PPG: Meeting Minutes 13th June 2023

BACK TO MAIN INDEX

Members/apologies

Welcome

David welcomed all present.

Apologies

Apologies had been received from Arthur and Shirley.

David announced that Val Stanley has had to retire from the group due to family commitments. David wished it to be noted that Val had given much appreciated support and had made a significant contribution in her time with the group. She will be greatly missed. Amanda would join the meeting at 3pm.

Minutes of Last Meeting

The May 2023 Meeting Minutes were approved.

Matters arising from the Minutes: 

Texts at the weekend:

This item was carried over from the May agenda and relates to feedback given from a member of the public attending the Open Evening in April.  The issue had been that some texts sent out by the Practice on the weekend (when the Practice was closed) can cause distress if a patient was unable to speak to someone to seek clarity.  Cam reported that the Practice had discussed the issue and would no longer send texts at the weekend.

Practice Updates:

Cam reported that two new staff had been recruited on Reception who between them would cover 1 full time position.  Process to recruit an apprentice was ongoing.
Due to workload of the past month the subject of DNAs would be discussed next month.

Andrew reported a situation where an appointment was offered on a Saturday.  Cam confirmed that the Practice was open on a Saturday once a month.  He went on to explain that within the PCN there was always one practice open on a Saturday and that the Westbank Practice could book patients in to appointments elsewhere within the PCN.  Availability of Saturday appointments needs to be communicated in the next Newsletter.

David made an appointment at the Exminster surgery, forgetting that he had already made one for the same time at the Starcross surgery for a different procedure. He was surprised that the computer did not pick up on the duplication. Cam to look into the issue.

Cam reported that all reception staff had been re-briefed that patients were able to book appointments at the reception desk if advised to do so after visiting their GP.

PPG participation in CQC Reports

Val Stanley had drafted a letter to the CQC which had been seen by the Practice before being sent to the CQC by David. There had been no response to date.

News from Westbank

Amanda reported that a Westbank Day was being held so that the different groups and volunteers could learn about each other’s activities and to promote more cohesion between the different groups.  

Cafe on the Corner: Plans were being made to use the space for activities on the days when the cafe was not open.

A Weaning Club was starting in September.  

Funds had been secured to finish the Community Kitchen and fund an initial larder.  The referral mechanism for participants was being decided although contact with the school had already been made.

A Sitting in Service to enable respite time for carers was being piloted.

It had been recognised that Westbank needed to look at their visibility/activity in the outer areas as it had dropped since the COVID pandemic and work had started on this.

Discuss meeting with members of other PPG groups within our circuit (Exeter Outer Area)

Cam had chased PPGs who had not replied to David’s letter.  There has been no response.  Cam felt that other PPG groups may not exist in the same format as Westbank’s,  ie meeting face to face and  regularly. An option could be to meet with other PPGs using Zoom.  Jan suggested that we may need to approach this on a 1:1 basis.  The purpose of the contact is to learn and share experiences: What do they do? What works? What hasn’t worked?  A short list of questions could be put to the other PPGs via email as an alternative.

David felt that maybe further advice could be obtained from the PCN – See item 9 below.

PPG members to bring to the next meeting two questions they would like to ask any of the other PPGs in the group.

Cam to look to see if other PPGs minutes are available online.

David and Andrew to review previous Exeter Patients’ Panel PPG minutes to see if more could be understood about the other PPGs.

Discuss support for Patients in conjunction with PCN (Primary Care Network)

Jenny Broad, Operations Manager of Outer Exeter PCN, had contacted Claire seeking information about the health promotions and activities for patients carried out in the Practice area.  Amanda thought that Jenny had interest in the social prescribing being done.  The purpose of the request wasn’t clear.  It was agreed that Jenny should be invited to a PPG meeting to provide the context for her request.  David to draft invite and forward to Cam/Alex for approval before it is forwarded to Jenny.

PPG Updates in Local Newsletters

Input for the newsletters provided jointly by Val Stanley and Cam was being edited in content and layout before publication in the village newsletters, these consequently gave differing levels of visibility to PPG activity.  It raised the question of whether the PPG content should be part of the Practice submission or if the PPG should submit its own copy.  It was thought that the PPG would not have enough content for its own monthly submission and PPG activity within in the Practice context was more appropriate.  David felt that a single submission would emphasise the link between the Practice and the PPG. Monthly input would keep information about PPG activity current/up to date.

Jan suggested that content for the newsletters should be a standing agenda item.  Jan volunteered to take over Val’s role and would liaise with Cam to agree copy.

David thought that the issue around a PPG online presence will effectively be resolved if PPG input becomes a regular part of the Practice Newsletter.

PPG input for the next newsletter would contain suggestions about the disposal of medicines and medical equipment via pharmacies. This was a recommendation from Will Farmer at the Open Meeting.

Cam reported that there had been no feedback yet from the individuals who had presented at the Open Evening or from the Practice on the value of the PPG.  It had been a very busy month for all.

Correspondence

No items to record. 

AOB

No items to record.

Next Meeting Date: Tuesday July 11th 2023  2pm  Westbank HL&LC