed our patient opinions through ELIC’s public member representative, Jaime Bishop, who we will invite to our next meeting as he was unable to attend today.
There was a general discussion about concerns for the future NHS including the restriction of patient choice and treatment, the threat of involving private companies to provide health care and the financial changes and the implications of these. Members of the group wanted to think about ways the group could work to express their concerns politically and influence what happens locally.
Feedback of the DOH General Practice Patient Survey 2010 results was given to the group for their information.
Next steps
· Daphne Kemp offered to look into the availability of a room in Burma Court for future meetings e.g. the peer support patient meetings
· Linda Kelly suggested that the group could distribute leaflets about the proposed NHS changes
· Stanley Merchack suggested we lobby our own MPs
· Members of the group to email Claire Lister, prior to next meeting with agenda items and ideas for future plans ()
· Next meeting Thursday 19th May at 1pm at Statham Grove
Other information:
National Association of patient participation groups www.napp.org.uk
Expert Patient Programme
These free courses are for people living with long-term health conditions. Courses are delivered over six weekly sessions of 2½ hours by tutors also living with a long-term health condition. It offers people the opportunity to learn new skills and share experiences with others.Participants will learn how to better manage their own care, which can lead to a better quality of life, reduction in symptoms. Telephone: 0800 988 5550
Links to leaflets and further information re the NHS changes:
http://healthemergency.org.uk/bill
www.keepournhspublic.com
http://abetternhs.wordpress.com – this blog is written by a Hackney GP
Local MPs
Hackney - Dianne Abbott
www.dianeabbott.org.uk
Diane Abbott MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Islington North - Jeremy Corbyn
www.jeremycorbyn.org.uk
email: tel: 020 7219 3545
Our website www.stathamgrovesurgery.co.uk
Please sign up to this if you want to receive an automatic newsletter
East London Integrated Care (ELIC) www.elic.org.uk
Supports 32 practices in City + Hackney, with a population of 220,000 patients for commissioning, working together, care pathways, education etc
Department of Health GP Patient Survey Results www.gp-patient.co.uk