Patient Participation Group

Parkbury House Surgery Objectives

The objectives of the Patient Participation Group (PPG) are to:

• Ensure that patients are involved in decisions about the range and quality of services provided and/or commissioned by the practice;
• Work with the practice to solicit the views of the patient community: e.g. in respect of the services being delivered/commissioned by the practice; convenience of access (hours of opening); ability to book ahead; ability to be seen quickly; continuity of care; modes of contact with the surgery (e.g. face to face, telephone, electronic etc.); range of skills available and accessibility and new services that are required by the patient community;
• It exists to put forward ideas and solutions and to seek to improve current practice 

Membership

Membership of this group is on a voluntary basis and is open to all registered patients of the Practice. It is the intent that the group is representative of the practice population.

The Practice is further supported by a virtual PPG; this is a group of registered patients who have volunteered to engage on an ad hoc basis with the surgery via email.

How We Work

• Develop a structure that gains the views of patients and enables the practice to obtain feedback from the practice population, e.g. via this group and the virtual PPG
• Agree areas of priority with the PPG
  • Patients’ priorities and issues;
  • Practice priorities and issues including themes from complaints;
  • Planned practice changes;
  • Care Quality Commission (CQC) related issues;
  • National GP patient survey issues.
• Collate patient views through the use of survey (at least once per annum);
• Provide the PPG with opportunity to discuss survey findings and reach agreement with the PPG on changes to services;
• Agree an action plan with the PPG and seek PPG agreement to implementing changes;
• Publicise actions taken and subsequent achievement by doing the following:
  • Giving a description of the profile of the members of the PPG;
  • Demonstrating the steps taken by the practice to ensure that the PPG is representative of its registered patients and where a category or 2 categories of patients is not represented, the steps the practice took in an attempt to engage that category or categories;
  • Show the steps taken to determine and reach agreement on the issues which had priority and were included in the local practice survey;
  • Publicise the manner in which the practice sought to obtain the views of its registered patients;
  • Show the steps taken by the practice to provide an opportunity for the PPG to discuss the contents of the action plan;
  • Set out details of the action plan demonstrating how the finding or proposals arising out of the local practice survey can be implemented and, if appropriate, reasons why any such findings or proposals should not be implemented;
  • Provide a summary of the evidence including any statistical evidence relating to the findings or basis of proposals arising out of the local practice survey
    and conclusions;
  • Set out the actions which the practice and, if relevant, the PCT, intend to take as a consequence of discussions with the PPG in respect of the results, findings and proposals arising out of the local practice survey. 

Meetings

The PPG will meet on a routine basis every 3 months; the frequency of meeting will be adjusted as and when necessary.

Quorum and Decision-Making

At Group meetings, a quorum will consist of 5 members, including the Chairman of the PPG, Practice Manager or a senior member of the practice as a nominated deputy. The PPG will aim wherever possible to reach decision by consensus. Where this is not possible the view held by the majority of those present will be the view that is agreed and taken forward by the group.

Summary of Parkbury House Surgery PPG meeting

Attendees

• PM chair; JF and NM (Parkbury House) IM, VS, CC, KC, TF, SH, LP.

Apologies

• Apologies were received from Leslie king

Welcome

The chair welcomed everyone and introduced our visiting speaker, Fiona Harrall who gave her presentation about Homestead, she took a variety of questions and promoted some information about a dementia cafe and the chair noted that social prescribers had recommended patients to that service at Saint Mary's church in Marshalswick. Dr J Freedman mentioned that Dr Genevieve Holt a consultant elderly care psychiatrist had been to the Practice to deliver some training.

Minutes of the last meeting and matters arising.

We reviewed the minutes of the previous meeting and addressed actions, and it was noted the majority of them had been actioned.
There was further discussion about arranging a video tutorial about eConsult, at which point JF mentioned his letter for inclusion in the newsletter, (the letter, amongst other things, outlined some of the practical day to day issues concerned with eConsult. 

Action [PM to circulate the letter to members of the PPG].

Parkbury House report

We discussed elements of the Parkbury House report, previously circulated. 

NM referred to some staff training, which took place today.  PM said he would like to be invited to the next training day for staff to talk about social prescribing this was noted by NM.

• Google reviews SH asked about the QR code. The response was that that it appeared to be working effectively there was no further discussion on that matter;
• The new website, SH asked why we had a new website when the previous one seemed to be working satisfactorily, there was no clear argument put forward, just that the new site one was considered to be better;
• CQC and question was about when it might be expected. JF stated that the practice did not know but had been working towards an anticipated visit, ensuring that PH would be ready for that inspection when it comes. They were asked how much notice is given, 2 weeks.
• FeNo machine which the practice had purchased and would soon start to use for those people suffering from asthma. The chair thanked KC for her outstanding efforts in fund raising which enabled the practice to purchase the machine, (KC had undertaken to walk the equivalent of 6 marathons in January). As a note JF said with the surplus money PH had bought a new and much needed sound system the merits of this was that the music might be a calming influence for patients whilst waiting and also helped ‘cover up’ any voices from consulting rooms as they were not soundproofed.

Mission Values

The partners had agreed a draft vision statement which had previously been circulated to members of the PPG. At our September meeting we had agreed that we would try to have a separate meeting of the PPG and Partners to support the practice in developing a vision statement. There were good reasons this meeting has not yet taken place, but it’s hoped that there would be a separate meeting to look at the draft document by the end of summer 26.

Matrix Surveys

The chair thanked colleagues for their contributions to the skills audit one was initially sent by VS as per actions from the last meeting and SH had provided an alternative version which was circulated to members. There was still some of the skills audit to be finished once this had been done the chair would forward the documentation to NM

Green Impact

Progress on this item as not being as swift or efficient as hoped. However, the chair mentioned that it was the process which is important and not the award itself, several members of the PPG had been invited to contribute to support the programme and to that end the chair had met with CC to discuss her potential involvement. One of the obstacles was that at the moment because of personnel challenges at PH,  there was no dedicated member to help with the process. NM stated that someone would be in place by July. 

KC raised the issue of social media and this member of staff would also liaise with KC who had already been in contact with HG & NP, (both partners at PH) towards having a positive social media presence. KC mentioned that SP was a very important aspect of the Green agenda.

One member of staff, Hannah Gale, has already been successful in making a bid for research funding, the chair has already approached HG with a view to making a presentation to the PPG at our next meeting. JF mentioned that we have already gained the Silver Award. The deadline for the next submission is 30th September, the chair takes the view that it is probably unrealistic to achieve that date but re-iterated that it is the process which is important.

Social Prescribing

The chair made a Presentation which featured some data relating to the range of issues with which patients presented. There was some discussion about some of the issues facing patients. SH mentioned that it might be good instead of percentages to have actual numbers of people involved. The presentation outlined the enormous benefit benefits of social prescribing within the community and demonstrated that overall, it seemed to be having a positive effect.

7. AOB

The date of the next meeting, originally scheduled for 25th June, was postponed until 16th July, in the library at 6.30pm

The date of the next meeting, originally scheduled for 25th June, was postponed until 16th July, in the library at 6.30pm.