ALRESFORD SURGERY PATIENT FORUM

Next meeting: Tuesday 17th April 2012, 2pm

At Alresford Surgery we are very aware that the views of our patients are important. Until now there has been no formal method for discussing these views, or indeed, for canvassing ideas. 

In March 2010 we launched a patient participation group.  The aims of the forum are as follows: 

1. To enable effective consultation with patients on the current provision of services and any future changes to those services.
2. To facilitate greater understanding and communication between practice staff and patients.
3. To empower patient views and ideas within the practice setting.
4. To act as a representative patient voice when local provision of health and social care are considered. 

If you are interested in attending this group we are not looking for a long term commitment, just come along to the next meeting and take it from there.  If you would like to attend please let us know either by emailing suelees@nhs.net, by using the 'Contact Us' tab at the top of this page or by leaving a message at reception for Sue, including a contact telephone number.

If you are unable to attend the meetings but have any comments or suggestions to make please use the 'Contact Us' tab at the top of the page.

We look forward to seeing or hearing from you.

A G E N D A

1  Minutes of last meeting – matters arising

2  Patient survey – the results and action planning

3  Any other business 

4  Date of next meeting

1.                     Outcomes from last meeting

Hospital Transport:  The Upper Itchen Voluntary Care Group which serves Beauworth, Bramdean, Cheriton, Kilmeston, Hinton Ampner and Tichborne are able to help with lifts to surgery or hospital appointments.  Details of this group will be added to the surgery website.

2.                 The Patient Forum – Increasing Representation.

Currently the date of the Forum is publicised via our monthly newsletter, website and posters both in the surgery and around the town of Alresford.  The meeting discussed how representative groups could be best targeted and how to gain better access to groups not currently represented.  It was suggested that the 7AS (Seven Alresford Schools) group would be a good way to obtain the views and opinions of teenagers and young adults.  Links with the 7AS are already established and will be further developed.  Sunbeams Children’s Centre is a very useful representation of young children and parents.  Voluntary Care Group input should be positively sought further as they have regular contact outside the surgery with our older patients.  An email group (or postal if appropriate) will be kept by the surgery for consultation.

3.                 Identifying Problem Areas:

• Is it possible to book appointments online? (This query from a member of Sunbeams Children’s Centre)

Our current IT system does not really allow this, however, we are in the initial stages of a process to change our internal systems which will give us the capability to allow a certain number of appointments to be booked online.  We may also look to use SMS text messaging to send reminders for appointments.

• Why is there not always music playing in the waiting room?  Music is a good way to relax patients and allow for discreet conversation.

In order to be able to play most music or radio into the waiting room we have to pay a large performing rights fee.  However we do have some CDs of music which are copyright free.  We will remind our receptionists to switch the music on.

• Members of Sunbeams Children’s Centre commented that they were pleased to see toys back in the waiting room (these were removed during the Swine Flu pandemic).  Indeed, Sunbeams would like to offer to help stock the children’s bookshelf on a regular basis.

We are very grateful for this offer of help and will look at the children’s corner ourselves too to see how we can improve it.

• Now that the weekly Health Visitor baby clinics have relocated from the surgery to Sunbeams Children’s Centre what is the best way for a parent to contact a doctor if advised to by the Health Visitor?

If a Health Visitor advises that a child should be seen by a doctor the best thing to do is to telephone the surgery and to explain to the receptionist that this advice has been given.  The receptionist can then book a telephone consultation or a duty doctor appointment as appropriate.  All doctors are happy to see babies and children and to offer reassurance to parents.

• Domiciliary visits for blood tests are no longer undertaken by the phlebotomist.  For some elderly and frail patients a visit to the surgery for a blood test can be very difficult.  What should we do?

Unfortunately cuts in the phlebotomy service mean that Vanessa is no longer able to make domiciliary visits and we would urge anyone who can possibly get to the surgery or the hospital for their blood test to do so.  However, the District Nurses are still able to visit the housebound.  If the District Nurses are unable to visit and there are still problems in getting a patient to a blood test appointment please contact the Practice Manager and we will do everything we can to help.

• After a stay in hospital is it possible to seek advice from services such as physiotherapy to aid recovery?

Unfortunately we do not have our own physiotherapist at the surgery.  If appropriate, and particularly following orthopaedic surgery, the hospital will arrange some physiotherapy.  As far as we know the therapy department does not offer telephone advice.  However, there are a number of local private physiotherapists who may be able to help.

4.                 Patient Survey

Later this year we will be conducting a patient survey.  Please look out for this.

5.                 NHS Reforms

While the Government is still pushing ahead with the NHS reforms they are listening to the views of GPs.  We are still part of a local commissioning group and this group is likely to be forming a consortium with GPs in Eastleigh, Romsey, the New Forest and Andover.  This group has a population of approximately 500,000 patients.  The views and opinions of patients will be a vital part of commissioning.

6.                 Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Alresford Surgery Patient Forum will take place on Tuesday 11^th October at 2pm.

NOTES OF MEETING

1.  New Computer System

The new computer system will be implemented during week beginning 7^th November 2011.  This will include functions such as online appointment booking as well as an improved online prescription request service.  The new system is unlikely to change the way doctors consult on a day to day basis but will greatly improve many aspects of ‘behind the scenes’ work at the surgery.

There will be some impact on the availability of routine appointments in the week immediately before and after implementation but we aim to keep this to a minimum.  Emergency care will be unaffected.

2. ‘How much consideration do our excellent team of GPs have to give to cost?  Are decisions being made to meet a budgetary requirement rather than fully satisfying clinical needs? Is treatment ideal or being compromised?

Dr Stokes reassured the meeting that patient needs are always put first.  Budgetary constraints exist on a broad basis but do not affect decisions concerning individual patient care.

3.  Identifying problem areas

Patients attending the surgery have recently been asked for their views on which areas of the surgery’s services should be looked at in closer detail.  The responses were as follows:

28% selected clinical care

35% selected appointments

1% selected reception issues

16% selected opening times

20% selected communication with patients

Comments included:

· home visits – how to request

· availability of blood test appointments

· car parking

· Out of hours cover

· Getting an appointment with a specific doctor

Some of these areas, such as car parking, are beyond our control but we will be writing about some of these in our newsletter over the next few months. 

There was some discussion about availability of blood test appointments.  This is clearly an area where patients feel the service offered has declined.  Dr Stokes explained that funding by Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare Trust (WEHCT) had been cut which resulted in losing two afternoon phlebotomy surgeries each week.  There were comments from both Itchen Valley Voluntary Care Group and the Alresford Voluntary Care Group that they are receiving many more requests for help to get to RHCH for blood tests.  With cuts in local bus services also imminent the situation is not going to get any easier. 

After discussion it was felt that the surgery should conduct a patient survey on the subject of appointments and availability and this will include a section on blood test appointments.  This subject was felt to be an appropriate first priority for further work.

4. Any other business

Does the surgery offer appointments for ‘health MOTs’?

Patients with chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes and COPD are invited in regularly for appointments with our nurses who are specially trained in these areas.  In addition, patients who are deemed to be at some risk of cardiovascular disease are invited in for a half hour appointment with a nurse.  Other than this, owing to pressure of appointments patients are not routinely offered health checks.  However, we would always encourage patients to ask for simple blood pressure check if this has not been done recently.

In addition, Alresford Rotary Club offer a drop in session each year on a Saturday morning where the nurses offer blood pressure checks as part of a wider awareness of stroke and heart disease.  These are widely advertised locally.

For patients who are on regular, unchanging prescriptions is there an easier way of obtaining these rather than remembering to request them each month?

Repeat Dispensing - This is a scheme whereby six months worth of prescriptions can be sent to one of the local chemists. Patients can then collect their medications directly from the chemist each month.  Patients should discuss this with their doctor.

5. Date of Next Meeting

Tuesday 17^th January 2012, 2pm.

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