PATIENT EDITION OF THE MINUTES OF THE PATIENT PARTICIPATION
MANAGEMENT GROUP 22/06/2015
PRESENT
Rosie Tilbury Practice Manager (RPT)
Juliet Hanfling Patient Representative (JH)
Tony Sawyer Patient Representative (TS)
Jane Green Secretary (JEG)
RPT welcomed everybody and the previous meeting minutes were circulated and approved.
RPT explained that she was still waiting for the funds from last year’s Patient Participation
Direct Enhanced Services to arrive despite having returned all the necessary paperwork in
March 2015.
Friends and Family
The Friends and Family test was initially discussed and RPT explained that fewer patients
were replying to the questionnaire as time progressed. The Friends and Family scheme
started in practices and is a contractual requirement as of Dec 2014. In the future the
question as to whether the surgery would be recommended to friends and family will also
be distributed via a new system using SMS text using a software programme called IPlato
purchased by the local Clinical Commissioning Group for all South Reading practices.
New Patient Touch Screen Check in Systems
The Patient touch screen check in system has been installed since the last PPGM Meeting;
there are two check-in screens one at the main site and one at the branch site. There have
been many technical teething hitches relating to the installation and ongoing IT issues post
using the system. After this meeting discussion, Jayex, the check-in screen installation
company have now re-installed the system at both sites to try and help address patients
who were booking in successfully at the wrong venue.
Waiting Room Information screens
RPT also explained that a survey has been done amongst local practices about the
information screens which were purchased and provided by the South Reading Clinical
Commissioning Group. The information screens are not networked to the surgery computer
system and rely upon a memory card being manually updated every month. This
information Screen initiative has generally not been deemed to be successful. Therefore it
is being looked at by the CCG with regard to a better longer term solution for practices, so
as to network their computer system as had been originally anticipated.
Friends and family comments
The comments made as a result of the Friends and Family Survey were then analysed. TS
volunteered to group the comments in a spreadsheet so that further analysis will be easier
for the surgery. It was suggested that the role of the pharmacist could be more clearly
explained as a stand -alone item on the website. The surgery need to format a list of “action
responses” to the grouped comments to show that patient feedback is being acted on; this
needs to be advertised in the waiting room and on the surgery website.
THIS MATTER IS IN FOLLOW-UP WITH RPT AND THE SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM
Staff Changes
The staff situation was analysed as a whole. We have one more nurse for 3 days a week.
We are looking at taking on 2 locum Doctors. Two admin staff have left and been replaced
by two others although there is a loss of some hours as the new staff are not full-time.
Enhanced hours Community Enhanced Service (CES) Pilot
The surgery is not big enough yet to be required to join this new Community Enhanced
Service. Dr D’Cruz will continue with his existing extra hours arrangements, and the surgery
is reviewing the buddying up options with other local practices to provide the further
extended opening options suggested by the CCG within the new CES.
NHS Choices website
Unfortunately the e-mail link reporting that a comment to the Practice on the NHS Choices
website has been made had not been working since January 2015 so the surgery was
unaware of the comments placed. This National information website has unfortunately
been used by our patients since January 2015 to post comments relating to individual issues
relating to their recent care management, rather than approaching the surgery directly
through the correct complaint channels so that the matter can be appropriately sorted out.
It is important the practice to acknowledge comments and adds their own short comments
of feedback (particularly where feedback is negative), if no responses are made to the
comments on NHS choice as it looked as if nothing was happening to resolve the issue.
THIS MATTER IS IN FOLLOW-UP WITH RPT who will increase the numbers of staff who can
respond to NHS Choices to help her deal with the comments as and when they come in.
Date of the next PPGM meeting
This will be on September 14th 2015 at 13:00hrs.