Patient Participation Group

Patient Participation Group - Terms of Reference

Who are we and what do we do?
In line with current NHS guidelines the Holmes Chapel Health Centre has a Patient Participation Group.  
 
Our Mission Statement:  
To be proactive in liaising with HCHC partners and management in seeking ways of improving service to and communication with the patient community.
 
Who are we?
We are a group of up to 15 members who are registered patients at the Health Centre with officers of Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer to be elected annually at the AGM. Bimonthly meetings are held with the Health Centre Manager and a GP Partner also in attendance.
 
Main activities are:
  • To be a critical friend to the practice.
  • Enable regular communication with the patient population and support the direct communications from the Health Centre.
  • Advise the Health Centre from a patient perspective by providing insight into perception of service quality.
  • Encourage patients to take increased accountability for their health.
  • Research views of patients and feedback general consensus.
  • Support community events relating to health promotion.
  • Support HCHC in CQC inspections.
  • Continued PPG progress of objectives.
  • Support activities as PPG or HCHC as appropriate.
 
The PPG is not a channel for individual complaints, these should be sent directly to the Practice manager.
 
Current PPG members are Justin Snell (Chair), Jenny Manock (Secretary), Richard Jepson (Treasurer), Richard Rabone, Patricia Gordon, Lesley Reid, Patricia Cotton, Cindy Finnie, Pamela Garnet, Michael Bowden.
 
You can get in touch with us via email ppghchc@gmail.com or through our social media platforms #holmeschapelhealthcentreppg

The group would like to contact patients on occasion by email and/or text so that they can obtain the views of the widest group of patients possible. We would like to obtain your email address and mobile phone number to do this. Please complete the Patient Contact Form to provide your consent for this.

October 2024 PPG Newsletter

 

Right, let's get the simple thing out of the way first. There are still far too many car parking problems at the Health Centre. Yet again doctors have been stopped from leaving when they need to, and other NHS vehicles have been unable to get unfettered access to the surgery. If it doesn't improve, one of the solutions is to stop patient parking in its entirety. Please please please only park in designated patient bays. Just because another vehicle is parked randomly does not mean you can.
 
Now, readers of the Villagers Mag may or may not be aware that following a national ballot of GP's last month, the BMA (British Medical Association) advised GP's that they should push back on current proposals in funding reductions from central government. This advice has been handed down in several forms, but the most significant direct effect is that the BMA are advising GPs to limit patient contacts (ie appointments in all forms, face to face, telephone etc) to no more than 25 per day per GP.


As you would expect, our Health Centre here in Holmes Chapel operates at a significantly higher level than this figure of 25 contacts per day per GP.  Having to make what is an immensely tough decision for the surgery, Dr Tate and the team have decided to take on board the BMA advice to reduce the number of same day appointments, but have only done so by 3 per day per GP working that day. There is still a significant amount of admin that means realistically our GP's are working above this figure of 25 per day but it does show that whilst they take the advice, they believe our patient care is still the most important issue.

What this means in reality, is that the triage system will reach capacity a little earlier each day than previously. Normally, and under typical circumstances Accurx rarely reaches capacity each day and so we shouldn't see much change at the moment. As always, once capacity is reached then patients will be referred to NHS 111 for onward care. The GPs have also acted on the advice of the BMA to not use a number of templates and processes introduced by hospitals (to save them time but generates work in General Practice!), such as not following the Advice and Guidance process and referral templates. Please be assured that all referrals will still be completed but will be in the form of a letter.

Both the PPG and the  Health Centre are in full agreement that this is a situation where we and you, as patients, need to channel our frustrations into contacting our new MP and make our opinions count in an attempt to change the current way that central government is thinking regarding these funding cuts to primary care.

Why? As it stands currently, 90% of patient contact is with Primary Care, (GP's etc), yet a miniscule 8% of NHS budget goes into this part of the NHS whilst 92% of the budget goes to Secondary Care (Hospitals). By slightly reducing the number of same day appointments available each day it is a collective action by GP's aimed at encouraging central government to re-think the current funding strategy. We can help by channelling our frustration and contacting our new MP to help focus her mind on this key matter. She can be contacted by email on: sarah.russell.mp@parliament.uk 

Below is a link to the fuller documentation regarding the BMA advice etc to this email should anyone wish to read a bit more about why these decisions have been made. 

 
 
Rich Jepson
Patient Participation Group