MINUTES OF CASTLE HEALTHCARE PATIENT FORUM
SEPTEMBER 28 2015
PRESENT – Betty, Linda, Robert, Barbara, Jean, Jan, Ian, Wayne.
APOLOGIES – Alan, John, Brenda, David, Louise, Peter.
1. Minutes - Add apologies for Ian and change ‘stock press’ to ‘stop press’.
Matters Arising –





The Carers event will be at the surgery on October 7 from 10-12 p.m.
Friends & Family – no update as Louise absent. The idea of focussing on Fridays
doesn’t seem to have taken off yet; we need to raise it at Cabinet.
Appointments – noted that it’s not possible to make a double appointment on line.
There is much more scope in phoning for appointments. But the web availability
has increased considerably. Also noted that there are few appointments with
female GPs, probably because several are part-time. Generally the triage system
seems to be working well. But what happens after the phones are off at
6.30 p.m ? Robert to investigate this.
Newsletter – Wayne commented on the excellence of the last one. Linda is now
planning an autumn edition with topics such as health checks, self-care, the CQC
inspection. No news re the coloured printer yet.
Pharmacy – No further information re meeting yet. Barbara to contact Paul Midgley
about this. Jean noted that Health watch has taken up issues relating to
pharmacies; we need to know when/if mistakes are happening. Wayne reminded us
that our Pharmacy is a separate business from the Practice but probably most
patients don’t realise this so any problems reflect badly on Castle.
2. CQC Visit – Four members of the Patient Cabinet were interviewed by the inspectors
and, as far as we could tell, this went well. The full report may not be available for a
couple of months but there may be an initial response from the CQC quite soon.
3. PPG Activities –




Noticeboards – put up just in time for the CQC visit. Linda thanked for her
excellent display. Lisa Sullivan has indicated that we may be able to have bigger
ones eventually and we agreed that, if so, we would like the present ones to be
placed downstairs.
Flu Clinics – ideally we would have attended these to talk to patients about the
PPG but we agreed we just aren’t ready yet.
Walks – unfortunately these are still not well attended though much appreciated by
the few who join in. It’s vital that they are advertised better. Some uncertainty
about whether there is info about them on the website. Barbara to follow up.
Self-Care Week – the week beginning Nov 16. Paul Midgley is keen that we work
with Musters Practice on this and RCVS will also support. However, a date to meet


and discuss arrangements hasn’t been fixed yet. Both Barbara and Betty are willing
to attend if possible.
Information Hub – Lisa has agreed to purchase a stand and ideally we would launch
the hub in self-care week.
Public Meeting – planned for January but details no further forward. The topic is
expected to be Commissioning etc.
4. CCG Feedback – considerable change is underway including the development of
Partners Health which involves all 12 GP practices in Rushcliffe working together.
Models for the Principia multi-speciality provider work funded under Vanguard are
being developed. Considerable changes are suggested which aim to improve the
quality of services whilst trimming budgets. Primary care is at the heart of these
projects and considerable emphasis on patient self-care.
5. Constitution – the next Patient Cabinet meeting will focus on changes to our
Constitution which was originally planned to last for about a year and ensure a
successful transition from four to one Practice. This has worked well but now we’re
not at all sure that a two tier format is still viable; the two bodies cover very
similar topics and share personnel to a considerable extent. It may be better to
have a slightly larger Cabinet and consult our large body of patients in other ways
e.g. through public meetings and a virtual group. It was agreed that a clear, robust
structure will be essential and that communication must be effective. It will be
important to attend the Surgery and talk to patients and to make sure that
communication isn’t dependent on IT entirely.
6. A.O.B. –



Jay Hemmings has resigned from the Forum as she feels she is away too much
A patient has pointed out that, when the lift was out of action, no wheelchair
could be found. Ideally there should be one available on each floor. Barbara to
check with Lisa
Alan has informed us that an email was received via our website which was clearly
misdirected. Confidentiality has been maintained and Louise closed the email link.
We need to investigate this further when both Alan and Louise are present.
Date of Next Meeting – November 30 at 6.30 p.m.