Patient Participation Group

Attendees:

Mike Bernard (MB), Claire Woodbridge, Sue Hayes, Jane Coates, Michael Holbrooke (MH), Michele More, Jenny Pickering, Debbie Lambe (DL) and Donna Holmes (DH) (minutes)

Apologies:

Anna Soroko, Anni Meehan, Jan Parry, Sally Gardiner, Phil Barber

Election of Officers:

• Chair Person: Mike Bernard
• Vice Chair Person: Michael Holbrooke
• Secretary: Donna Holmes
• Practice Leads: Debbie Lambe, Practice Operation Manager and Dr Jonathan Knight

Review of Patient Participation Toolkit

• Worked through checklist in the PPG Toolkit
• Agreed it would be of benefit to have a chair from another practice to attend our PPG to talk about their PPG and assist with any advice or questions Action - DL to organise.
• Discussed number of meetings to be held per year, decided on 4 per year. Date's planned for 2025, these are the meetings with Practice in attendance, but PPG can organise other meetings if projects working on or any items they wish to discuss further, before main meetings.
  • 2025 Dates agreed (meetings to be booked for approx. 1hour 30 minutes)
    • Monday 6th January 2025 at 5.30pm
    • Tuesday 8th April 2025 at 5.30pm
    • Monday 7th July 2025 at 5.30pm
    • Tuesday 7th October 2025 at 5.30pm
• Member's discussed if Dr Knight unable to attend any of the date's that it would also be nice to meet other Partners. DL agreed that this would be an option for different partners to attend. Action - DL to advise of date's for the year and organise cover from partners for meetings.
• Group discussed hybrid/online meetings going forward and this was agreed – the practice has the facilities available, large TV screen and 360 camera to ensure everyone can be involved in meetings, whether face to face or online.
• Discussed the PPG section on the current Practice Website – MB has already started to look at ideas and will share with the group to be discussed. Action – MB to share ideas with PPG

Other areas discussed:

• PPG network meetings would be useful
• Possibility of attending other surgery meetings
• New members to the group – open meetings could be organised to discuss any items other patients wish to be discussed.
• Health Watch potentially speakers for one of the meetings

Review of Two Rivers Terms of Reference

• 2.2 To assist with the compilation of the annual patient satisfaction survey and review feedback with practice staff – Action – DL to provide further details on this
• 2.3 To provide a link from the Practice to wider community representative groups, for example, Suffolk and North East Essex (SNEE ICB) Healthwatch etc, other PPGs and local branches of charities, e.g. Suffolk Family Carers, Mind, etc – Discussed that this should be covered in PPG Network Meetings, already discussed another PPG Chair attend to talk to the group and members spoke of previous afternoons arranged, inviting different charities in to undertake lectures, have stalls, leaflets available to the staff.
• 2.7 To provide a sounding board and provide input for major changes to services – group discussed and a suggestion made to use a suggestion box and PPG could work through suggestions and then be discussed in the PPG meetings with Practice Leads.
• 2.9 To advise on how to spend money donated to the practice – DL advised this could be money raised through fundraising or patient's leaving money to the practice – DL advised this has yet to happen, but if it did the PPG would be informed and it would be discussed.
• 2.10 To assist the practice organise patient information events, these will include; Mounting displays in surgery to support national awareness campaigns. Patient's education events e.g. Healthy Lifestyles – Group discussed and keen to work with this – DL advised the practice has a Social Prescriber, who could assist the group with this.

Membership and Promotion of the PPG

Member's happy to advertise the PPG at surgery, with display and talk to the patients.

• New PPG leaflets to be organise – Action - DL to arrange
• Mention of previous PPG Banner – DL explained that they were unable to find this. Action -DL to organise a new PPG banner
• Members of the PPG felt that practice staff are not all aware of what the PPG is. Action - DL to share in the next staff news letter

PPG Network

First meeting to take place Wednesday 30th October 2024 – 10.30-12.00 via MS Teams

Action - DH, MB, MH to attend and will feedback to the group.

To ensure you receive the PPG Network periodical group newsletter, are kept up to date on training opportunities and PPG Network meeting dates and papers please register on our engagement platform Let’s Talk SNEE then join the closed group.

This is a two-step process:

1. Complete a short registration form
2. Take a quick group joining survey

Winter Clinics (Seasonal Vaccines)

Talks about Surgery vs Pharmacies giving vaccines

DL advised that they are reliant on dates of when vaccines will be available and arrive, before booking any clinics. The group did identify that the government are pushing for more GP services to be managed by the Pharmacies going forward.

Discussed what the current process is for the practice to invite patients for vaccinations. Action – DL to get update.

Jan Parry had emailed in her absence and would welcome a report on the policy and experience of Two Rivers from the point of view of the practice and patients.

She also gave an example of an unsatisfactory experience 'open doors to public areas, lack of information and documentation, the person administering the injection not wearing gloves, no obvious sterilisation – all very casual and strange, this was the case for example at Spring Road for a Covid Booster'

AOB

Phil Barber and Jan Parry wished to raise – weight loss jabs – to be discussed next time when present. Both also raised possibility of online meetings – already covered above.

Date of Next Meeting

Monday 6th January 2024 at 5.30pm – Zoom Link to be sent with agenda (approximately 2 weeks prior to the meeting).