Minutes of The Smithy Surgery PPG Meeting
24th September 2015 5.30pm @The Smithy Surgery
Attendees: , Pat Castle, Jeff Barlow, Pat Ralls, Kay Phillips, Barrie Adams, Mai Walton (Chair)
Jan Wright, David Collins, Sharon France, Mary Jessop
Apologies: Sharon Battersby, Mary Fitton
Bernadette Ashcroft from Age Uk Tameside addressed the meeting. Age UK comprises 268 independent charities all ‘under the umbrella’ of Age UK; 10 of which are in Greater Manchester.
Tameside is funded partly by the local authority and costs 1.1 million to run. The rest is derived from donations etc.
They support older people age 50+ (self referral and referral from others) and provide services which the statutory agencies do not or cannot provide. These services include: information and advice (e.g.leaflets); community support services such as building confidence, avoiding falls,. The latter is a 10 week programme aimed at keeping people active.
Bereavement support is also available. Support post hospital discharge- 6 hoursof 1-1 input provides for assessment of risk and referral on to other services.
Their ‘best foot forward’ programme is also aimed at keeping people active and mobile via activities such as walking football; dancing for fun; walking group. In addition there is a group for retired men designed to prevent loneliness in retired males.
Day services are provided at Ashton aimed at helping people to remain independent and in their own home. There is a charge for this service and open referral is possible.
Age UK also provides advice about insurance and can arrange house, car, travel and funeral insurance.
Age UK is planning to replicate its services in Ashton to Derbyshire residents at Bradbury House in the near future.
Finally Bernadette made the point that the agency runs largely on volunteers and more are needed especially for the best foot forward programme.
1.
Minutes of the August Meeting
Minutes accepted
2.
Matters Arising
Outstanding matters arising are agenda’d below.
STANDING ITEMS:
3.
GP and Practice Update
● One application which had been received regarding the extra GP post but when contacted, the
GP had already found another post. Following further advertising 2 expressions of interest had been received one of which was from an employment agency.
Kay reiterated the difficulties of GP recruitment. as detailed in the August minutes.
Both Simon and Kay will work 1 session a week on CCG portfolios. Kay will be working with the
Children's and Families portfolio, whilst Simon will work on a different portfolio.

● Prescribing Quality Improvement Programme: The Smithy have met with Hannah the pharmacy advisor. Hannah will analyse 10 different areas of the surgery’s prescribing. She will work with the surgery to plan to improve prescribing in these 10 areas eg diazepam, inhalers, weekly dosetttes (cost issue), oxycodone etc.
● Kay reported that the surgery is looking at employment of a pharmacist to work with some of the prescribing issues e.g. medication reviews. This is linked with the move towards electronic prescribing.
● There are currently 2 schemes being looked at which are to help with Quality Improvement, the
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GPs will look at reviewing cardiology referrals. and secondly all referrals made from the practice will be reviewed on a weekly basis.
Kay reported that Tameside Hospital has now been removed from Special Measures.
Tameside has been announced as the first area in the country to form an integrated care service to provide health and social care under one organisation.
The surgery is to sign up to a Primary Care Quality Scheme. This will enable the Surgery to produce an outstanding good practice plan. It will contain 20 clinical areas which will form the basis of the plan.
It is envisaged that doctors will work on the plan during protected time on Thursdays. Sharon will also work closely with the GPs in producing the final document. The meeting felt that this and the above developments are extra work for the practice and with regard to the former, PPG members would be happy to assist with any areas where there is no conflict in patient confidentiality.
▪ Kay to take back to GPs and report at next meeting.
4. Noticeboards
● Pat will update main PPG noticeboard with a winter theme, keeping warm, eating well,
● getting flu jab.
The main topic board will remain as is until discussion on what the next topic should be takes place.
5. Patient Record Online Access Pilot
Kay reported back following the discussion at the August meeting of a pilot being undertaken using current volunteers from the PPG membership the GPs were in principle in agreement with this being done. A list was put together of those who would take part: Mai Spencer, Mary Fitton, Mary Jessop, Pat
Castle, Jan Wright and Barrie Adams. It was also agreed that prior to the next meeting a small group Mai
Spencer, Pat Castle, Mary Fitton and Jeff Barlow would meet to put together a proposal of how the PPG could help with implementation of access to records. They will then present to the next meeting for approval.
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Action: Proposal to be brought to next meeting.
6. Patient Information Pack
~ Action: To be placed on agenda for next meeting

7. Speaker for November
It was agreed that Alzheimer’s/dementia would be a suitable topic for November. If not positive feedback from Alzheimer's Society then possible approach to Community Companions.
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David to ask The Alzheimer’s Society re possible speaker
Next Meeting Thursday October 29th 5.30pm@Smithy Surgery
Please note December meeting- 17 th December 5.30 at the Smithy