Greenmount Medical Centre

Redbank Group Practice

Patient Participation Group Annual Report 2013 to 2014

The Group

Redbank PPG is currently represented by 7 steering group members with 6 patient representatives in attendance. This includes one of the GP Partners and the Practice Manager. There are an additional 38 patients who have registered on the website to receive PPG information.

Support is provided by a new Personal Assistant who started in July 2013 who forwards the agendas, minutes and action logs. The Personal Assistant also updates the PPG section of the website with minutes of approved meetings and notifying patients of the date/time of the next meeting – www.redbankgp.nhs.uk. The Personal Assistant also responds to patients who have expressed an interest in attending the PPG.

The current Constitution agreed that meetings will continue to be held on a monthly basis. These take place on the 3rd Thursday of the month. This will be reviewed at its AGM in September.

Meetings were scheduled: 09.4.2013 14 5.2013 11.6.2013 09.7.2013 13.8.2013 10.9.2013 8.10.2013 14.11.2013 – this meeting was cancelled 12.12.2013 16.1.2014 20.2.2014 – this meeting was cancelled 20.3.2014

Topics discussed at meetings included:-

 New format Newsletter  New PPG leaflet  Patient Check in Screen  Noticeboard of information  Promotion of Electronic Prescription Service (EPS)  Patient Comments and Queries  Patient Survey Feedback  Bury CCG Patient Cabinet  Telephone answering service  Promotion of Patient Group

Group Priorities

The group felt that the main priorities for the group should focus on improvement of communication between the patients and practice, as in previous years, particularly in respect of the services offered/availability and to continually increase awareness of the group and promote increased membership especially from the younger patients, carers and minority elements of the practice.

A practice patient satisfaction survey was undertaken early in 2014 (Appendix 1) which mirrored a previous survey of which the findings are presented in Appendix 2.

Any questions or comments raised on the survey will be summarised, explored and responded to and made available to patients.

Suggestions for the survey content were selected from:

 Reason for visit  Getting an appointment  Waiting time in surgery  Telephone consultations  Reception Service, premises, outcome of visit  Awareness of Healthier Radcliffe The Patient Satisfaction Survey was made available in Reception, on the Redbank Practice Website and the NHS Choices website. Results of the completed survey showed that the majority of patients picked a copy up from the front desk reception.

A new Practice Leaflet – designed by one member of the group is now available in reception. This was reviewed at the 20 March 2014 meeting of which a revised version will be made available in the Reception area and a copy will be sent electronically to those patients on the Practice’s website contact list.

A new Practice newsletter has also been created, the first one issued in September 2013. The Redbank PPG has used this additional vehicle to promote the PPG. The Newsletter is regularly electronically sent to the Practice’s website contact list.

One of the PPG members is also a member of the Bury Clinical Commissioning Group’s Patient Cabinet who reports back to the Group on relevant issues. This member also updates the West Sector Group meetings, scheduled once a month, on all patient representative issues. This member was also actively involved in setting up the Healthier Radcliffe extended hours Development Pilot, whereby funding was secured from NHS England through the GP Federation. Six GP Practices in Radcliffe have come together to provide additional appointments to allow access 8am to 8pm on weekdays and 8 am to 6pm on weekends (see Appendix 3).

Action for 2014:

 Continually improve communications throughout the practice for the benefit of patients.

 Raise patient awareness of the group and increase patient involvement.

 Address any issues raised within the patient satisfaction survey and ensure feedback is made available to patients.

 The AGM will take place in September 2014, at which the current draft PPG Constitution will be presented for approval by the members.  The development of an active Healthier Radcliffe Patient Group under the umbrella of the GP Federation is being progressed of which patient representation will be needed.