CONWAY MEDICAL CENTRE ( CMC)
Patient Participation Group meeting 13/10/2015
Attendees
Name
Dr A Thiruchelvam
Dr S K Sinha
Dr M R Alam
Feroza
Anveeta
Zamir
Samera
Anika
Amran
Yasmeen
Nahid
Sameira
Umar
Amrah
Atiyaa
Seemtab
Nazia
Representing
Practice
Practice
Practice
Practice
Practice
Practice
Practice
Practice
Patient(Chairman)
Patient
Patient
Patient
Patient
Patient
Patient
Patient
Patient
Apologies
Dr Charles Mangoro
Practice
Welcome and Apologies
 Attendees welcomed and apologies noted.
 The minutes were agreed as a true recording of the proceedings.
Minutes of the last meeting discussed
Communications
The practice is offering a number of Online Services for example:
Repeat Medication – the Practice discussed how to order repeat medications
online. The patients also have a choice of ordering directly from the surgery or
using the postal system (patients to include a stamped self-addressed envelope).
Online telephone Booking – the practice can only offer ‘telephone appointments’
at the moment but is looking into offering consultation appointments for both
doctors and nurses. However, once the practice starts to offer these
consultations appointments online there will be fewer appointments for patients
to book over the telephone on a daily basis.
Online passwords and usernames – There was a query as to why the Practice is
asking for personal documentation when issuing passwords. The practice needs
to protect patient’s personal and medical information – to safeguard patient
confidentiality. The practice needs to securely verify the identity of the
patient before allowing full access.
The practice does not take a copy of the ID but just records the passport
number or the driving licence number or any other Photographic ID number in
the patient’s record. For lost or forgotten passwords the patient should be able
to reset their passwords themselves. However, if there are any issues then the
patient needs to either phone or come in person to the surgery to request reset
of their passwords. These amended passwords will then be sent either by SMS
or email (not printed and left for patient to collect).
Password for children – The practice indicated that from the age of 16 years a
person is considered to be an adult so parents will no longer have access to their
child’s medical records. All present asked if parents could be notified of the
impending changes as their child nears their 16th birthday. The practice agreed
to look into ways of sending out this reminder.
Suggestion Box- The group enquired whether the Practice had a suggestion box
and on being shown the box in reception they asked for it to be moved to a more
obvious place. Another alternative to moving the box was to put up a poster
directing patients to this box. The practice agreed that once they have the
display screen in the waiting room they should be able to display these sorts of
information on it.
Other methods of communication were also discussed:
Website – The practice website was felt to be too congested/cramped. Amran
agreed to look at it with Anveeta and they agreed to arrange a suitable time to
do this work. The practice will be advertising the Practice email address for
the patients to use on the website and Facebook. Patients will be informed that
this is not an urgent means of communication as the Practice needs ‘72 hours’
notice to deal with requests/queries.
Facebook – The Practice mentioned that more People log on to the Practice
Facebook site rather than the website. Zamir agreed to keep updating this
regularly.
Twitter- The Practice will look into this once other means of communication are
fully operational.
Skype – Put on hold until further notice
Patient Information
Dr Thiruchelvam informed the group that the practice will be getting a display
screen to convey messages to patients regarding self-help and other services.
Amran and Umar suggested that the practice buys their own screen to display
messages relevant to the practice population. Umar has agreed to look into the
costing of this.
The display screens should lead to a neater and tidier waiting room as the
number of posters will be kept to a minimum.
Appointments
Multiple appointments per family- It was decided that the practice will carry on
offering one appointment per address and fit in a second patient as an extra
appointment.
The group agreed that patients should not be offered a choice of male or
female doctor unless there were female issues or problems. Parents requesting
for a female Doctor for a child should be questioned further as to the need to
see a female doctor. If the problem is not a female issue then the parent should
be advised and offered an alternate appointment.
Monday morning - Patients should not be offered a choice of Male/Female
doctor as it is a ‘walk in’ surgery. The Practice does try to accommodate
patients depending on their need and will carry on doing this.
Threatening Behaviour
Letter to the aggressive patient as discussed in the last meeting has been sent.
All agreed that Patients who are repeatedly aggressive should be removed.
Cancer leaflet.doc
Cancer Screening Leaflet
The leaflet that was drawn up by the Practice was felt to be inadequate. A new
leaflet should be redone in English and then translated into both Urdu and
Bengali as the Practice is mainly comprised of patients speaking these languages.
Initially it had been agreed that the practice would produce a leaflet to
encourage patients to attend these screening programmes. These leaflets would
be handed out to the patients during the practices Flu campaign every year. The
leaflet would include contact details for patients to arrange/rearrange
appointments themselves.
Umar agreed to overlook the leaflet and once he is satisfied then the practice
would get it translated into Urdu and Bengali.
Complimentary Medicine
Sameira had asked for the Practice to display information on other
alternative/complimentary therapies that the patients can use for example,
Chiropractors for pain relief. These services are not available on the NHS in
Luton so patients will have to fund these treatments themselves.
It was decided that once the practice has the display screen they can display
this and other health promotional information.
CQC
The group applauded the Practice on achieving their CQC ratings. It had been
decided previously that this should be advertised. The Practice had produced a
letter head with the CQC logo. The Group agreed that the letter head needed
improving and perhaps using a different font would make it look more
professional/official. The Practice will wait to hear from the Group on which
way to amend the letter head.