PPG meeting held on 26.2.15 at The Pine Street Medical Practice
Who Attended:
JS GP
AB Reception Supervisor
Patients listed below
MD- 1370
ES- 1549
BL- 3892
Apologies: PC 301, GW 1782 (patients)
Agenda
New Phones:
How are you finding the new phone systems?
MD- Ideal System- but hard work to get through. Tried 38 times. (AB asked was MD getting the
engaged tone. MD said yes.
JS said that we have changed the phones and we get around 15 people on the phone at the same
time. With the old system patients would wait around 15 mins before they got through.
With the new phones: AB- states that we keep getting patients who want to book for advance
appointments and these patient could call after 10am.
BL-asked if there was another message to state to patients that if needed to book for another day,
please call back after 10am.
(JS-said that this should be able to done on the phone system, could we contact them. AB- I’ll ask
AG if she could contact OPUS and ask how this could be done for advance appointments?) JS- said
for message to state if you want a routine appointment call after 10am.
New Partner
JS states the reason why we have a new partner is because he is doing other things, so therefore he
will be here less time seeing patients. A partner has more responsibility instead of having a salary GP
or a locum who would do a defined set of tasks, and has less executive power.
AB- asked if everybody has met our new GP, MD has, but ES and BL haven’t.
BL- asked how many days will JS be seeing patients? Reply by JS is 2 to 2 half days per week, due to
JS having other commitments, so JS will be here 5 days and work normally half day each day.
ES- asked JS are going to leave, as there is a rumour going around that he is? JS replied No just
cutting down the days he sees patients.
BL- asked what are you doing when you are not here, JS explains that he has meetings to attend and
that he is a director of a company where they look at how South Islington is spending the money,
and he is working for a company called SIGPAL, which is a federation of all the local practices, which
works to provide and improve services for all its patients.
This helps to prevent private companies coming in and possibly taking a profit-based rather than a
patient-based philosophy in terms of their ethos and actions.
MD- asked how long the probation period is for the partner. JS-replied 6mths
JS- said that partner Dr Oprea is not on our website as yet, but will do so as soon as her probation
period is over.
Opinions were expressed about differing experiences with different doctors.
AB-All GP work differently, and even when JS first came here he worked differently to Dr Jurek. It
takes a little while to build up the rapport, and this should happen with time.
Late Surgery
We are at the moment doing Tuesday and Thursday PM.
JS-asked are patients happy with this. We normally work on a Monday and Thursday but find it
better to do our late nights between Tuesday and Thursday so therefore there is only a day break
between them and patient that need a late appointment are more than likely would be able to get
one.
MD- said it’s good for the patients who work.
All agreed happy with Tuesdays and Thursdays for late nights.
On line Booking
AB- asked if anyone has used this.
MD-said no but her father normally orders his script by email, he will be happy that he can arrange
his appointments by on-line.
ES-but some patients who don’t have computer or the older patients may find it difficult.
AB-said that is why we do advance bookings, so if they want a certain date and its available then
they will be given that appointment.
BL-asked if we have lots of appointments for the on-line bookings?
JS-replied that we only have a few, but these are not being booked up.
Suggestion to advertise this service better is to make sure it’s in our website (to display it bolder, so
therefore it stands out) and on our Jay board (this is the board that your name pops up in our
waiting area).
I asked if anyone reads the jay board, but only one did.
Patient Survey
JS-read comments, he has been informed that some patients would have preferred the survey to
have run for longer. Some surgery run their survey for a year.
The surveys are different from summer and winter (as most people have colds in the winter time).
Maybe we will do a summer survey as well.
JS-now is reading the responses from our patient survey.
Question 1: What’s your age?
It looks like older patients commented 60+
And we had 1 between ages 21-29
(Maybe the younger generation were too busy to respond.)
Question 2: Are you Male or Female?
Respondents were 2/3 female, 1/3 male
Question 3: How you rate the way your are treated by the staff at the practice?
Face to Face and consultation: we got good.
But phones we got Poor.
MD- said that our girls are really lovely and polite and never had a problem.
JS- It could be that when you speak to someone over the phone that the person could have
misunderstood?
Another comment: Prefer New System to Old System.
Question 4: If you need to see a GP urgently. Can you normally get seen by a GP on the same day,
even if not your usual GP or Nurse?
70% said YES
Or book ahead.
Question 5: How long would you usually have to wait at the practice for your consultation to
begin?
15 mins for their appointment or less
1 waited a little longer.
Question 6: How do you rate the time it takes to get through to the practice on the telephone?
The surgery got Good and Very Good.
2 patients rated it Poor, but no specific concerns listed, definite improvement on prior results.
Question 7: Do you have occasions where a telephone consultation with a doctor or nurse would
be enough to address any concerns, or do you generally need to see someone face to face.
70% phone and face to face.
MD-mentioned that she prefers this service as one being it’s good to get some advice, this frees up
appointments for patients who really need to see the GP.
Patient Forum is Happy with the call back system and wish to carry on.
Question 8: Did you know before today that the practice had a website that you can order your
prescriptions, book appointments and message the surgery from?
80% was aware of our website.
ES- Commented that younger generation use computers.
JS- commented do you think the website should be carried on?
AB-replied, yes it brought our surgery up to the times (MD agreed to the 21st century) .
Question 9: Do you know that you can book appointment in advance as well as on the day, by
calling or attending the practice or through our website.
Yes, majority aware
Question 10: In general do you feel you are involved in decisions about your health when you
attend the practice.
All- agreed
JS- Mentioned that normally in the olden times it would have been the GP decision to arrange
further treatment etc: but times have changed and it’s now the responsibility of the patient to
decide with the GP. It has been mentioned there have been some concerns about the patient
making the right decision for themselves.
AB-said that as long as the GP speaks to the patient in proper layman’s terms (not purely medical)
hopefully the patient would understand, but if the patient doesn’t understand they should ask.
Is there anything you will like to add?
Nothing to add, they are happy.
Copy of meeting will be posted to ES
And MD and BL we can send this my email. PPG members PC and GW who gave apologies will also
be sent the minutes.
Priorities going forward:
-Make sure new system beds in properly and is used to its maximal efficiency
-Late evenings to be Tuesdays and Thursdays, but can be changed if needed depending on expressed
patient opinion, and this would be canvassed and monitored, and the days changed as consensus
requests.
-Publicise online booking using the practice website and the Jayex Board and monitor uptake of
online booking to gauge response. Proportion of online appointments to be increased if the
method becomes more popular