Read below our interview from Hasland magazine
The Inspire Patient Group (IPG) for our two Hasland GP surgeries is on a mission to improve communication between the community and the doctors surgeries. They also aim to find ways in which the community can help to support and care for those in need in our area. The Inspire Health group of surgeries consists of Avenue House in Chesterfield and both Hasland Surgeries.
I chatted to retired GP Ian Anderson who is currently Chair of Inspire PPG about their plans for the next few months and what they hope to achieve.
Ian why are you still active in the PPG after retirement?
During the 40 years that I was a GP in Chesterfield, I recognised that the patient voice was important in fashioning services and how they are delivered. I don’t think I managed to do very much about it whilst working because like everyone in the practice team I was so busy just trying to get through the essential work of the day. I do however feel that patients who are part of a PPG can take on a lot of this work on behalf of a practice and achieve changes for the patients.
Why is the PPG changing it’s direction now?
I feel we have to make a move as the NHS seems to be going into the worst crisis of its lifetime. Covid has highlighted what a deteriorating state it was reaching and the consequences are there for us all to see - increased waiting times and many departments struggling to offer a good service. Social care should not be forgotten in this story as it has always seemed to come off second best to the NHS. I’m sure that the situation in this area of care is also badly damaged.
It’s always been recognised that our general practices are the building blocks of the NHS. If they crumble then the building comes down and we are all going to have to look at private medical care instead of being able to rely on the NHS.
The practice teams have been very supportive of our plans and projects and are committed to working in partnership with us. We’ve been given fast track access to the management team and practice staff are attending our meetings. They have also added links to our group to their website and social media platforms.
Can the patients influence this story?
I believe there are many ways in which we can support our practices and other care organisations. I think it is a good time to make a move because another major NHS reorganisation takes place in July when the Integrated Care System (ICS) becomes operational in Derbyshire. One of the central thoughts of this change is that patients should be at the centre of all of the plans and that care from all the providers should be more focused on how to care for people individually. I have however lived through quite a number of NHS reorganisations and always asked afterwards what had really changed for the patients.
I feel that as patients we have now got to be proactive and try and make this new system work for us, rather than waiting for people to decide how it’s all going to be delivered to us.
How do you plan to improve services within general practices?
Over the last few months as a PPG we have been working to construct a system which should better inform patients of what is going on and receive their opinions. We can then put these in front of the practices and other providers and hope that they will respond. Our five aims are:
To pass positive feedback back to the GP surgeries. Surgeries have a complaint system but don’t often hear about when people have been pleased with their efforts. Staff are struggling with low morale and we would like to help with this area.
To improve our website and begin a Facebook page to communicate with patients and PPG members regularly.
To produce a regular newsletter showcasing what the PPG has achieved and what our plans are.
To update our notice board in the surgery waiting rooms and to show our videos on the waiting room TV screens so that patients can see our plans and aims.
To have a PPG representative present in the waiting area of the surgeries to chat with patients about the group and what we do. These actions went live this month and we hope that we will be able to deliver some changes in care.
Can you give some examples of planned IPG work at the practices?
We would like to examine practice systems and see if they can be improved for patients. Examples include the telephone system, how to get the most appropriate appointments for your needs, any problems with getting prescriptions etc.
A bigger challenge that we would like to look at is whether we can maintain some continuity of care. For many people with complex care needs it’s important that they know their own doctor and that their doctor understands their position and care plan. It would be great if everyone involved with our care was aware of our life choices, including where we’d like to end our life so there is more chance of our wishes being met.
Do you think a IPG can make changes outside of the general practices?
Yes, I think there are several changes that could be made. One important fact is that it is not always the doctor that you need an appointment with. There are many other professionals who could give you expert advice such as the Pharmacist, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists or Social Prescribers.
We need to hear from these people as to what they can offer us and how we can request an appointment directly with them. We started our work towards this in our May meeting open to all PPG members when we had a very informative presentation by a Social Prescriber.
Another area we want to explore - especially when care is complex - is how to let patients know what voluntary care is available and appropriate to them. An excellent example of this is the tremendous support given to the Dementia Friends project in Hasland which we organised in partnership with the Alzheimers society. Roughly 60 Hasland residents came along for a simple training course and became Dementia Friends. This just goes to show the high level of community care locally.
Do you think there’s even more potential for the IPG to make changes?
Yes. We want to explain to people what the Integrated Care System is all about. For the first time substantial funding is now available at a community level. If we organise ourselves enough as patients we can ask that our thoughts are taken on board by the local commissioners of the ICS. Maybe then we could influence how present services are functioning and suggest new services that we think would be valuable.
We hope many more people will join our IPG. The more patients join the more influential we will be. You will receive regular updates on our three practices and have plenty of chances to give your opinions.
You can join by sending an email to ppgroup.ih@gmail.com.
Here is an example from our meeting with the Practice’s social prescriber to show why we need to know more about what help can be found for someone.
‘We went out to a patient who has a bad back and a heart condition. He also suffers with anxiety and struggles to go out in public. We were asked by his GP to help with his finances as he was very behind on his mortgage but can’t work due to his health. He needed to sort out any benefits available to him.
Initially we made two different action plans. Plan A was to help to organise his finances if he could keep his home. Plan B was to see how he could be rehomed if his home was repossessed. We helped him to engage with Derby Welfare Office to check his benefits. This led to him submitting a new claim for Personal Independence Payment which could be backdated to 2019.
We worked alongside Citizens Advice, DHA (Direct Help and Advice) and Money Sorted. We looked at housing options to help him to find a new property as he was weeks from eviction. He was found a new home promptly because of his health issues.
We also arranged weekly food parcels.’