Patient Participation Group

Welcome to the Stamford Surgery PPG

• To act as a liaison between patients, doctors, staff and other health-related organisations
• to encourage self help
• to promote patients' needs and interests
• to support the Practice.

Stamford Surgery PPG is an independent group of volunteers who are all patients.

Stamford Surgery PPG will hope to achieve and expand on those activities to better support the Surgery in the future.

We are currently recruiting for new members, if you would like to be a member please get in touch using our secure online form and you will receive a response as soon as possible.

Terms of Reference

1. Definitions

• Lakeside Healthcare Stamford GP Practice: Referred to as the Practice
• Patient(s): Patient(s) registered with Lakeside Healthcare Stamford
• PPG: Patient Participation Group – a management committee comprising some of the Patients.
• The terms PPG, management committee, and committee all mean the PPG.
• Annual General Meeting (AGM): An annual meeting of the Patients and the Practice

2. Background
The PPG has been set up as a result of the requirements for patient participation as set out in the NHS England Standard General Medical Services Contract.

An extract from Section 5.2 is shown in Appendix 1. The primary role of the PPG is to follow the general principles set out in Section 5.2 of the contract.

 3. Aims of the PPG

• To work with the Practice to provide practical support, to obtain and provide feedback from Patients to the Practice and to provide strategic input and advice.
• To encourage cooperation between the Practice and Patients.
• To facilitate regular meetings between Patients and the PPG, where the Practice can be invited, providing feedback to the Practice.

4. Purpose of the PPG

• To give the Practice and Patients the opportunity to discuss topics of mutual interest in their Practice.
• A forum for Patients and the Practice to improve and develop services within the Practice by co-production.
• To provide an opportunity for Patients to make positive and constructive suggestions/ideas about the Practice and specific medical conditions.
• To encourage health education activities within the Practice.
• To strive to engage all Patients.
• To involve patient participation in future commissioning of Health Provision.
• To ensure Patients know how to contact the PPG by e-mail.

5. What the PPG does

• The PPG is both a communication channel between the Practice and the Patients and a practical group of hands-on volunteers to bring about continuous improvement. Ensuring Patients are aware of how to contact the PPG via e-mail and forward e-mails to the PPG.
• The PPG facilitates effective relationships between the Practice and Patients by communicating patient experience, feedback and suggestions for improvements. It also validates initiatives from the Practice around proposed procedures and new developments.
• The PPG works collaboratively and positively with the Practice to actively improve services and facilities for Patients and to act as a sounding board for the Practice on issues affecting Patients.
• The PPG builds two-way communication and co-operation between the Practice and Patients, other individuals and organisations in healthcare, and the wider community.
• The PPG acts as a representative group to support the Practice and influence local provision of health and social care.
• The PPG works with the Practice, in accordance with clauses 5.2.4 and 5.2.5 of the Standard General Medical Services Contract (2019) to ensure reasonable efforts are made to implement improvements which have been agreed between the Practice and the PPG.

6. Online Members Group

• The PPG may set up and operate an Online Members Group. Patients who would be interested in participating may register their interest and email address via the Practice.
• The Online Members may be contacted by the PPG periodically to disseminate news items, and to be asked to respond to questions or surveys in order to obtain views on specific matters.

7. PPG Structure and Membership

• The PPG shall normally not exceed 15 members. The PPG shall appoint individual members when needed, always ensuring that the PPG is as representative of the Patient community as is practicable.
• Any adult Patient, aged 18 or over, may apply to join the PPG and will become eligible to join as and when vacancies occur, or they may nominate themselves (or are nominated) at each AGM. Removal of a Patient from the Patient list means that he/she ceases to be a member of the PPG.
• The carer of a Patient is eligible to be a member of the PPG even if the carer is not a patient at the Practice.
• The PPG will normally meet at least quarterly. In the absence of any apologies or available explanation, any member not attending three consecutive quarterly meetings will be deemed to have retired from the PPG. Meetings are subject to a quorum of one more than half of the members of the PPG. The PPG will extend an invitation to the Practice to attend its meetings. The PPG will also extend an invitation to Patients and carers to attend meetings quarterly to give Patients sufficient opportunity to express issues and concerns with the Practice [and to benefit from presentations given by clinic and wellbeing experts].
• Minutes of meetings of the PPG will normally be circulated, once accepted as a true record, to the PPG members, the Online Members Group, the Practice website and displayed at the Practice surgeries. Confidential information shall be omitted from the minutes.
• Members of the PPG shall respect the confidentiality of any information provided that is not in the public domain.
• Members of the PPG must not use the PPG as a forum for pursuing individual personal complaints or agendas. Members of the PPG must not breach patient confidentiality which is of the utmost importance. Members of the PPG must treat everyone on the PPG fairly, equally and with respect.

8. Annual General Meeting and PPG Officers

• The Chair of the PPG shall convene the Annual General Meeting of the Patients which shall be open to all Patients and carers. The AGM will be held each year, normally in January, at which PPG members and officers may be elected by the Patients attending the. The date, venue and time shall be published at least one month prior to the meeting by means of a notice in the local media, in the surgery waiting rooms by text message, sent from the practice and on the Practice website.  Agenda, previous AGM minutes and any other documents required for the AGM will be available on the Practice website for Patients to access and/or download prior to the AGM, to allow appropriate time for reading and compiling any requested additions, amendments or nominations.
• Officers of the PPG may include Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and if needed, an Education Lead and a Treasurer. Other posts may be created at the AGM on a proposal from the PPG.
• All PPG member and officer posts will be up for nominations and election at each AGM and the maximum terms for officers will be three years.
• Nominations for Officer posts which are vacant or where the Officer is no longer eligible for re-election shall be made and seconded in writing to the Chair or Secretary not less than 14 days before the AGM. Members and officers will be elected by an open vote at the AGM
• Alterations to these Terms of Reference must be proposed in writing to the Chair or Secretary not less than 14 days before the AGM and must be approved at the AGM. You may contact the PPG Chair or Secretary using our secure online form

Latest Committee Meeting Minutes

If you require a copy of older meeting minutes please contact us via our secure online form

March 2025

1. Present

• John Morphy Godber (Chair), Elaine Hooper, Marion Pitt, Morag Roberts, Paul Matthews, Ishobel MacNab, Mark Davies, Judith Juniper, Paddy Jellen, Emma Wilson (Patient Services Manager), Dr Gavin Cattigan (Senior Partner). 

Apologies

• Alison Warwick.

2. New contract

Dr Cattigan outlined some of the key changes to the general medical contract. He said that the BMA had asked for a thorough review of the contract by the end of this parliament. This is the first time for seven years that the changes have come about by discussion between NHS England and the BMA rather than them being imposed.  

The key changes in the current contract are:

• There is increased funding. £969m of which £889m goes directly into the GMS contract. £80m is for improved electronic communications between primary and secondary care.
• There is improved funding for Allied health care professional  roles within the PCN structure (for us that is Stamford and Hereward surgeries). It is now permitted to use PCN funding to pay GPs but only newly qualified ones. 
• From 1 October, practices will have to keep their online consultation platforms open from 8 am to 6.30 pm for non-urgent appointments. 
• Every practice will have to publish a “Patients’ Charter” to provide information about what patients can expect.
• The funding per patient rises to £121.79 a year, an uplift of £9.29. Against this, practices will face the increase in NI contributions and possibly the minimum wage. The BMA estimates that, of the additional money, £3 may be taken for NI and up to a further £2, depending on how many staff get the minimum wage.
• There will be more emphasis on chronic disease prevention especially cardio-vascular disease. 

3. Total Triage

Both Yaxley and Hereward surgeries have been using some form of triage for incoming requests and both have a significantly higher level of patient satisfaction. 

The Stamford surgery will be introducing a “total triage” system from 11 June. All incoming requests will go onto a shortened Anima form either completed online by the patient or over the phone with the help of reception staff for those patients who do not use electronic communications. All forms will be reviewed by a duty GP who will determine what action is needed. This may be an urgent or routine GP appointment, referral to a specialist (e.g. muscular skeletal) or practice nurse or the issuing of a prescription. The objective is to better match demand with supply and make the most effective use of staff and resources, giving a fairer and quicker response to patient enquiries.

Patients will not face a long complex form but just the following five questions: 

1. What, in your own words, is the reason for contacting the surgery? – give as much detail as possible; 
2. Who would be your preferred clinician to deal with your issue?
3. How would you like us to help – call, face to face, prescription etc.?
4. Do you have a specific time frame in mind? 
5. Would you like to attach a photo?

The surgery needs to decide and publicise what time the new Anima form will be opened in the morning.

The emphasis will be to encourage as many people as possible to complete the form themselves online, but reception staff will be able to do it with people who contact them by telephone. For people who walk in, there will be iPads and paper forms available in the surgery.

However they are completed, all forms will go directly to a duty GP for review so there will be no disadvantage for any method of submitting the form.

The longer Anima form will still be available for anyone who prefers it, but the feedback received by the surgery and the PPG tells us that for most patients the longer form is annoying and frustrating. 

Routine appointments for regular issues such as B12 injections, dressings and blood tests will not need to use the triage system as they have, in effect, already been triaged and determined. Similarly repeat prescriptions will still be able to be booked using the same methods as now.

We need to work out just how the practice and the PPG will monitor the success of the new system. The existing regular performance statistics may not be suitable.ACTION: PPG will consider how to monitor the Total Triage effects at its May meeting.

Action: PPG will consider how to monitor the Total Triage effects at its May meeting

The committee members offered to support practice staff with helping patients to learn and understand the changes at a very practical level. Emma and Dr Cattigan welcomed this and agreed that it would be good for the PPG to invite Dr Ashley Norman to come to talk about the realities of introducing Total Triage based on the experience at the Hereward surgery.

Action: John to contact Caroline and Emma outside the meeting to talk about PPG involvement.

Dr Cattigan said that the Total Triage system was the next logical step which the surgery could take to tackle the current capacity issues and resulting patient dissatisfaction. He said there would be initial issues but by building on the experience of other local practices he hoped we would make the best possible implementation.

John said he would raise the triage issue at the next lakeside PPG Chairs zoom meeting to try to get any intelligence from other practices. He invited other committee members to join him at these meetings if they wished.

There is a potential issue in that the ratio of patients to GPs in Stamford is significantly higher than in Galletly and Hereward and therefore we may still have a noticeable capacity problem. It will be important to keep a watch on this, but it should not deter us from introducing the total triage.

Committee members sought clarification on what they could say to patients. Dr Cattigan said it was not confidential, but we would need more detail before we could confidently talk about it. There will be a wide-ranging communications campaign using social media, notices and press. It could also be useful for someone from the PPG to seek to address meetings of local groups such as Mind Space, U3A, veterans etc.

Marion asked how the staff were feeling. Dr Cattigan said that clinical staff were pleased with the prospect that Total Triage would mean that the patients who came to them would be there because they needed to be. Emma said reception staff are keen to adopt the new way of working, which would take some pressure off them as they would be doing more of a data collection exercise and referring decisions to the duty GPs rather than having to decide themselves how to respond to patients’ requests.

John thanked Dr Cattigan for his clear presentations and also he and Emma for their support for the PPG AGM in January, especially in bringing so many practice staff to it.

Dr Cattigan and Emma left at this point. 

Paddy said that a training session for the PPG would be essential before we go out as ambassadors for Total Triage and the new Anima form. Everybody readily agreed. John will contact Caroline and Emma.

Paul asked about intentions for drop-in sessions and Elaine said that she and Paddy would be at St Mary’s on the 18th and Judith and Ishobel would be at Sheep Market. 

Paul said that he hoped we would be able to do at least one drop in at each site every month. Paul will report dates to Emma so she can advise staff and possibly publicise the sessions on the surgery noticeboards.

Mark suggested that we should aim to do more sessions around the time of the introduction of Total Triage.

The meeting ended at 6:31pm

PPG: AGM

Annual General Meeting 2024 Minutes

• Date: 15 January 2024
• Time: 6.00 pm
• Location: Stamford Town Hall, St Mary’s Hill, Stamford, PE9 2DR

Attendees

• Julie Clarke - PPG Chair (JC)
• John Morphy Godber - PPG Vice-Chair (JMG)
• Elaine Hooper - PPG Committee Member (EH)
• Harrish Bisnauthsing - PPG Committee Member (HB)

Invited healthcare guests

• Dr Gavin Cattigan - GP Partner/Non-Executive Director, Lakeside Healthcare (DC)
• Jessica Bawden - CEO, Lakeside Healthcare (JB)
• Dr Kate Berry - GP Partner, Lakeside Healthcare
• Dr S Dronfield - GP Partner, Lakeside Healthcare
• Dr K Tizzard - GP Partner, Lakeside Healthcare
• Dr J Moon -  GP Partner, Lakeside Healthcare
• Teri White - Lakeside Hub Manager (TW)
• Caroline Freeman - Lakeside Healthcare Group Communications Officer (CF)

Apologies

• Liz Thompson PPG Committee Member (LT)
• Paul Matthews PPG Committee Member (LT)

Welcome and Introduction by the Chair (JC)

BP Welcomed patients and invited guests to the meeting.

Minutes of last AGM, held 31 January 2023

Minutes were distributed to all attendees, proposed as accepted and seconded by patient attendees.

Matters arising from last AGM

No matters arising

Chair’s Report

JC read her report, reflecting on the past year. Although there is work still to be done, the improvement in performance, patient engagement and the work carried out to address issues raised in the previous year’s poor CQC rating was extremely welcome. JC listed some of the improvements made, where the practice had consulted with the PPG, listened and made changes. These included staggering appointments, so those who are unable to call at 8am, through work or family commitments, can now call or login as further appointments are released throughout the day; an improved online service, which is more user-friendly for patients and an increase in pharmacy staff. The practice has also increased its GP numbers by four. JC said practices throughout the UK are suffering the effects of reduced numbers of GPs and that, while patients must accept that pre-Covid levels would not return, there are positive steps in place. The practice currently has above-UK average appointments per 1,000 patients and its new software system will be able to direct patients who do not need to see a GP, but who still require treatment by another clinician or practitioner, can now be given an appointment directly with that service. She reminded patients that the PPG has an email address and a direct phone line and regular drop-in sessions are held at both surgeries. She urged patients to use these to let the PPG know about issues, which they will then feed back to the practice. JC then announced that she was stepping down as Chair of the PPG, since she is leaving the area and said that she hoped her Vice-Chair, John Morphy Godber would take up the position.

Address to the meeting by JB

JB made a presentation, aided by slides which had been provided in hard copy for attendees and offered a question and answer session afterwards. The slides gave an overview of:

• The workforce, including GPs, Nurses, Dispensary and Practice management. A breakdown of appointments in the past year, including face-to-face, telephone, home visits and video.
• Figures on the overview of the local and national picture, focusing on Lincolnshire GPs
• GP Recruitment
• An update on what the practice is doing to address the issues identified in the recent Care
• Profiles of the different roles within the Practice (with photos), including Emergency Care Practitioner, Physiotherapist, Social Prescriber, Practice Nurse and Pharmacy Technician.

A copy of the presentation has been made available at the surgery and patients can request a copy.

JB and GC then took questions from the floor

PPG Committee Terms of Reference (TOR)

Proposed new TORs, replacing those adopted in January 2023 were discussed and amendments were proposed. A vote was held and the TORs, including amendments were accepted. The new TORs will be signed off at the next committee meeting by the PPG Committee Chair and the Practice.

Votes on nominations for existing committee members and proposed new members

The Chair asked that the existing committee members, who had expressed a wish to remain on the committee be voted in. This was agreed.

Election of Officers

JC Proposed JMG to take the place of Chair and this was seconded by EH and JMG was duly voted in as Chair of the PPG.

Questions for the PPG

The committee took questions from the floor, although some were addressed to the Practice. A number of patients thanked the PPG Committee for their work and said that they were happy to see the improvement in service and communications between the practice and the PPG.

JB expressed her thanks to JC for the work she had done with the PPG and wished her well in her future endeavours.

AOB

JC said that the AGM had traditionally been held in January. This may not ideal, in terms of weather and dark evenings, so invited patients to let her know, by show of hands, if they would like to change the date to spring or summer. There was no appetite for a change and so it was determined that the AGM should remain for January 2025.