Patient Forum
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Most business have a bottom line, and ours has one too. When it comes down to it, our performance is only as good as those using it think it is. It’s very important to us then to listen to our patients’ views, so if you have suggestions, compliments or complaints, then please take the time to let us know. There are a number of ways of doing this. You can ask for an appointment with the Practice Manager, email us here, or write in. Alternatively you can join our Patient Forum, which is a group that meets regularly to discuss matters concerning the Surgery, and helps plan future developments.. The group is relatively new, but hopefully will develop in a way that helps focus patients’ views and makes the services we provide better. If you would like to be part of this exciting development, please email us here
Below is our most recent patient participation report detailing the work of the Forum
PATIENT PARTICIPATION DES ANNUAL REPORT 2011-12 STUART ROAD SURGERY
INTRODUCTION
This report sets out the activity taken during the year by Stuart Road Surgery and its Patients’ Forum in support of the Patient Participation DES.
BACKGROUND
The Surgery has had a Patient Representative Group ( PRG ) since early 2007, predating the DES by four years. The Group has traditionally met quarterly and discussed matters of interest, normally identified by the Surgery, although the facility always existed for members of the Group to table matters themselves.
Membership of the 2007 Group was established by responses to general invitation to the entire patient population. Care was taken to ensure a mix of those with long term conditions and disabilities were included. Where a particular condition was not represented, potential candidates were identified and invited by telephone calls to join the group. All those making complaints were also invited to join over a two year period.
The Group looked at the results of the annual patient Survey and suggested actions for the Surgery to consider, the majority of which were taken into account. The Group were particularly active in helping plan the changes to the entrance lobby and reception desks to ensure DDA compliance in 2008.
ANALYSIS OF MEMBERSHIP
On adoption of the DES, we analysed the membership of the 2007 Group. There had of course been changes in membership since its inception, but some patterns were clear. Although the gender balance was reasonable, there was a preponderance of older age groups. This may have resulted from our original concern to include as many long term conditions as possible. There was also a total absence of representation from any ethnic minority.
This was discussed with the pre existing Group. While there was some disquiet, it was agreed that we should seek a more representative membership, without disenfranchising existing members. In short we would expand the Group rather than disband it.
We also discussed with the Group the options of ‘real’ and ‘virtual’ groups. There was a strong feeling that physical meetings were very necessary, and that any ‘virtual’ element should supplement these rather than replace them. The issue of creating a sort of ‘two tier’ membership with those only participating in the ‘virtual’ group was discussed, but considered workable. We agreed to proceed with this, but to keep the matter under review.
See appendix A for the age/gender/ethnicity analysis of our patient population, and the new Forum. Also attached is an A4 copy of the poster advertising the group and how to join. See also http://stuartroadsurgery.co.uk/patient-forum.html from the Surgery website.
ACTION TO RECRUIT NEW MEMBERS
We charged one of our health care assistants with the task of identifying some younger members from amongst those she had clinical contact with. She was also tasked with identifying potential members from the ethnic minorities.
Posters were placed in the waiting room and on the ‘ticker tape’ messaging inviting new members ( without targeting ), and patients from the targeted groups were telephoned to encourage them to put themselves forward.
This had some success, and several new members were recruited. Some put themselves forward on the basis that they would be members of the ‘virtual’ group only.
This process led us to attempt to define the role and terms of reference of the group more tightly.
See appendix B for the 2011 Group’s terms of reference, as agreed at its first meeting 16th May 2011.
The task of making sure the Forum is truly representative is ongoing. Currently the gender balance is reasonable, and we have made considerable progress in ensuring those between 20 – 40 are represented, but still need a further member within these age bands. We were unable to engage with any under 16 year olds, even on the virtual Forum, and need to consider how to address that in the coming months.
The ethnicity of our patient population is predominantly white British. In that sense our successful efforts to include other Groups on the Forum has led to some apparent inequities in representation. However we believe the need to make our services responsive and accessible to all groups is not directly and numerically relative to each group’s size.
PATIENT SURVEY DESIGN AND AGREEMENT OF ISSUES
The patient Survey was one of the main issues discussed with the Forum during the year; others included the anonymous analysis of patient complaints, Tesco PLC’s proposed development, and the opening of Medichem ( Pontefract ) pharmacy adjacent to the Surgery.
The need for a Survey was discussed at the May meeting of the Forum. The general feeling was that it should concentrate on the sort of questions asked in previous Surveys to enable trend data to be included. The ‘real’ Group meeting agreed that the extended ‘virtual’ Group should help in the design, and one member, a retired statistician, agreed to provide particular support in designing the Survey for more detailed analysis.
The Survey questionnaire was formally agreed by the Forum at its meeting on 31st August 2011.
See Appendix C for agenda and minutes of 31st August meeting
See Appendix D for the questionnaire as agreed.
THE PATIENT SURVEY-DISTRIBUTION AND COMPLETION
The Patient Survey 2011 was advertised in the Surgery on the Patients’ Forum notice board and ticker tape messaging. It was also advertised on the Surgery website.
Completion was either by paper on on-line through the website. Patients were encouraged to fill in the questionnaire while waiting in the waiting room for their appointment.
For analysis purposes, the Survey was ‘closed’ on 16th December, by which time 282 responses had been received, 220 on paper, and 62 on line. This represents 3.4% of our patient population ( 8350 ) and a return rate in excess of the required 25 per 1000.
ANALYSIS OF RESPONSES
The Survey results were analysed and a narrative action plan developed to be discussed with the Forum at its 23rd January meeting.
The Forum discussed both the results and the action plan. There was some discussion of the need for walk-in appointments, and in the end this was dismissed as unworkable.
However the suggestion that more ‘same day’ appointments should be available was welcome.
The current opening times of the Surgery should remain as follows;
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 18:30 ( excluding public holidays ) Alternate 08:00 - 12:15 Sats
When the Surgery is closed, there is an Out of Hours service available. Patients should call the Surgery main line on 019 77 703437 where details of how to access the services will be given. The number is 0345 605 9999.
The Forum also wanted some consideration to be given to making appointments bookable on-line, as long as this was an additional service, rather than a replacement one. The Surgery agreed to this.
The Forum wanted to return to the issue of prescription ordering by phone once the Electronic Prescription Service was implemented. The Surgery agreed to this.
See Appendix E for the analysis of the Survey results
See Appendix F for the ‘action plan’ as agreed.
The Action plan has been placed on the Surgery website; see http://stuartroadsurgery.co.uk/latest-news.html. Its availability is advertised on the Patients’ Forum notice board, and on the waiting room ticker tape.
It has been shared with the PCT as required as part of this report.
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