Walnut Tree Health Centre

PPG Meeting Minutes

24th July 2017

14:00 – 15:30

Start: 14:00

Close:15:30

Chair: Ray Mackintosh

Attendees: Janet Smith,Sabrina Kan, GillIzzard, Susanne Basovic, Julius Mugwagwa, Stephanie Warren, Dhanraji Katwaru, Emma Jacobs, Hannah Jackson

Speaker: Stephen Bates – Redhouse PPG Chair

Apologies: Mark Featherstone

Minutes: Kylie Jordan

  1. Presentationby visitor Stephen Bates, Chair of the Red House Surgery PPG

Introduction-

Stephen is chair of the Redhouse Surgery PPG, which has been running since 2009. He credits their success to a very good, keen, enthusiastic and knowledgeable surgery manager who attends all meetings, and is well supported by the GP’s and staff which reflects on the group. The PPG have their own secretary who is the former secretary to a professor in a London hospital. She is very knowledgeable and helpful. They are made up of keen members; also knowledgeable in IT (The group have their own email address).

They meet once a month at 18:15 in the surgery waiting room. They have approx. 40 in the group to which 18-20 attend regularly. The PPG also maintain an online virtual group of 300 members (Interested in the PPG but cannot attend meetings and don’t want to receive lots of paperwork). Email address is for all members and monitored on a frequent and regular basis by someone in the group. 60+ is the average age of members although they are trying to attract younger patients.

A ‘core group’ meet on a Wednesday before the main meeting to agree on the agenda,no decisions made, this group consists of - The Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary and afew longer standing members.

Meetings are rotated monthly - Mon, Tues, Wed and they are looking at different times for the future to allow different demographics to attend.

At least one GP as well as the Practice Manager attend each meeting. They present a surgery update.

**Ray commented ‘We do not have a GP attend recently as our 2pm timings are not convenient’**

During PPG awareness week Redhouse PPG asked people in the surgery waiting room if they would like to attend future meetings and the meeting times that would suit them etc. they are looking at changing the time not for every meeting but to allow others to attend. They’re trying to recruit younger members also considering Facebook as this could be a positive way into the group for younger patient.

**Hannah commented that FB is a good platform to access people, and to update them with the PPG info. Daily updates do create a workload for somebody however. Stephanie – The social network ‘’Next door’’ could be used, where ideas can be floated? You put your neighbourhood updates on the site**

The group invite guest speakers, including Alexia Stenning from the CCG talking about the Sustainability Transformation Plan andFay Grech-Marguerat, a Macmillan Nurse fromMilton Keynes University Hospital cancer dept. She discussed the ‘Cancer and beyond’ group started by the Whaddon PPG.They look at helping cancer patient after the initial care, with practical day-to­day issues such as insurance, local employment, benefits, housing and managing finances as well as medical advice about cancer and its after­effects, long and short term, Local complementary therapies, hair and beauty, recreation, recuperative exercises and hobbies.Redhouse PPG wants to start up a similar group aiming primarily at Redhouse patients but would be open to others from the local community.

The Redhouse PPG sells books in the surgery waiting room to raise funds. Books are donated, the group make sure they are suitable, then sell for 50p each. Raffles on flu jab days raised approx. £600 and last year, the PPG brought a spirometer (£1,400). They currently have£2,500 in the PPG account, which can be spent sensibly on what the group chooses to benefit the practice.

They also produced an online guide for System 1 online users. With 13,700 patients, 4000 are registered for online access and the group are trying to encourage more patients to use S1 online regularly. Stephen is happy to provide WTHC PPG with a copy of the guide.

PPG Questions to Stephen:

  1. How do you get people to join? We have a noticeboard and website, should we approach patients?

We sat in the foyer with one or two members promoting knowledge. Quite allot ofpeople want to join. Most online but they are still members. **Observation - unable to read the noticeboard as too high and unable to read with varifocals. It was suggested the monitor in the waiting room could have a PPG tail line giving information on the group. Emma advises the partners have recently discussed investing in a new system to potentially put more information on our screens**

  1. How closelydoes the Redhouse PPG work with the practice staff?Do PPG members know the staff?

The group have a good working relationship with staff; everyone has a different view on building relationships. We do not to get involved with the employment of staff but the chair and secretary do look through the complaints and significant events with the practice manager to make sure they have been dealt with appropriately.

**Note. It was raised that lots of changes had happened before Emma joined as Practice Manager, with partners leaving but CCG and CQC have no concerns how the surgery is run or why the GPs left. A series of individual circumstances lead to this**

  1. Do your doctors invite patients to PPG in consultations?

This has been asked but we are unsure if this can be done in a 10min consultation with all they need to try and fit in.

**Note. Emma sends thank you cards at Christmas for gifts patient’s give to staff and invite them to attend the PPG**

  1. Is the PPG awareness week a national week?

Yes. NAPP provide info and posters, third week in June.

Stephen Bates –

A successful PPG requires a good surgery manager, group secretary and dynamic members who want to get out there and do something, to get involved. Sit in the foyer, get their hands dirty, and push the PPG. You can aim at younger people but you will find you will get quite a few patients interested and this makes a big difference.

Indecisive meetings are of no benefit, members must push for decisions to be made at each meeting. The purpose of the PPG is to share knowledge and not to complain.

April 2016 every surgery was supposed to have a PPG, many do not have one… but PPG’s can make a huge difference even down to tidying up and watering the plants outside the practice. Every little helps.

  1. Apologies

Mark Featherstone

  1. Minutes of the last meeting
  1. Membership of the PPG (Introductions, new members etc.)

Julius has recently become a lecturer atLondon UCL, working in innovation systems focusing on global health.

  1. Report from the practice

Dr T Withanage had a baby boy at the end of June. She remains on maternity leave, returning at the end of November 2017. Covering her sessions– Dr TRBabatunde, Dr SSharif, DrBMathews and Dr RParmar who are booked in with the surgery until the end of November. New partner Dr SDahanayake started July 2017. She is not yet on the website but on Mary’s list to add. Her sessions are Mon, Tues, Wed and Thurs AM. She moved from London. As from November we will have 4 active partners. The surgery is keen to keep Dr SSharif and Dr TRBabatunde for male representation.

New staff –

Phill Sharrat – Pharmacist specialising in pain management and palliative care. Phil job shares with Geraldine, our existing pharmacist, Geraldine working 3 days, Phil working 2 days amounting to a fulltime role. Phill has another role at a hospital (Pharmacist within a hospital in Palliative care). He has been employed as part of the clinical pharmacist pilot.

Sou Man – Nurse Practitioner. Sou has a background of practice nursing, Nurse Prescriber and frail care. Janet Thornley is taking a short sabbatical for a few months for development returning August for 2days per week. Budget allows Sou for 6months as well as Janet. This will give the surgery +30 more appointments a day three days per week improving appointment availability and GP access. The partners and Emma continue to look at other ways of working.

Pam Handley –Currently a receptionist Pam undertook phlebotomy at the beginning of the year and will now be doing Health Care Assistant training. She will complete the care certificate.

Hannah Jackson - With us since Christmas 2016. Whilst still at school, Hannah is helping part-time with the making up of paper records.

PPG help – WTHC need help promoting appointment types. Emma is working with the reception team on how information can be conveyed. The surgery have a range of people patients can see - Practice pharmacist, HCA, Phlebotomist, GP, Nurse Practitioner. We need patients to see the right people first time.

It is not currently possible to book minor illness appointments online. Emma met with Julie (Reception Manager) to discuss the possibility of this. A Nurse Practitioner triage system was suggested by Janet. Perhaps the first 30mins of the dayfrom 8-830. Reception could put patients through to the Nurse Practitioner to triage and they can either put the patient in to see the GP or themselves. Also, an SMS to patients promoting minor illness appointments. A paragraph on the website advising what each team member can do?

Dr Murray’s telephone recording will be live soon just completing the text.

The suggestion of a morning ticketing system was put to partners, Reception Manager and staff for review and it was agreed that this is not needed now as the idea is to eliminate the 8am queue.

DNA (did not attend) appointments. Janet was given the data from the past 6 months and has created a graph for use in the newsletter and potentially reception area. Emma and Julie (Reception Manager) have discussed and will enforce more DNA letters.

Neighbourhood pharmacist, Samina Hassanali, would like to attend a PPG meeting to discuss the changes that have been made to prescribing. She has been scheduled for the next meeting agreed by the group.

  1. Issues raised by members

This is Ray’s last meeting having been part of the WTHC PPG since 2009. He advises the new chair needs the time Stephen Bates dedicates to his PPG.

Ray is happy for members to contact him still regarding any matters. We wish him well.

  1. AOB
  1. Date of next meeting

Monday 11th Sep 2017

14:00 – 15:30

To attend - Samina Hassanali, Community Pharmacist

To do

  • Emma to add minor illness appointments to thewebsite. With a disclaimer.