Why are we here?
We have in place various ways in
which patients can engage, to
either use services, or influence
the way in which those services
are provided. Tonight we will
mainly focus on GP related
services and hope to inform,
engage and perhaps inspire you
or others within your community
to contribute to our work in these
areas.
So how can you do
that?
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Clinical commissioning group (CCG) - a clinically led
organisation who is actively shaping Healthcare provision our
area.
Patient Participation Group (PPG) – run by each practice,
containing patients and members of staff who exchange news
and views on current and future practice services.
Virtual Patient Group – usually run through email addresses
and involving on line surveys
NHS choices – a web based forum providing area specific
Health Service information and the opportunity to comment
and feedback on GP practices.
Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection – the body that
are responsible for overseeing the quality of care provided by
various health care providers including GP’s
Friends and Family – A new scheme being expanded from
Hospitals to ask patients to rate their GP, based upon whether
they would recommend to their friends and family.
Does it actually work?
• I would say that it does, but only if we have
people that are prepared to proactively engage.
They should not drive personal agendas and
should try to keep an open mind as to what may
or may not be possible and in return we should be
honest about what is on the table for discussion.
• A minimum of an annual survey is carried out,
with feedback and actions reported to participants
and patients through various media, Usually 6
PPG meetings per year, with minutes circulated to
attendees an displayed on notice boards and web
sites.
• Direct replies to comments posted on NHS
choices.
• Patient involvement in the CQC inspection and
assessment of GP services.
• Friends and family is a new scheme giving the
opportunity of instant feedback.
Does that sound of
interest?
Discussion……………………….
Accessing Services
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There has been recent work across the UK to try to
signpost patients to appropriate services, as the current
demand upon A&E services is unsustainable. (Choose
well leaflet)
There have also been been changes to the options
available to patients over recent years and months
when interacting with GP surgeries.
Face to face consultations have been supplemented
with Telephone encounters. On line booking of
appointments and ordering of repeat medication via a
secure web account is becoming more popular than
calling by telephone into surgeries. This will be
expanded to include access to test results in the future.
Other initiatives are running to try to capture potential
symptoms before they start to impact upon the health of
patients (Free Health check leaflet). An early
intervention can (in some cases) prevent a full blown
Long Term condition developing, but often we struggle
to get the message across or patients to engage.
So what does that
mean to you?
As a starting point for further discussion we have
developed some scenarios
1.
Evidence shows that poor engagement with ethnic
minority
communities results in unequal access to healthcare
services.
Some of the barriers include:
Language difficulties, Communication, Lack of
understanding.
Can you add any more to the list above?
2.
Patients sometime attend an appointment with an
interpreter. If this is a family member whose
command of the English language is poor the
translation may be lost. What could we do to
overcome this?
3.
Poor English skills mean that resources are often not
being accessed as patients are unable to make
the appropriate enquiries. What could be done to
improve this?
What could we do together to engage with your
communities?
Would you know who to approach if you were unsure
about something?
Did you know we have access to independent interpreters?
Did you know that there are services that you can access
to help with various conditions or CVD, LD, Smoking
cessation, Exercise referral to name but some.