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Adelaide Medical Centre
Newsletter from the Patient Participation Group (PPG): January 2014
Patient Participation Group (PPG): Who are we?
The Patient Participation Group (PPG) is a bridge between the patients of the Practice and
the staff, both clinical and administrative. Our over-riding aim is to help improve the patient
experience of the practice and communicate matters of interest relating to the practice to the
patients. We do this via monthly working meetings with practice staff, hosting open
meetings, newsletters, patient surveys and some other activities. We are exploring other
ways of supporting the practice and its patients. We are all volunteers and the group is
chaired by a patient.
More information is available on the PPG page of the Adelaide Medical Centre website
(www.adelaidemedicalcentre.nhs.uk), on the PPG notice board and in a file and leaflets
available within the vicinity of the noticeboard.
We are keen to make the group more representative of the practice as a whole and would
welcome interest from younger patients, patients with special needs and those from ethnic
minority groups.
Please see page 4 if you are interested in joining the PPG
Virtual Patient Group
The PPG is would like to extend the range of patient engagement. We are setting up an
email list of patients who want to know more about the Practice and the work of the PPG
and who may, for example, be willing to be consulted about how the practice works and
about proposed service developments. This is taking a little time while we explore practical
issues.
We are very well aware that this excludes many patients who are not on email or not
interested in this mode of engagement. However, it is a way of reaching more people than at
present. The PPG and the Practice will continue to address the issues of more
representative involvement with wider groups of Patients.
In the first instance this list will be managed, in confidence, by a member of the PPG,
probably the chair, on behalf of the Practice. Your email address will not be shared outside
the practice, nor passed on to anyone else without your permission. In fact, we cannot
envisage any reason why we would ever suggest this.
Please see page 4 if you would like to join this email list
Open evening Tues 25th November 2014
Nearly 40 patients attended the meeting. We had feedback from the last open evening on
ideas for new services and on aspects of using new technology. There was a Practice
update session including the introduction of the “Friends and Family Test” and patients were
notified about the need for GPs to work together in more collaborative ways (the Federation
Model). More details about all of these are given below
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Update on patients’ ideas for new services
One of the major constraints for bringing new services into the Adelaide Medical Centre
(AMC) is the lack of space and availability of consulting rooms

Physiotherapy is now available in the surgery one day a week for selected patients.
To ensure continuity of care this is the same physiotherapist each week. He brings a
certain amount of portable equipment to the surgery. Referral procedures remain
unchanged. It is the Physiotherapy team who arrange the appointments after patients
have been triaged by the Physiotherapy Service to determine if Physiotherapy is
appropriate and where it will be provided

Weight advice + patients champion. The Practice is exploring a link with “Apples and
Pears” (Camden’s Weight Management Project) and one PPG member, who has
offered to support this project if appropriate, has met with “Apples and Pears”. It is
not yet clear how this project will develop

Podiatry. This service is currently run out of the Peckwater Centre in Kentish Town.
Whilst the Practice would really like to offer podiatry in our own surgery, space
currently doesn’t allow this at present.

Counselling. Four psychological therapists / mental health workers already hold
clinics in the surgery. The primary care mental health worker is able to signpost
patients to the appropriate service including counselling services provided by allied
organisations, eg MIND and Women in Health.
Progress on other issues

Use of new technology. A new telephone queuing system was installed in the
summer. In addition, another new system will be launched shortly enabling patients
to book appointments over the phone without talking to the reception staff (similar to
website based system). Currently the surgery plans to have this available outside
practice core hours. During practice core hours (8:30am – 6:00pm) patients will
continue to come through to reception to book appointments.

Email consultations. The practitioners have some reservation about the use of emails
for consultations due to the importance of visual cues from patients in helping
structure a line of questioning. However, the practice does understand that this is a
likely direction of travel for more non-urgent forms of communication, eg test results.
Some practitioners are more open to tools such as skype and/or face-time for
consultations where picking up on body language and a rapid exchange of views with
the patient is possible. As yet there are plans but it will be kept under review and the
Practice is keeping an eye on progress elsewhere
Practice update

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Friends and family test. There is now a national requirement for every GP practice to
have a Friends and Family test to encourage ongoing feedback about the service at
the practice. This test revolves around simple questions asking patients if they would
recommend the surgery to a friend or family. There will be cards in the surgery for
patients to complete, and in addition, the Practice is exploring a way for patients to
feedback via our website.
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
Selective use of double appointments. On very rare occasions, and usually at the
suggestion of the Doctor, it is appropriate for a patient to book a double appointment
to discuss a particular complex, or series of complex issues. If patients booked
regular double appointments this would severely limit the ability of the practice to
meet all our patient’s needs.

Home visits. Home visits are only appropriate when the patient is unable to attend
the surgery either due to their current poor state of health or due to their long term
housebound status. Doctors can typically see 5 patients in the surgery for every one
home visit; therefore a home visit should only be requested when absolutely
necessary.

List of services available in the surgery. Information is provided the Practice
brochure. They currently include; Health Visitor, Midwife, Psychology, Citizen Advice
and Physiotherapy.

Patient Information leaflet on the referral system. This is a guide for patients as they
are referred on to other parts of the NHS. It was been drafted by a member of the
PPG and is available in the surgery and on the website.
GP Practices working together - Federating/Haverstock Healthcare

Why do Practices need to federate (i.e. work collaboratively together)? The main aim
for Practices to work together more closely will be to help ensure all locally
commissioned services are available to all patients. It is recognised that Practices
are different sizes and have different skills, so working together will enable a sharing
of resources as necessary. Details of exactly how this will work are under discussion.

8-8, 7 days a week access to clinical services. An additional reason for Practices
working together will be to enable new services or greater access to services to be
possible. One such area is making clinical services available 8am-8pm seven days a
week. No Practice alone could deliver this. However, working collaboratively this aim
becomes achievable.

District Nursing Services Along with Practices working more collaboratively, it is
hoped that we will also integrate more closely with other community teams, for
example District Nursing.
The North PPG Alliance.
This has been set up by patients under Vanda Renton’s (an Adelaide PPG member)
leadership. It consists of patient representatives from all 12 PPGs in the north Locality of
Camden. Its main aim is to strengthen the patient voice and is working towards developing
ways of influencing both strategic direction and the implementation of service developments.
The group is currently consulting on an interactive website for patients and looking at ways
PPGs can learn from one another. While this development is strongly supported by the
Camden Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) the group is independent.
Camden Patient and Public Engagement Group (CPPEG)
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This is a group of volunteer patients who work regularly with the Camden Clinical
Commissioning Group (CCG). Within in each of the three Camden localities up to four PPG
members are elected to sit CPPEG along with nominations from e,g Camden Age UK ,
Camden Carers and others. Elections have just been held and the Chair of the Adelaide
PPG (Hilary Lance) has been appointed for a second term. The new CPPEG will start to
meet in February
How is this newsletter shared


On the website
Available in the surgery (laminated copies in the waiting room and some copies
available to take away)
The date of the next open meeting will be Tuesday 12th May 7 – 8.30 pm
We would welcome suggestions for information you would like to see in the
newsletter and for topics for the next open meeting. Leave a note at reception or go to
www.adelaidemedicalcentre.nhs.uk click on “contact details” top right on the home
page then on “Send us your suggestions” bottom left on the next pge
_________________________________________________________________________
These forms, if you want one, are available within the vicinity of the PPG notice board or
supply the information via the website (see above)
----------------------------------------------------I am interested in becoming a member of Patient Participation Group
Title
First Name (capitals)
Last Name (capitals)
Telephone Number
The chair of the Group will contact you to discuss your joining the group.
Please hand the information to the reception staff
-----------------------------------------------------I would like my email address to the added to the virtual patient group.
Title
First Name (capitals)
Last Name (capitals)
Email address Please write really clearly
Please hand the information to the reception staff
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