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Latest Patient Board Meeting Minutes
Wednesday 8th October 2025 (face to face Meeting) 1pm to 2pm
Full meeting minutes are available upon request, this is a summary of the discussions.
Update on Services
The flu vaccine clinics across the 3rd and 4th of October went well with a total of 1,853 flu vaccines administered across all eligible cohorts (Covid is less as the eligibility guidance has restricted its administration to those over the age of 75 or immunosuppressed). 148 DNAs and although is a reduction from previous years, it costs the practice and NHS £4191.36p (each DNA costs £28.32). This information will be shared in our Waiting room. A further mop-up clinic for those who could not attend earlier clinics is planned for the first weekend in November. Those without mobile phone numbers are contacted via phone (the practice has not sent out letter invitations for the flu vaccine via letter for years due to cost).
Practice is closed on 14th of October 1:30pm to 6:30pm for staff training and will reopen the next morning. There is a message on our phone lines from today and a text has been sent out to all patients today too.
Podcast continues and we hope to get a few more episodes recorded before considering a platform like Apple to support ease of access. Feedback has been positive but only a small number of followers have been received.
GP survey results. 273 patients received the survey and 101 were returned (37% response rate). The results of this were pleasing. Notably the percentage of patients who responded positively to their overall experience (85% compared to a national average of 75%). Patients found it easy to get through on the phone (73% compared to national average of 53%) and patients found our support team helpful (97% compared to a national average of 83%).
The lowest scores sat with offering patients a choice of locations and we are a single site as well as where patients felt they waited the right amount of time for their last appointment (64% compared to national average of 67%). Partners and management team accept people will have to wait longer for more routine matters, we hope our first podcast helps support patient understanding and cooperation with this. The surgery has also completed work with regards to continuity of care specifically supporting those with dementia to see the same clinicians where possible. We continue to review this and hope it supports the survey change where responses suggested only 47% got to speak to their preferred healthcare professional (compared with a result of 65% in 2024). The results will be included in the next newsletter. The Patient Board wishes to have it recorded that the survey results reflect the efforts of the surgery and should be applauded.
A board member questioned if we could have any input with regards to the questions asked and Catherine explained that we cannot but agreed that the results can be misleading due to the small percentage asked and where some questions are not applicable.
Dr Supriya Singhera has joined the GP team for the remainder of Dr Georgina Saunders maternity leave.
Action
- GP survey results to be included in next newsletter
Transport
The local councillor is considering an additional zebra crossing on Stoke Lane, which would benefit residents, visitors and it was noted disabled individuals with ease of access.
The Traffic Regulation Order for the introduction of car parking charges at the surgery and other sites has not yet been issued. A three-week consultation period will follow its issuance.
A traffic survey is being conducted specifically focusing on the Canford Lane/Falcondale Road junction to look at improving traffic flow.
A public consultation is currently underway for a proposed development by Churchill Living at Carlton Court, for retirement homes. This is a developer-led consultation, not a formal planning application to the council at this stage. The proposed development would reduce public car parking spaces to a maximum of 18, which is expected to have a significant negative impact on local businesses and lead to overspill parking on surrounding unsuitable roads. Local businesses, such as the greengrocer, have already reported a 20% drop in sales. The development is perceived as not benefiting the village, as the new residents are unlikely to spend money locally.
A survey is being circulated to local traders to gather evidence on the impact of the car park closures on their businesses this year.
Working Groups
Digital Inclusion: We continue to focus on the provision of support to individuals using the digital technology and how we safeguard equality in service access in a digital world where some perhaps do not have the means or drive to join. A board member noted that the issue of digital inclusion is wider than just the surgery and affects all online services.
A King's Fund report from 2023 was mentioned, which highlighted good practice from other surgeries, such as collaborating with local voluntary and community groups to hold training sessions in libraries or cafes. The idea of exploring partnerships with different agencies, including local councillors, was suggested. A point was raised from research that some people who use online services for banking and shopping do not use them for health, possibly due to issues of trust.
The government's 10-year plan to move from analogue to digital technology was noted as a critical issue, as it may disempower a significant portion of the population who do not have smartphones, cannot afford them, or lack confidence in using the technology. Providing tablets and assistance at public locations like libraries was suggested as a potential solution.
We have a video with regards to access that requires some amendments but is ready to go after that to supplement the access work. The complexity and lack of user-friendliness of the National Health Service application and other health-related applications were discussed. Patients find it confusing to navigate between the National Health Service application, MyGP, and the practice website. The Practice Manager advised that the MyGP app, preceded the NHS APP and the surgery now advises to use the NHS App.
The Practice Manager highlighted that General Practitioner practices receive no formal training on the National Health Service application, despite being the first point of contact for patient queries.
Patient Access: A one-page guide on how to access the practice's services has been developed and was circulated for feedback. The guide aims to clarify the multiple routes of access (online form, telephone, in-person) and provides assurance to patients. It advises patients to telephone or come in for urgent matters.
A question was raised about the request to call after 11:00 for non-urgent matters. This is to ensure that phone lines are free in the morning for patients with urgent needs. The practice operates with a duty team (usually one doctor and one advanced nurse practitioner) for on-the-day urgent care, while other clinicians see patients with pre-booked appointments.
Feedback on the one-page guide included a suggestion to put the 'urgent' information in red for emphasis and to avoid background colours for better readability and home printing. A board member offered to help reduce the 'busyness' of the document which could be edited further. Another suggested clarifying when it is appropriate to call 999.
The working group would like feedback from the Board and the Practice on the different approaches developed by the working group for representing the interaction between patients and the practice (e.g., top-down flowcharts versus a patient-facing 'fridge door' guide). Feedback is needed to guide the group's future work.
Surgery Phone Message and Website Feedback
The practice is considering upgrading its website. The upgrade would primarily improve back-end functionality, such as the ability to schedule posts. Two design options for the homepage were presented. Option 2, which features a list-style menu within a single box, is becoming more common and was generally preferred by the group as it feels clearer. Option 1 is similar to the current tile-based layout. The surgery will ask the website developers to create a mock-up of Option 2 website design for the board to review before it goes live.
The importance of website navigation and consistency across different devices (mobile, laptop) was stressed.
Positive feedback was given on the current website, including the clarity of the Accurx appointment information and the helpfulness of the podcast. A query was raised about blood test results being available via Accurx but not being listed as an example on the introductory page. It was also noted that the website states appointments can be made online, which is misleading given the very limited availability.
The Future of the Onsite Pharmacy
A meeting was held with the local Member of Parliament, Darren Jones who viewed the issue with the online pharmacy as both a local and national problem. He has committed to escalating the matter.
Darren Jones will also follow up if he encounters any barriers and has agreed to put pressure on the Integrated Care Board (ICB) to respond to the practice's concerns within a reasonable timeframe.
The practice's position is that they have tried to support the pharmacy but are now convinced it cannot continue to operate safely. They want the pharmacy's licence to be revoked by the ICB to prevent it from simply relocating. It was highlighted that another company holds the license for a pharmacy in the village, which has previously prevented other pharmacies like Boots from opening there.
Patients are advised that if they want to use an alternative pharmacy, they should inform the practice so their nominated pharmacy can be changed.
AVT
The board was asked if any members had experience with this as a patient. No one had but Catherine has asked for any feedback, if they do have any experiences of the software during their appointments at the surgery.
Care Navigation
The role of care navigators is considered one of the hardest and most undervalued jobs in the National Health Service, yet it is critical for the practice. Their skill lies in matching patient requirements to the appropriate service.
It was suggested that care navigators should wear badges to identify their role to patients. This is on the to-do list, though there are cost considerations. All front desk staff are care navigators and it was suggested we could place a sign on the front desk to highlight this.
One of the Care Navigators has recently written a ‘Day in the life of’ document which was circulated at our vaccine clinics and is available on our website.
AOB
A request was made for feedback on the different approaches developed by the working group for representing the interaction between patients and the practice (e.g., top-down flowcharts versus a patient-facing 'fridge door' guide). Feedback is needed to guide the group's future work.
Next Meeting
14th January 2026
Meeting closed.