Introduction to the PPP Constitution of the PPP Reports on Open Events
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We meet regularly with other patients from Winscombe and Congresbury- Yatton practices as the Local Rurals Group, to ensure NHS North Somerset are aware of the impact on patients living in rural areas, of NHS policy decisions. For example, the government will be abolishing practice boundaries so that any patient may register with any practice.
As usual, the apparent benefits of such a move are highlighted. People working in Bristol could register with a practice near their work, which would be more convenient in some respects.
However, if they live in Wrington, a Bristol practice is unlikely to provide home visits if they are unable to leave home.
This is what the NHS consultation document says:
"Option A: someone else carries out the home visit when the patient lives too far away from their practice. This is our preferred option.
This option means that patients who live near their practice would continue to get a home visit from their usual GP, but patients who live too far away would get a visit from a different service and a
different doctor, arranged by their local primary care trust (PCT).
Option B: GP practices would continue to be in charge of all home visits, wherever their patients live.
GP practices would in theory have to provide home visits wherever patients live, but are likely to ask (and pay) another GP practice to see one of their patients if they live too far away.
Option C: people would be able to choose to register at two GP practices Patients could register in two separate practices - one close to where they live, so they could still get home visits if they needed them, and one somewhere else that might be more convenient, eg near work or university.
However, this option is likely to be more expensive and cause confusion about who has overall responsibility for patient care.
Option D: PCTs would be in charge of arranging home visits for everyone who needed them This option has disadvantages for people who need home visits. Patients with serious health conditions, and those in nursing or residential care homes, would not be visited by their own GP, even if they live near the practice. This option has been included in order to have a wide-ranging and open debate, but it is not the recommended one."
The effect on home visits is just one of many consequences - some of which may not immediately be obvious - about this apparent 'freedom of choice'. There are others which could seriously adversely affect our rural practices and their ability to continue to give us the care we want.
The government are closing consultation on 2 July, so there's very little time to think about the issues and make your views known. If you can go on line, go to <www.gpchoice.dh.gov.uk/>
You can download leaflets and make your views known. There's no advice for people who can't go on line.
This policy is being introduced, do make sure you think through the consequences of any decision you take - for yourself, your family, and your local practice.
Richard Thorn
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Membership of the PPP is open to all patients registered at the Practice. Membership of the PPP Network is voluntary. It is a means for informal communication on a personal basis between patients and the Practice. The business of the forthcoming meeting of the Network is to decide upon and arrange future open meetings on health issues and broader NHS issues.
If you would like to become involved you would be very welcome, as the bigger the Network, the more effective it can be. Please email: ppp@wrington.org.uk
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What would you do if…
... the person next to you collapses or a child stops breathing or someone is bleeding severely?
In a bid to ensure that more people know the correct procedures for handling a medical emergency whilst waiting for the emergency services to arrive, potentially saving lives, the doctors and Patient Practice Partnership of Wrington Vale Medical Practice are conducting a pilot scheme of four 3-hour basic life support courses.
The training will take place in Blagdon, Churchill and Wrington on 8 and 9 March, and will be open to all.
If the scheme is successful the PPP will be holding more courses throughout the practice area.
Twelve attendees on each course will learn how to manage an unconscious casualty, perform Cardio-
Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) deal with severe choking and effectively control bleeding. One course will have a child-bias: others are specifically for adults.
The courses costs just £10.00 each per person (special introductory offer) and will be carried out by Health and Safety Executive approved trainers who will award certificates valid for three years to successful candidates.
Places are limited, so anyone interested should contact Jose Tarnowski on 01934 854041 or email
jose.tarnowski@gp-L81086.nhs.uk .
Naturally, priority will be given to patients of Wrington Vale Medical Practice.
Further information: Jose Tarnowski
854041, or Jan Murray 01934 852245.
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At the suggestion of the PPP, the Practice held an open forum at the Sports & Social Club on Thursday, 20th November, 2008, attended by approx. 40 patients.
Dr. Patel outlined the appointments system in some detail, including the constant work and analysis that goes into trying as far as possible to match supply with demand and deliver an appointment system that best meets the needs of all 9,100 patients while also making sure mandatory government targets are adhered to.
She also noted that the Practice has about 60 missed (wasted) appointments a month out of a total of about 2,000 monthly. Dr. Patel emphasized that whilst the Practice tries to maintain continuity of care with patients seeing the same doctor, this is not always possible but the good electronic clinical notes mean that the Practice as a whole can offer a good standard of continuity of care when patients decide to see another doctor.
Dr. Portas made the point that, in hospital services as well as GPs, patients seem increasingly to be choosing convenience and speed of access as opposed to waiting to see a specific clinician.
It was noted that all doctors and nurses offer the convenience of telephone appointments which suit some patients in certain circumstances. It was also noted that increasingly patients are registering to be able to book appointments on line - and that if they lose their on line password, the Practice can advise them of it as it is retained in their clinical record.
Questions had been invited in advance in order to gauge people's concerns, and these were addressed by the various staff attending, with lively follow-up questions being taken. The topics included:
Choose & book : an explanation of the system and why it is that patients are sometimes not referred using choose & book. Equally, there had been complaints at the opposite end of the spectrum, from patients who find the whole C&B system tiresome and unnecessary !
Waiting times for hospitals : When in December 08 the new End Waiting policy of 18 weeks from hospital receipt of referral to receiving treatment/surgery is operational, patients were assured that the Surgery aims to process referral letters in a week at the very outside, with urgent referrals being dealt within 1 - 2 days or on the spot if required.
The impact of the Pharmacy White paper 2008 which proposed an end to dispensing by doctors; as things stand at the moment, he Practice does not anticipate any adverse effect on the dispensing service provided by Wrington Vale Medical Practice.
Referral management schemes The misleading newspaper articles which have given the impression that GPs would be paid extra not to refer patients to hospital, were contrasted with the reality behind the referral management scheme in place in North Somerset, and the guarantee for patients of this practice that everyone judged to have a clinical need for referral to hospital will be referred.
The NHS national database (Summary Care Record, or SCR system): this was, in effect, a follow-up to the previous open meeting held at Churchill primary school when this matter was discussed at an earlier stage of its development. Dr Charles Tricks, in particular, led the discussion of the present state of play and the advantages and disadvantages of this system.
He also described the new version of the EMIS computer system used within the practice currently being implemented, EMIS Web, which would give enhanced backup security against system failure for GPs' notes of their patients.
The Practice has posted on its website a brief document setting out the current state of play with this national SCR database project.
Jose Tarnowski outlined the lengths to which she and her staff go to achieve the daily back-up of patient records - and ensure their physical security.
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Those attending from the Practice, in addition to administrative staff, included
Dr Shruti Patel, Dr Jo King, the Practice Manager, Josie Tarnowski, Dr David Portas, and Dr Charles Tricks.
The PPP Chairman, Andrew Densham, drew warm applause from patients attending when he expressed on their behalf appreciation for the careful and open way in which all questions had been dealt with, and for the effort which the Practice had clearly put into making the evening such a success.
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Expert Patients’ Programme
Expert Patients' Programme (EPP) run by North Somerset Primary Care Trust (PCT). It seems a really good service that the PCT is anxious to promote, and want as many local people as possible to be aware of.
It is a free service which patients with a long term conditions can book themselves into. Patients who have participated in the past speak very highly indeed of the programme. Transport may be available to help patients access the venues
It's for anyone with any long- term or chronic health condition(s).
Groups of 8 - 16 participants meet over six weekly sessions (of 2 ½ hours each) and are led through a structured course by trained tutors who are also themselves living with a long term/chronic health condition.
Each session looks at ways patients can help manage their own conditions, such as
Dealing with pain/extreme tiredness
Coping with feelings of depression
Relaxation techniques and exercise
Healthy eating
Communicating with family, friends and health professionals
Planning for the future.
Anyone who feels they might benefit from participating in the programme should contact Marilyn Edwards at North Somerset PCT, Waverley House, Clevedon
tel. 01275 546757 email marilyn.edwards@nsomerset-pct.nhs.uk
Jose Tarnowski
Practice Manager
Wrington Vale Medical Practice
01934 854041
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Patient Practice Partnership event on Diabetes
Wrington Vale Medical Practice patient liaison group held another successful evening in the Sports & Social Club pavilion, Wrington, on Tuesday, 21st November.
The programme had been arranged by Practice Manager, Jose Tarnowski, and included contributions from Judith Wood, the specialist diabetes nurse from the North Somerset Primary Care Trust, Dr Joanna King, one of the GPs and Nurse Vicky Cheater from the Practice, Sally Furniss, a specialist dietician, and two patients, all chaired by Dr David Portas.
We learned that 2 million people in the UK are known to have diabetes (Type 1 & Type 2) and probably another 750,000 are unaware they have it.
Type 1 mainly affects the under 40s, whose body fails to make insulin, and are treated by daily injection. Type 2 hits mainly the over 40s, whose natural insulin is not effective enough in dispelling sugar from their bloodstream. Their treatment includes diet, physical exercise, weight loss, and medication.
There is a steady rise in the proportion of the population suffering from diabetes, as there is in the rate of obesity. In particular, waist size is an issue. Diabetes can lead on to heart disease, kidney failure, and blindness, but, if spotted and treated early, it can be controlled.
A sensible diet generally involves a 'healthy eating' regime of regular meals, which should include carbohydrate intake through the day, olive oil or rape seed-based spreads.
The two patients, one Type 1, the other Type 2, gave realistic and encouraging accounts of their experience since they contracted the condition - and managed to include not a little humour.
Two representatives of Diabetes Weston support group had kindly brought a comprehensive display of material, promising information and assistance for sufferers.
The committee of the Patient Practice Partnership are most grateful to all who made the event so successful, and look forward to their next open event on children's ailments early in 2007.
RT
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Wrington Vale Medical Practice
Patient-Practice Partnership
was set up in 2005 by a group of patients
(i) to be an independent means of maintaining and improving communication between patients and practice,
(ii) to hold events on specific topics,
(iii) and to monitor developments in the wider NHS beyond this rural practice.
Every patient of the practice is by definition a member of the PPP, which has an agreed constitution, and is run by a small committee of patients, subject to annual re-election at an AGM.
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