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Marylebone Patient Partnership Group – 12th August

6pm-8pm@ the health centre
Meetings will be held Face to face but can accept
virtual attendance if you provide notice

MARYLEBONE HEALTH CENTRE
PATIENT PARTNERSHIP GROUP

Minutes of hybrid meeting 12.8.2024

Meeting Chair: JM

Present;  YT, MB, BD ,SL, JmcG, EK,AG, JC,

Apologies:  DH, BH, SF,JM, CB, Daniel (JC deputy)

2. Minutes of last meeting: Review of Minutes of July. All agreed actions completed

3. Matters Arising

JM noted items JC had left responses to regarding GP continuity and retention which PPG felt reassured about

GP Assistant role (GPA) JC noted a request to inform PPG if role at MHC changes from medical admin support to clinicians Action JC/Daniel

PATCHs – PPG felt this was a good option for patients and should be promoted as such. PPG prefer this remains an option, but not the only way of arranging appointments which has happened at some surgeries

How can PPG help? Further discussion in Item 7 Open Meeting re IT support

4. Practice Update

4.1 Staffing – discussion about extent of role of GPAs. The 2 new reception staff (thank you JmcG for attending interviews) are proving very successful. Patients giving positive feedback about both.

4.2 Chronic Kidney Disease- (CKD) – AG explained some people can have mildly abnormal kidney function, particularly when they have hypertension or diabetes, and this requires annual monitoring or medication. It may never develop into serious condition but occasionally does so at MHC we perform annual tests via blood/urine to make sure changes in the condition are picked up early. At MHC we are working with a company called Oberoi (lead by Drs) who do targeted work with experts for a range of conditions. A company have given funding for Oberoi to run some expert pharmacist telephone clinics where they will review a patients recent results, spend time explaining CKD to patients and check the medication they are taking is the most effective. After each clinic the pharmacist will review each patient with Dr Goodstone or Dr Patel. MHC are really pleased to be able to have the opportunity of this project as CKD is quite a specialised and complex area. (the data about patients remains on the GP system)

4.3 Single Lead ECG – AG described the new heart monitors MHC use to perform healthy heart assessments. These are small mobile size/type monitors, placed on your upper chest and they take a reading of your heart to look for irregular activity. The Nurses planned to use this on all patients attending for a flu jab, it takes 5 minutes, and is not invasive at all. However, the monitor was picking up abnormal readings in a very high number of patients and the staff raised a concern because this was not expected (if abnormal it requires additional testing and creates a level of anxiety for patients). AG did an assessment and found a flaw such that the monitor was not picking up readings correctly and so MHC have paused the work while the service is reassessed and a different type of equipment is sourced.

4.4 RSV– From 1 September 2024, those who turn 75 and those age 75 to 79 will be eligible for a free vaccine to protect them from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) which is an infectious disease of the airways and lungs. RSV infection often causes symptoms similar to a cold and can cause breathlessness and lead to pneumonias. Clinics are on the system and patients in the cohort are now being invited. These vaccines cannot be given with other vaccines so we hope to have most patients vaccinated before we start giving flu jabs (which start mid Sept)

4.5 Feedback from patients

A patient has a medical condition which affects females, is newly understood and can cause brain fog, tiredness and menopause-like symptoms. She asked if it would be helpful if she could run an informative session for patients. PPG welcome her to join PPG but we do not discuss self-illnesses/needs or provide platforms for patients to inform re an illness or medical conditions.

A patient suggested we provide a brief explanation of each GP and their interests on the telephone answer message patients hear when waiting to speak to a receptionist. PPG said this would elongate the message and had already suggested this information is added to the website – Action JC

4.6 National IPSOS Survey- JC shared the results of the annual IPSOS survey. The surgery team were really pleased with the results which were an improvement from 2023 and show patient satisfaction is higher than both the National and Westminster average.

Discussed:

Website– the feedback is taken from patients using our old website so we hope this figure increases with the new one

Overall experience is highly rated and above local/national average – Plan to increase this for next year

Ease of contacting the surgery by phone – this is much higher since the introduction of the new telephone system, so is exactly what PPG/Practice had hoped for

Satisfaction with reception – very high, as is satisfaction when dealing with a health care professional

4.7 Safety and Zero Tolerance given recent events MHC have placed ZT posters around the surgery and staff will keep the doors closed 8-9am, 1-2pm and 5.30-6.30 for added safety as this is when fewer staff are on site and also fewer patients. PPG support the decisions taken

5. BMA call to action ‘strike’ – PPG aware (JC sent information) of proposed action in response to reduction in funding over recent years for general practice, GPs voted to take action. The BMA have proposed a variety of options which MHC, with our local GP colleagues, will take action. They include to stop participating in non-clinical data sharing with NHSE where not contractually required (e.g not providing performance data), not supporting roll out of new IT systems and processes created to make the lives of NHSE senior non clinical staff easier which doesn’t impact patient care, and push back work sent to us inappropriately from hospitals. AG described how often hospitals would ask us to do things they should do themselves, such as after seeing patients arranging scans and tests and onward referrals. In reality hospitals delay patients treatment when they do this so patients experience should be improved. No action taken will impact on care, but it will create problems from the admin staff at NHSE headquarters.

6. Stakeholders

JM has not had contact with HCL for some time and JM will contact BH to see if she has heard from HealthWatchAction JM

HCL meeting for patients – JC described the previous meeting in July. Attendees were from several Westminster practices, staff and patients. At the meeting MHC were commended for their website, and taking on board patients feedback and training/supporting reception staff development as our reception team are known to be of high quality service standard. Some patients are unhappy with their own surgeries use of PATCHs and asked HCL to intervene on their behalf which HCL cannot do. Main focus was describing the additional appointments HCL collaborative services provide, weekend nurse and GP clinics and extra acute clinics at several practices across the patch (including MHC). Patients seemed angry that these maybe being offered by some surgeries so they don’t have to provide appointments themselves. JC explained this was not the case at MHC but it was clear some patients at other places were very unhappy, including concerns that reception may be clinically triaging. JC felt the meeting was not clear about the option and offer of additional clinics and patients left feeling this was not ‘as well as’ but ‘instead of’.

The next meeting is October 15th and the focus will be PATCHs.

Action PPG to decide if they can attend and let JC know

7. Open Meeting/Ask the Experts

During flu season PPG is to host an information table which will be a PPG member with a receptionist sitting side by side where patients can ask questions of PPG and the MHC staff. YT volunteered and invited other PPG members to take part.

Action YT and JC

9. AOB

System-one – accessing S1 was made readily available to all patients in Feb 2023. Where patients already had on-line access this sometimes created an abnormality where notes access seemed stuck between the 2 systems – this has happened when patients registered during the switchover period. Patients are advised to let MHC know if access to notes is reduced or not as expected.

Associate Member- Discussion about the role which maybe attractive to some patients. Everyone registered at MHC is a member of PPG but patients may not like the commitment of attending meetings every 6 weeks or so. Patients may want to ‘attend’ some, participate in some PPG work or make contributions by post so this option may encourage more participation. PPG agreed this was an excellent option for patients

Action JM to circulate an AM information sheet for comment

Meeting dates for 2024  23rd September, 4th November, 16th December 2024

Practice website address: www.marylebonehealthcentre.co.uk

North West London ICB(nhs Head Office)   Integrated Care Board (ICB) :: NHS North West London (nwlondonicb.nhs.uk)

Healthcare Central London GP Federation  Homepage – Healthcare Central London