Meeting of the Statham Grove Surgery ppg 8th March 2018

Meeting of the Statham Grove Surgery PPG

8^th March 2018
Present:

From the Surgery: Dr Ruth Silverman, Lucy Stewart - Practice Manager , Lily Gachette - Secretary, Violeta Pelemis, Administrator

Michael, Tony, Daphne, Victoria

Apologies: Mark, Peter, Joanna, Tim, Inga.

The group commented on improved state of the garden and complimented PPG members active in its maintenance.
Dr Silverman gave a report on the Surgery situation:

1. 
   Violeta had moved to the position of finance and contracts manager. Lily would attend meetings in her place.
   
2. 
   She thanked those who had attended the patient educator event. There would be a further event on the 12^th April from 2 to 4 pm at the surgery to consider the skills needed and the appropriate aims for patients to run groups. Students would be attending the surgery from April especially on Thursdays. The surgery gets a large number of students and it was thought that fitting them into the groups available would not be difficult. It would be necessary to plan the groups into half term periods when tranches of students were attending the surgery. The meeting considered whether these meetings would be possible for patients with full time jobs. Students, apparently were not keen on evening or early morning times.
   
3. 
   The CCG had awarded £ 6,700.00 for improvements in the surgery subject to approval from the PPG. The various options were discussed comprehensively.
   

• 
  The Reception desk should be widened to improve privacy, a measure suggested by the reception staff
  
• 
  A blood pressure monitoring station should be established with a view to reception staff being available to take readings where appropriate
  
• 
  The toilets should be refurbished. The meeting also suggested that the availability of the second toilet in the rear of the practice should be made evident
  
• 
  Two higher chairs with arms should be installed for patients with mobility problems
  
• 
  The bicycle racks should be improved
  
• 
  A water cooler could be installed
  
• 
  An outside tap for the garden could be provided and some funding for plants
  
• 
  Improved lighting
  

The meeting approved all of these improvements and it was considered that all of them might be possible on the budget.

Less well received was the suggestion of the installation of a television screen. However, the meeting took on board that it would simplify the sometimes bewildering number of notices on display, that it might assist with pacifying children and that it might provide a channel for essential health announcements. The display could be silent. The question of what languages should be included was raised. Apparently there are fixed programming packages that need to be purchased. The Practice Manager will look into a modest screen especially for the entertainment/education of children.
AOB
The meeting expressed dissatisfaction with the speed at which minutes were produced. The secretary suggested that we should aim to publish the minutes within a fortnight of the meeting.
Dr Silverman mentioned that a number of patients had used other NHS services, especially online services and discovered that their registration had been moved from Statham Grove with their formal, but not informed agreement. On returning to the surgery they needed to be re-registered and to produce proof of address. This was causing some distress. The meeting looked at the notice that was being displayed about this and suggested a clearer re-edit
The meeting discussed the treatment of foreign patients. Emergency treatment is available to all and is free of charge. In addition visiting family members from abroad of currently registered patients at Statham Grove Surgery are able to register temporarily with the practice if visiting from the EU or from another country with a reciprocal arrangement for treating visitors. Other visitors are referred to private doctors.
Tony gave a short account of the “Future of the NHS in Hackney” meeting run by Healthwatch Hackney which he had attended. The meeting discussed the reorganisation of the borough into “neighbourhoods” to facilitate CCG and Council cooperation on Health and Social Services.

The catchment areas of various surgeries were examined. Statham Grove is on the border of Islington and traditionally takes Islington patients but this causes problems when council services are required. The joining up of social services and health makes a catchment area which follows the borough boundary more desirable. The meeting suggested that a map of the catchment area should be available at reception (although one is available on the website).

The next meeting will be an evening meeting on the 5^th June at 6.30 pm at the surgery.

The Practice Manager will look into providing a speaker on Social Prescribing as a theme for the evening