Patient Participation Group (PPG)

Appointment

Saima thanked everyone on her behalf for attending and explained how important and beneficial it was for their feedback. She explained how we can improve on our practice through patient advice and suggestion. She asked the patient what we can improve on.

5294- Patient informed that sometimes they are not able to get through to book appointments as line is busy and it affects them. Saima explained to them that we do have 4 members of staff answering the phone in the morning hours.

2473- Patient said they cannot get through during appointment times as they are busy getting children ready for school and dropping them off. She feels that she has to prioritise which child gets the appointment as they are only allowed to book one. Feels that this needs to be changed.

Saima did explain the alternative was to 111 who can then triage their appointment to where they think is appropriate. Also to go to Urgent Care, A&E or the pharmacy to seek for help and guidance.

Services

CPCS Pharmacy service is now available for patients to be referred to for minor ailments. If there are no appointments they can be referred there and the pharmacist will arrange a consultation.

Telephone line

Patient were saying the time is an issue because they found it hard to get through reception at 8.30am.

When asking the other patient regarding this no one else said they had this issue. This patient expressed her frustration due to lines being open at school drop off time.

Saima informed they we do now have four members of staff answering the phone at those times so that everyone is able to get through to the practice.

Out of hours/Smart Care

Saima gave information on all the out of our services we have available for patient to access when they are finding it difficult to get hold of a GP appointment.

• Smartcare are open during the weekend and patient can book their own appointments by calling 0121203220
• Extended GP Access after 6.30 is a service available to all patients who require urgent Drs Advice when our surgery is closed. Patient will be directed to an out of hour GP who will be able to advise them on what to do.
• 111 is available to all patients who need medical advice when appointment with GP is not available.
• Self Help portal is now available with guidance on minor medical issues- patient can scan barcode and get help.

FFT Survey

Saima informed patients that the survey has been sent to them via link and to complete it for their feedback.

Action Plan

• Practice will continue to improve towards screening by educating patients and sending reminders
• Hold more meetings with staff and Doctor’s to deal with any issues patient bring up.
• We have got more staff during busy times in the morning to improve accessibility.
• Use the Pharmacy services for all minor ailments

Appointments

Saima asked patients how satisfied they were with the practice appointment system and overall the patient were very satisfied. A few of the patient wanted to the practice to allow pre booking appointments as they are working and find it hard to book on the day. Saima explained we can always pre book for exceptional circumstances when needed. We understand certain appointments require appointments to be booked in advance.

Another patient suggested that we have appointments available for afternoon which can be booked later during the day for example 1pm-2pm. Saima did explain we will suggest this to the practice manager.

Most patient are saying there has been a huge improvement with how staff are handling calls and are generally very helpful.

Most of the issues discussed with patients are related to long waits and lines which are suddenly being cut off for no apparent reasons. Saima explained we will look into this with the local phone network.

Out of hours

Saima and Anwara informed all patient about the many options we have when no appointments are available at the practice.

• 111 – All patient can call 111 and get general advice during or after surgery is closed.
• Urgent care- patients can now book their own appointments during the weekend and the staff are always here to book during the week days when appointments are made available on the system
• Walk in centres – There are a few walk in centres that are still running. You can always search online for your nearest walk in centre.

Over the counter

Saima explained there are many pharmacies that provide medication over the counter for minor elements. Always ask the pharmacy if you require further help. We have a list of minor elements which the pharmacies have available.

Vaccinations and immunisations

Saima informed patients regarding the vaccinations we have available to patients.

The flu vaccination is available for most children and adults who are at risk- anyone over the age of 65 can book their appointment with the healthcare assistant or the nurse.

Shingles vaccination is available for all patient above the age of 70-79 years old.

MMR Vaccines are available to anyone who has not had two previously or have come from abroad in the past 2 years.

ACWY are available for all teenagers and adults who have not had this at school already.

HPV Vaccination is available to teens and adults between the ages of 14 to 24 years old. There is two vaccines available.

Breast Screening

 Saimah and Dr Jessica again discussed the importance of screening. She explained Breast screening picks up early signs of breast cancer. Each patient will be getting invitation letter through the post and they can book their appointment from any of the screening centres available.   If patient have not received any invitation we can give them the breast screening number from reception.

Bowel Screening

Saima explained the importance of bowel screening. It detects early signs of cancer. Patient will be sent a blue and white kit which they have to send once they completed their test. If patient are having any kind of difficulties doing this they can always contact the surgery and a member of staff will help how to complete the kit. This is very important as it detects blood in stool.

Cervical Screening

As with all the screening Saima explained the importance of Cervical Screening. The screening picks up any cancerous cells and help detect infections. Patient will get reminders through the post from the Screening department as well as reminders from the surgery. We sent reminders through messages and telephone reminders. Patient can ring themselves if they are in doubt.

Dr Jessica asked patient what was causing patient in hesitating to attend screening and most patients replied they are either scared or cannot book appointments for themselves.

T.B Screening

Saima explained how T.B screening was available to any patient who have been abroad or have recently come from abroad for the first time. Patient who are here for more than six months can have this test to detect TB.

Prescription order

Saima asked patient on what they thought about the new prescription line? Most patient found it hard to get through and were not happy that certain medication were not on repeat therefore they needed to ring the surgery anyway. Saima explained it saved time queuing on the phone and requests were always handled accordingly. For complex and acute medication they can always ring the surgery to order.

Blood test Result

Saima explained patient do not need to panic regarding their blood result as a Dr will be reviewing all the bloods regularly. If anything urgent is requested we will always inform patients straightaway. Patients were saying they do not get informed once their results had come back. Saima tried explaining that they can always ring back to chase their results.

Patient can always request for an online access account which they can view all their medical history and view any test results.

Pregnancy referrals

For pregnancy referrals patient can log onto the BUMP website and do their own self-referral. If any problems they can book an appointment with Nasreen who will help them do their referrals.

Children’s Blood Tests

A few of the parents addressed their concerns about blood results not coming on time to Saima. Parents also complained that there was limited appointments at Childrens Hospital. Saima explained unfortunately there is not much we could do regarding the appointments  available but we will look into alternative hospitals we could refer children to for blood tests.

National Survey

Dr Jessica thanked everyone for attending and wanted to explain about the new national survey which patient will be receiving via post. She discussed how in previous years we have had very few response to this. She encouraged everyone to give their feedback as this will inform us on what we could improve on. Patient can also raise their concerns and point out our weakness and on ways we can improve by taking part in the survey. She asked patients if they were finding it difficult to complete these forms because the surgery staff are always here to help where needed.

Dr Jessica described how the previous survey indicated that patient were not satisfied with the overall Dr they were visiting. One of the patient explained how she was always miss informed regarding certain referrals. She was not entirely satisfied with the way the surgery communicated when giving feedback.

Action Plan

• Display leaflets and posters at reception regarding screening
• Educate patient on the importance of vaccination
• Practice will continue to improve towards screening by educating patients and sent reminders
• More posters regarding screening and vaccination
• Send text and telephone reminders on time regarding all screenings and injections
• Explain to patient regarding urgent out of hour care available for emergencies.
• More information on minor elements available
• Help patients complete the national survey
• Make a new option on our telephone line for blood related queries
• More help offered with the pregnancy referrals

Appointments

Saima asked patients how satisfied they were with the practice appointment system and overall the patient were very satisfied. Patient said easy but they have to wait. Most patient were happy with the telephone system.

Flu and Shingles

Saima explained to patient who are over 65 it is recommended as high risk for flu injection. Shingles are recommended for patient who are 65-70 to the age of 79 age group. They were told why it is very important as it helps you protect from serious illness. People with Chronic conditions were advice on the importance of the flu vaccine.

Vaccinations and immunisations

Saima informed patients regarding the vaccinations as we always discuss in previous meetings.

The flu vaccination is available for most children and adults who are at risk- anyone over the age of 65 can book their appointment with the healthcare assistant or the nurse.

Shingles vaccination is available for all patient above the age of 70-79 years old.

MMR Vaccines are available to anyone who has not had two previously or have come from abroad in the past 2 years.

ACWY are available for all teenagers and adults who have not had this at school already.

HPV Vaccination is available to teens and adults between the ages of 14 to 24 years old. There is two vaccines available.

National Survey

Saima explained about the new national survey which patient will be receiving via post. She discussed how in previous years we have had very few response to this. She encouraged patient to give their feedback as this will inform us on what we could improve on. If help is needed patient were informed to bring the survey to the practice as staff can help fill this in.

Prescription

Patient were explained on how the practice no longer take prescription queries over the phone or at the practice unless it is acute. Patient will have to ring the practice number and press option 4 then option 1.

Access records

Saima informed patient on how online access worked, she explained how patient can view their own medical record by requesting online access. Patient can access this by bringing one form of photo ID and providing this to a member of our staff who will then give them access.

Blood test Result

Saima explained patient do not to worry about their blood result as a Dr will be reviewing all the bloods regularly. Patient can always ring after 12.o clock and request a review from the Drs with any results we have received. Patient can always view their result through online access as this will show any recent results.

Urgent care blood test

Saima explained patient who is booked at Urgent care for weekend blood test will have to leave their blood forms with reception as they need to be scanned and emailed over every Friday. Staff will try their very best to fit people in over the weekend where there is availability. Patient were very satisfied they had ca choice to book over the weekend.

Christmas time appointment booking

Saima went over the dates we will be closing for Christmas and the New Year. She informed all patient on other options to access when in need of medical help.

Community Pharmacy

Patient were informed on our community pharmacy which patient can be referred to by ourselves. They help with many conditions and minor elements as well as give medical advice. Patient can always speak to a member of staff for further information on these services.

NHS 111 and out of hour services

Saima gave patient the advice on what services to access when in urgent need of medical assistant. Patient can always ring the surgery after 6.30pm as well as call 111 direct. Patient can also google their nearest urgent treatment centre. Patients in need of urgent medical help need to call 999.

Total number of members of PPG: Greet Medical Practice has a list of 15 regular members

Age	Male	Female
00-09
10-19
20-29		2
30-39	2	1
40-49	2	4
50-59	5	3
60-69	4	3
70-79		1
80-89	1
90-99
100+

Sources of feedback that were reviewed during the past year:

• Seasonal Flu Vaccinations
• creening Programs(Breast, bowel .cervical screening)
• FFT Survey and NHS Choices
• Online Access
• Telephone lines
• Waiting time duration of booking appointments

Areas Identified for Improvement

• Appointments
• Telephone lines
• Prescriptions
• Accessibility
• Waiting times

Actions taken to Address Above

• Appointments – We asked patient how satisfied our patients were with the appointment and the new appointment system, most were very satisfied with how they managed to get appointments on the day. Some patients were not as satisfied as they are still not able to pre book any appointments with their chosen GP, which was explained in the recent PPG meeting how this might be changing in the near future. Virtual and telephone consultations have made it a lot easier for patients to access the care they need and they can do this from the comfort of their own homes. This has also benefited young patients and those who are working as they are able to speak to a GP or nurse instead of coming into the practice. Patients can book appointments online.
• Extended hours: The practice is opened on Monday 08:00am until 20:30pm and Thursday 08:00am till 20:00pm. Patients are able to book appointments in the extended hours with the HCA for smoking cessation, general health check, dietary advice and new patient checks. We also have an extended access service with the Smartcare Federation, which is located at behind our practice at entrance B. Patients can be booked in with a GP, nurse or HCA after 6:30pm and on the weekends. This will benefit the patients as there is a wide range of appointments available and for those patients who cannot come in during practice opening hours are able to book in over the weekend or after 6:30pm during the weekdays.
• Access online –We continue to encourage our patients and educate them to use the online access so they are able to utilise the service that is available to them. Patients are able to request for medication and access their medical records via online access. The BSOL and Birmingham and Solihull app has a symptom checker, which allows the patient to check their symptoms online, and will guide them to the appropriate service. Due to the pandemic we have stopped our online appointments but are looking to re-open this service in the near future.
• Community services made available in practice: we are offering social prescribing appointments for patient who are isolated, high BMI, diabetic patients, carers and patient who need citizen advice. This is a beneficial service for the patients as they are given support and referred to other service if required. Overall, this service improves the patient’s wellbeing and provides them with the right support and guidance.
• Community services avaible for mental health, dietician and physio. Also patients can offer advice from Birmingham healthy minds.
• Community Pharmacy service is available for patients to access for minor illnesses.
• Telephone lines – The practice has implemented a new telephone system from November 2019. This was one of the improvements suggested by the PPG. We now have a “call waiting system” in place which tells the patients what number they are in the queue, this is beneficial as the patients will know that their call will be answered and they are able to access the service.
• Patient services – We are continuously educating patients of the importance of having their annual screenings which are, bowel screening, breast screening & cervical screening. We remind our patients of the importance of going to these screenings and send regular SMS message to the patients via IPLATO to keep them up dated about their services.