Virtual Patent Participation Group Meeting
Meeting Date: Thursday 1st October 2020
Present:
- Dr S Manickam
- Margaret Robinson – Practice Manager
- April Burton – Reception Manager
Kay O’Malley – Reception/Admin team
GW – patient
Practice Update:
Dr Manickam opened the meeting with introductions to all attending. He also thanked participants for joining the meeting as it was the first one to be held online due to Covid restrictions and the distancing rules.
New Staff:
Dr. Manickam welcomed new staff members which included:
- Dr Meena, a new salaried GP newly qualified with an interest in women’s health.
- Also Charlotte our new Receptionist who has some NHS experience and hopes to train on the clinical side at a later date.
- We also have a First Contact Physiotherapist (FCP) join our practice named Aaron who will triage any requests for physio and provide help/advise or refer for further care e.g. MICATS.
COVID:
We have responded admirably as a surgery to the National Guidelines regarding COVID. Face to face consultations have decreased for patient/staff safety reasons in line with national recommendations. Doctor is able to offer video calls when applicable and can view problems, particularly useful for such as skin complaints. Pictures via text/email also offered as an option. Doctor will see face to face if it cannot be dealt with via the telephone or a more intrusive examination needs to be carried out. The video consultations have increased exponentially throughout this difficult period and are a huge asset for clinicians and patients alike. Over the past seven months since lockdown we have had 4404 clinical consultations and has greatly reduced our DNA rates which were 5.3% at Christmas, now reduced to 1% or less overall.
Our Practice nurse is still seeing patients for urgent/ongoing care but appointment slots have been staggered and spaced out to maintain social distancing and keep everyone safe.
Online Services:
Patients are being encouraged to sign up for and utilise our on-line services, especially useful at the moment for ordering repeat prescriptions. Almost all medications now go via EPS (electronic prescribing service) due again to Covid and our reception being closed to the public who do not have an appointment. Breaking with practice protocol and due to present restrictions, patients can now telephone for medication repeat and acute direct to our reception to send to the Pharmacist. Over the next few weeks the EPS system is to be upgraded entirely (national directive) geared to electronic only and patients will all have to nominate a chemist if they currently do not have one. We will be encouraging all patients with a repeat prescription to have an on-line account, which will save both the patient and the practice time in the long run and take pressure off our telephone lines.
Appointments:
With regard to appointments demand has increased significantly since shielding rules were lifted in August, demand up to, if not surpassing what it was pre-lock down. Appointments available have been increased in line with this as well as increased list size – more same day availability and hopefully less of a wait. We block all slots for Mondays now only to release on the day. There is a concerted effort to push forward with online services and aim to increase the amount of patients using this over the next quarter. Our new receptionist is going to get patients on board to utilise this facility as a separate project. There has been a problem however with finding the practice on the national website. This has been reported and an accompanying instruction sheet given out, but seems to remain an obstacle.
Our Practice Manager stated there are other apps to use – in particular the NHS app (which at her old practice was piloted 2 to 3 years ago). It is very user friendly and does not require ID to be brought to the practice – all done on line by patient themselves.
One Health and Care:
The practice Manager also mentioned that now ‘live’ with an integrated care record available with input from local hospitals, i.e Cannock, New Cross, Mental Health etc. Other services will join soon such as Out of Hours. This is also ‘user friendly’. There is further information on our website.
Flu Campaign:
It is now ‘flu season’ and this year, again due to Covid we have had to phase invitations as there are so many numbers to get through, as well as various types of vaccine, i.e, nasal for under 5’s and a stronger for over 65’s. Shielded over 65’s first, then over 65’s remaining population. The shielded under 65’s and then remaining population under 65’s at risk.
Under 18’s at risk – done earlier this time as if we leave it they get winter bugs and then problems with uptake (done around 40 – 50% of under 18’s campaign already). We have also been able to incorporate pneumonia and shingles vaccine to those eligible to run subsequently within these fixed flu clinics, thus avoiding the patient having to ‘come back again’ for another vaccine.
After this campaign is finished it has been widely reported that we need to tackle the 50 to 65’s. Waiting to hear any more guidelines on this. This will be funded by the government.
Our flu clinics this season are numerous and are being held downstairs at the back of the building on a one in, one out, one way system basis. Each patient is also given an appointment time which must be strictly adhered to given the social distancing measures and numbers to get through at any session. So far we are pleased to report that this has gone really well.
Although many routine booking, appointments and procedures have had to be postponed during the lockdown, referrals are still being made for such as NDPP, smoking and obesity for the over 50’s and all urgent referrals have still gone ahead.
Dr Manickan took this opportunity to thank the whole practice team for their hard work throughout the Covid period and the Practice Manager for her leadership.
Any Other Business:
GW asked as the surgery is expanding would there be more than one telephone line into the practice as at present, or would it be tailored accordingly to meet the growth and demand. He said one single telephone line is not sufficient and that it can take many, many tries to get through to speak to the reception staff. This can cause frustration for patients. Especially if the call is of a serious nature or urgent.
Dr Manickam responded by stating that he and the practice as a whole is, and has been for some time aware of this issue. Unfortunately the telephone system still in use is now old and the model obsolete and therefore does not have the facility to hold messages or a ‘queue system’. Neither can a call be “picked up” by another phone or staff member as neither available. Ideally and inward/outward on different lines may help. Margaret, our Manager said she would look into any funding available to replace with a more up-to-date telephone system that can cope with the workload.
Obviously at the moment the phone is our main channel of communication for patients, so the demand on this has significantly increased, alongside the flu campaign which has been busier this year too.
GW said he had also been having problems using Patient Access. Margaret said she would investigate this. (This was sorted directly later on that day). There is however available a 24/7 non-urgent clinical query online service which is accessible directly from our website. GW asked about the role of our new physiotherapist and it was explained he had a morning slot once weekly where he could deal with minor muscular/joint aches and pains etc either via telephone consultation or a face to face.
GW stated again how happy he was with the service he receives from our practice.
Dr Manickam closed the meeting thanking everyone who participated and that we would meet again in approximately four months’ time.