Patient Panel Group Report 2016-17
Practice Name: West Heath Surgery
Practice Code: M85007
- Develop/Maintain a Patient Participation Group (PPG)
| Does the Practice have a PPG? Yes
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| Method of engagement with PPG: Face to face, Email, Other (please specify)
The PRG has opted to take a virtual form using electronic communication to discuss views and ideas in order to maintain communication when meeting is not possible and to allow meetings to take place adhoc when required for important topics requiring face to face discussion. The practice keeps all communication sent by the PRG. The practice will meet at least annually to discuss activity from the previous year and set priorities for the following year.
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| Number of members of PPG: 8
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| Detail the gender mix of practice population and PPG:
| Detail of age mix of practice population and PPG:
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| Detail the ethnic background of your practice population and PRG:
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| Describe steps taken to ensure that the PPG is representative of the practice population in terms of gender, age and ethnic background and other members of the practice population:
From the statistics above, it can be seen that the panel is fairly representative of the practice’s patient population. The practice recruited two new male patients to the panel which has made the group much more representative of gender. The practice feels that the PPG is representative of the ages of our population, but may want to recruit a younger panel member next year. The ethnicity difference is also within the tolerance of one patient member in each category. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Are there any specific characteristics of your practice population which means that other groups should be included in the PPG?
No | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Review of patient feedback
| Outline the sources of feedback that were reviewed during the year:
The patient panel reviewed the results from the national GP patient survey. Please follow the link below.
https://gp-patient.co.uk/report?practicecode=M85007
The practice also participates in the Friends and Family test. In 2016/17 96% of patients confirmed that they would be extremely likely or likely to recommend the practice to their friends and family. |
- Action plan priority areas and implementation for 2016-17
| Priority area 1 |
| Description of priority area:
Amend the telephone message to advise patients why receptionists ask for a reason when an appointment is booked
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| What actions were taken to address the priority?
Due to the number of different clinicians and services now running out of the building, receptionists routinely ask patients for the reason for the appointment. The patient panel recognise that not all patients are comfortable disclosing this information to a non-clinical member of staff. They recommended that the phone message was altered so that when a patient calls the practice they are informed that they will be asked for a reason for the appointment to ensure that they are booked with the most appropriate clinician.
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| Result of actions and impact on patients and carers (including how publicised):
The phone message has been changed in line with the patient panel recommendations. All reception have been advised that patients do not have to give a reason to book an appointment but requests for urgent appointments should be triaged by a GP.
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| Priority area 2 |
| Description of priority area:
Increase the number of minor surgery appointments
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| What actions were taken to address the priority?
The patient panel noted that there was a 2-3 month wait for a minor surgery appointment as there was only one GP performing a clinic once a month.
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| Result of actions and impact on patients and carers (including how publicised):
The practice manager immediately spoke to the GP who performs minor surgery and requested additional clinics to clear the waiting list. The waiting list has now been called in and the wait time is back to normal. The practice has also looked in to the possibility of training up a member of the nursing team to perform additional clinics. One of the GP Partners has recently completed cryotherapy training and has opened clinics every other week to reduce the waiting time.
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| Priority area 3 |
| Description of priority area:
Obtaining prescriptions
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| What actions were taken to address the priority?
Multiple members of the patient panel advised that they had been having problems obtaining prescriptions from one pharmacy in particular. When they had spoken to the pharmacy they had advised that there was only one member of the team with a smart card and therefore the problem was with reception. It was confirmed to the patient panel that all reception staff have smart cards.
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| Result of actions and impact on patients and carers (including how publicised):
The managing partner agreed to write to the pharmacy to clarify that all staff have smart cards. He also agreed to look in to the possibility of opening a pharmacy for the federation so that prescriptions can be managed in house and are trackable.
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| Priority area 4 |
| Description of priority area:
Work with the commissioners to continue providing extended.
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| What actions were taken to address the priority?
The practice has taken a number of actions on helping patient self manage conditions, these include improvements to the practice website to allow quick access to a number of resources, offering care plans for a number of diseases helping the patients to set goals and provide lifestyle appointments etc on how to achieve them. The practice since being awarded the Prime Ministers Challenge Fund has also now partaken in the design and development of a patient App called MyHealthcare which will have guides intuitive to the patients specific demographics and conditions. It is hoped that this development will be ready for release in 2017. The practice also initiated some disease specific education classes for Diabetes and COPD which helps patients to better understand their condition and how to improve their health.
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| Result of actions and impact on patients and carers (including how publicised):
The result of producing better information for patients means that they can try to involve themselves in their own care and better understand how to maintain a good quality of life. The information is available through our website, through patient consultations and specific leaflets.
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| Priority area 5 |
| Description of priority area:
Patient Call System
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| What actions were taken to address the priority?
Although the patients first felt that a patient call system was an impersonal touch and left out of the design of the building, the Patient Panel thought it is actually beneficial to those that are hard of hearing and other groups as the waiting area can often be a noisy place. The practice searched the market for an appropriate system and is now installed.
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| Result of actions and impact on patients and carers (including how publicised):
The practice staff still walk to the reception to collect a patient for their appointment however the screens will now add a further indication that the patient is being called to their appointment. The call system is integrated with our display screens within the waiting area.
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| Priority area 6 |
| Description of priority area:
Further management of the patient wasted appointments
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| What actions were taken to address the priority?
In addition to the action taken last year whereby patient text reminders were adopted and posters displaying how many appointments were not cancelled and therefore wasted, the practice has looked to further advertise the statistics. The practice has added a regular slot to its newsletter to advertise the number of wasted appointments. The practice also offers more telephone/skype appointments through the Prime Ministers Challenge Fund so that patients can choose to an alternative to attending the surgery if they feel this is more convenient.
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| Result of actions and impact on patients and carers (including how publicised):
Continuing to reduce the number of wasted appointments affords other patients to benefit from this wasted time thus increasing our ability to improve access to services.
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| Priority area 7 |
| Description of priority area:
Move more secondary care services to the practice
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| What actions were taken to address the priority?
The patient panel has seen many benefits of moving services such gynaecology and ultrasound into the medical centre and would like to see the centre house more specialities creating a ‘one stop shop’ environment. The practice continues to talk to other providers to see how care can be moved to the practice premises and has worked with University Hospitals Birmingham and Birmingham Community Healthcare Trust to add Dermatology and Physiotherapy to it’s list of services. Although these are a great start the practice intends to keep adding as many services as possible. Negotiations continue with Birmingham Mental Health Trust (Healthy Minds) to offer some mental health services and also as part of the Prime Ministers Challenge Fund the practice is soon hoping to start specialist wound care clinics.
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| Result of actions and impact on patients and carers (including how publicised):
Bringing services closer to the patients home provides extra convenience to the patient and their carers. Community clinics are often more structured then in hospital clinics and therefore often leads to better access via booked appointments. Many patients that do not travel by car have advised that the local hospital is very difficult and time consuming to attend via public transport and those patients can now experience a more accessible alternative
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- Progress on previous years
Outline progress made on issues raised in the previous year(s):
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- Progress on previous years
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- PPG Sign Off
| Report signed off by PPG:
Date of sign off:
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| How has the practice engaged with the PPG:
How has the practice made efforts to engage with seldom heard groups in the practice population? Has the practice received patient and carer feedback from a variety of sources? Was the PPG involved in the agreement of priority areas and the resulting action plan? How has the service offered to patients and carers improved as a result of the implementation of the action plan? Do you have any other comments about the PPG or practice in relation to this area of work?
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