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Patient Participation Groups

donnellysdogs

donnellysdogs

Master
Messages
13,233
Location
Northampton
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
People that can't listen to other people's opinions.
People that can't say sorry.
If you have regular visits to your GP and wish to have a better service from the practice, please can I recommend that people get involved with their Patients Participation Groups (some are known as Patient Reference Groups).

All GP practices have to be registered now with the Care Quality Commission to practice. To be registered they must have a Patients Participation Group (volunteers) that meets every few months.

The PPG makes it vital for GP's to listen to what their patients are saying. It is not a meeting to take up personal issues, but for GP's to explain what they are doing to improve their services, and what the patients would like to happen...

For example this year, the 3 most important areas of patient care that our GP's have been told to concentrate on by our authority are: OAP's, diabetics and Carers. You may think well, that is practically everybody.. But there are 1000's of epileptics, asthma sufferers etc and children. So the fact diabetics have been chosen is really good, but I would never have known this if I hadn't got involved with the PPG at my local surgery.

Rather than criticising our surgeries and healthcare services as many people do, it is an opportunity to get involved to try and work with them and to improve services...
 
I read your coments re diabeties and surgeries.my surgery just cut back my 6 monthley diabeties check up. My mmols are about 7.5 according to NICE I should be checked every 6months.when questioned this the senior doctor said Nice say every 12 months. I checked with NICE and they say they this is not true.I dont trust this Doctor. Also this surgery dont publish their patients group meetings.Its a very large surgery some 13000 patients so I recon this Dr. Is trying to cut costs at the expence of the patients. It seem to be in line with nhs/goverment. Plans to cut costs by the back door.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Its not down to the surgery to publish the minutes of the group meetings. The PPG's should have a chairperson and a secretary and a good relationship with Practice Manager so that the minutes can be placed on their website with any surveys and a space allocated within the surgery for the minutes to be pinned to.
It is not down to the surgery to organise the PPG or to process the minutes, but they may well do so whilst the PPG is getting off the ground-so to speak.

I dont know the NICE guidelines for diabetics to have their reviews. I personally am never reviewed by my GP, and my consultants vary from 6 monthly to annually depending on how they deem necessary. I will have a look at guidelines though...
 
So with your GP practice, why cant you join the PPG and ask them for mintes of their meetings. See whether diabetes care is ever mantioned etc. dont make it a personal issue but approach on behalf of diabetic patients for your surgery.

Our surgery has a group for online members and for persons attending meetings. Our surgery has 9500 patients.
 
I'm a member of the PPG at my health centre. We're having an effect, even if slight and simple. eg we got some high seat chairs installed in the waiting area for people who can't manage with ordinary ones. we're going to have sessions where one of us sits in the waiting area at a desk and asks/answers questions of anyone who will speak to us this to improve communication and keep things conffidential.
Hana
 
Are you expecting to see your GP every 6 months or a diabetic nurse in your surgery?

Our surgery is now having to consider getting a specialist nurse instead of a gp because they have not had one single applicant from any doctor to them advertising their GP vacancy.

Many people do not consider seeing a nurse that is fully qualified to prescribe instead of seeing a gp.

I have a friend that is a GP and she admits that she relies upon the diabetic nurse in the surgery to know more than her.. My gp friend just sees herself as a 2nd check to the nurse and admits also that she has to look up all the diabetic drugs or medicines to check.. She does not know them as the dsn does.

To be honest, if you booked up to see a nurse when you want a review I doubt very much whether they would turn you away...
 
Morganator said:
I tend to see the practice nurse first as she is very knowledgable if she thinks I need to see a Dr then she will go and get one straight away.
Click to expand...
If it is D related I get the same overworked practice nurse (she deals with everything as the "specialist" nurse) If i ask her anything she knows nothing, just spouts the "party line" :evil: :evil:
 
My surgery on the nhs choice website. Patients comments regsarding the surgery are terrible and nhs performance details condem the surgery.its Registered 2star. Patients group publish nothing although the info section indicate reports of meeting can be looked up but when you try nothing is available.sorry but you must be lucky to have a good surgery.the diabetic nurse said she had no time to discuss problems and just wanted to get you out of the door.and yes Doctors in the majority of cases I found dont know all that much about diabeties. You get more info from the internet and this site.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Morganator said:
I tend to see the practice nurse first as she is very knowledgable if she thinks I need to see a Dr then she will go and get one straight away.
Click to expand...
If it is D related I get the same overworked practice nurse (she deals with everything as the "specialist" nurse) If i ask her anything she knows nothing, just spouts the "party line" :evil: :evil:
If they made DSN a post restricetd by qualification (only a qualified DSN could call them-self one the whole GP surgery house of cards would collapse IMHO
 
That is generally the way it appears that most practices would like their places to run with patients being more accepting that Nurses that are qualified to prescribe should be the first port of call especially if patients expect a same day appointment.

Specialist nurses are just that to me.. They specialise.. Gps just generally practice..

My surgery are trying to find ways to encourage patients to utilise the specialist diabetic nurse and the prescribing nurses before seeing a gp..
 
donnellysdogs said:
That is generally the way it appears that most practices would like their places to run with patients being more accepting that Nurses that are qualified to prescribe should be the first port of call especially if patients expect a same day appointment.

Specialist nurses are just that to me.. They specialise.. Gps just generally practice..

My surgery are trying to find ways to encourage patients to utilise the specialist diabetic nurse and the prescribing nurses before seeing a GP..
Click to expand...
Problem is that I have found that practice nurses are overburdened and are passed off as specialists in everything :lol:
Also some nurse practitioners still suffer from the role of being "able" to prescribe but lack the ability to do any real thinking just blindly follow a set of instructions :thumbdown: it's not "the computer says no" it's the flowchart says no :thumbdown: "
 
But if surgerys dont even get one application for a gp vacancy- what are the choices left to us patients?

I think medicine and life expectancy and population has progressed so much in past 100 years that we have to adapt and try to work with gp practices. GP's used to put themselves on a pedestal but that is changing and GP's now have to listen to their patients through the PPG's
 
I have no problem in working with a nurse, as long as she is trained properly and not overburdened with workload!

and in answer to your Q I pose the Q if you can't get a good landscaper do you settle for an over-worked trainee "arb" who just knows how to refill the chainsaw?
 
I suppose I am in a minority as our A&E and hospital are Run by our GPs so whichever route I take I will be seen by them. This means that our Drs are maybe a bit more experienced and have extra training, major trauma etc are stabalised and flown out to the most relevant major hospital.
That extra hands on experience is part of their nurses training and all the practice and diabetic nurses are qualified to work in the ward and A&E.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
From choosing between my GP friend who admits she's not up to date with diabetes.. (And she is only just over 30 years old) and choosing a specialist nurse.... I would definitely go for specialist nurse.... Even the nurses that are specially trained to prescribe are trained in specific details/symptoms etc to go through with patients.

With our population increasing, diabetes increasing as with cancers and life expectancys etc.. We have to be prepared to help our gp services to adapt and change, as must patients....

As said... Please consider asking if your gp surgery has a PPG and get involved if you want to help improve the services from a patients point of view....
 
Hi donnelly, I am trying to get a support group going in the Monmouth area, so if you can give me any pointers I would be very greatfull. I am not planing to have the first on until Feb, so PLEASE if any one can help with any advice I would be very grateful :thumbup:
 
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