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Patient Participation Group

Patient Participation Group's (PPG) are groups of active volunteer patients working with practice staff and GPs. We want our PPG to create a unique partnership to work with us to provide practical support and to encourage patients to take more responsibility for their own health.

Why have a PPG?

We want our PPG to represent our practice population. To give practice staff and patients a forum to suggest positive ideas and voice concerns.

Good to have ground rules….

Ground rules are important to ensure meetings are not used for pursuing individual personal complaints or agendas. Patient confidentiality is of the utmost importance and everyone on the PPG should be treated fairly, equally and with respect.

Become a PPG Member

Latest Meeting Minutes

Date: Tuesday 2nd July 2024 started at 1pm ended at 2pm
Location: Norman Centre, Public Hall
Present: David Forward (DF); Robert Harland (RH); Sue Lake (SL); Mark McGlade (MM); Deborah Mitchell (DM); Lynette Oram (LO); Jacqui Ruhlig (JR); Judith Sedgwick (JS); Julia Vaughan Smith (JVS); Judy Wright (JW)
Absent: Peter Frean (PF); Chris Kitson (CK); Liz Plaatsman (LP)

1. Welcome and Apologies

Peter Frean, Chris Kitson, Liz Plaatsman

2. Approval of the minutes of the last meeting dated July 4th 2023:

The minutes for the May AGM have been circulated to all members.

3. Clarepharm

Ronak Maroo joined the meeting to update the PPG on Clarepharm in Budleigh.

Ronak explained that Clarepharm is a family business. Historically Clarepharm in Exmouth had had multiple owners in WEB. He took over the business in 1994 when it had been Boots 60%, Tesco 30% and independent businesses 10%. Clarepharm expanded to Honiton in October 2022 and Budleigh in June 2023. The licence in Budleigh was consolidated to one soon after they took over the business.

Repeat medication and trays are done from a hub in Liverton. This leaves the shop staff time to prepare acute medications. Clarepharm offer a free delivery service.

Ronak advised that he believes pharmacies are part of primary care. This is recognised in that NHSE are promoting patients seeing a pharmacist instead of a GP for certain conditions (see table below). There is a full-time pharmacist, Paul, who is able to see patients referred to from the GP surgery or “walk-ins”.

Clinical Pathway

Age Range

Uncomplicated UTI

Women 16 to 64 years

Shingles

18 years and over

Impetigo

1 year and over

Infected Insect Bites

1 year and over

Sinusitis

12 years and over

Sore Throat

5 years and over

Acute Otitis Media

1 to 17 years

The pharmacy would like to increase the referrals to 30 per month and the practice will liaise with Ronak regarding this.

He advised that consent to contact patients is not required for “direct patient care” and this is why patients have received SMS inviting them for blood pressure checks. The check is free and a copy of the results is sent to the patient’s GP electronically.

RH shared that he felt the store was quite chaotic although he had received a good service.

LO felt that the signage for patients queuing could be better. Ronak will review the patient flow.

Medication shortages continue to be an issue but this is outside of the pharmacists control. Being an independent pharmacy they are able to use all wholesalers rather then just one and this can be an advantage. It does take time to source stock and this is not always a guarantee to secure stock. WEB pharmacies have a WhatsApp group to check on out of stock medications.

It was agreed that Ronak would attend a follow up PPG meeting when required.

4. Practice Update

DM distributed a flow chart for “Prescribing Process for Repeat Medications”.

The practice will be piloting a “Monthly Drop-in Advice and Guidance Session” at Wesleys. This is non-clinical.

5. Patient Survey

RH and JR expressed their concerns about the way in which it was proposed the survey should be done. This will be discussed further at the next meeting.

6. Next Newsletter

August 2024. DM to liaise with SL about a date.

7. PPG Member Feedback

8. Any other business

SL has suggested the PPG look at areas to focus and has asked all members to contact her regarding any ideas.

9. Next meeting:

Tuesday 10th September 2024, 1pm Norman Centre, Public Hall

Further Information

Latest Newsletter

See our summer newsletter 2024

Committee Members

Chair Person

Sue Lake

Vice Chair Person

David Forward

Members

Peter Frean
Robert Harland
Chris Kitson
Mark McGlade
Tania Davis (GP Partner)
Deborah Mitchell (Secretary, Practice Manager)
Lynette Oram
Michael Rice
Jacqui Ruhlig
Richard Waller
Judy Wright

Contact the PPG

Patient Participation Group
Budleigh Salterton Medical Centre
1 The Lawn
Budleigh Salterton
Devon
EX9 6LS

Patient Group post-box in the Medical Centre.

Constitution

Name: Budleigh Salterton Medical Centre Patient Group
Association: The Group will maintain regular communications with both local and national organisations as appropriate.

Objectives of the Patient Group

1. Communication

Members of The Group should act as a two-way communication channel between the Practice and the community in order to help patients use facilities to the best advantage and the Practice to implement policies influenced by representative patient views. The Group is not a complaints processing organisation.

The Group may from time to time conduct surveys in conjunction with the Practice.
The Group will produce a regular newsletter to keep patients informed and made aware of health news concerning patients and the Practice
The Group will encourage patients to put ideas and questions to the Practice and for the Practice to respond in a reasonable manner

2. Community 'Needs'

The Group will have a role in assisting in any assessment of community ‘needs’ to help the Practice improve its service.
The Group will develop and promote ways for patients to help one another in times of medical need and to develop a community spirit amongst patients.
The Group will actively assist the Practice and the Woodbury, Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton (WEB) locality commissioning group to assess patient needs in the community so as to ensure that appropriate resources may be applied locally to changing needs and requirements.
The Group will be informed of the general practice policies relating to the Locality Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to which the Practice belongs. The Group will express opinions on these policies on behalf of the patients. The Practice will give appropriate consideration to these opinions within their CCG.

3. Health Education

The Group will work with the Practice to encourage health education needs in the community in order for the Practice to provide appropriate and useful community health education meetings.
The Group will help patients become more informed and educated about their health and healthcare, by providing means for the effective dissemination of health and care information of all kinds.

4. Membership

Membership and election to the group shall be open and free to all patients and staff of the Practice.

5. Annual General Meeting (AGM)

A meeting open to all patients shall be held annually. Notice of the day, time and place will be given via notice boards and Practice Newsletter. At least fourteen days’ notice of the meeting and venue will be given.
The Committee chair or his/her appropriate substitute shall present at each AGM a report on the activities of the Group and its own proceedings during the previous year with a statement of accounts (if applicable) and proposed future plans and developments and will conduct an election to fill the vacancies on the Group’s committee. If there are more than three nominations a paper ballot will be held for Practice patients in attendance.

Constitution and conduct of the committee

The business of the Group will be conducted by a committee of elected and co-opted members and non-voting representatives of the practice including whenever possible a partnership doctor.
The committee will comprise nine members who shall be patients of the practice, at least two of whom shall be non-residents of Budleigh Salterton and shall be appointed by nomination to and election by the patients present at the annual meeting of the patients of the practice. In the event that not all nine members are appointed at the AGM, the Committee may co-opt additional members at the earliest convenience.
An elected member shall serve for three years and to ensure the continuity of the committee three of the members will be elected each year to the vacancies caused by the time limit.
The committee may co-opt additional members for specific purposes or to fill a vacancy.
A quorum for decisions at a meeting shall consist of four voting members plus one of the officers.
The Committee shall meet at least four times a year and be responsible for organising and calling the AGM of patients.
At the first meeting of the Committee after the patients’ AGM they may appoint a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman and a Secretary for the ensuing year. The Secretary may or may not be an elected member of the committee.