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Patient Group
Our Patient Group (PG) meets to provide a forum for discussion about the practice.
Welcome from the Woodlands’ Patient Group Chair, Flavia Leslie
Every registered patient of the Woodlands’ Practice is entitled to belong to its Patient Group (PG). Our message is: “Patients and Practice, working in Partnership.” We exist to help improve services for patients.
Patient Group Committee Members:
- Lay members: Flavia Leslie (Chair), Wendy Price (Vice-Chair), Kevin Fitzgerald, Barbara Capps, Mary Harrison, Jim Sayers, Gaynor Thomas, Valerie Thwaites, Geraldine Gadsby, Keith Allen
- Practice members: Dr Helen Miles (Practice Partner representative), Kathryn Hall (Practice Manager) and Caroline Bodinham (Assistant Practice Manager)
Joining the Patient Group (PG):
If you would like to be kept informed about the work of our Patient Group, please let us know via this form. We will add a code to your record to ensure that you receive regular communication from the Patient Group and the Practice. If you no longer wish to hear from us, please use this form and ask us to remove that code from your record.
Patient Group Constitution
1. Aims
- To promote an understanding of the Practice and the conditions under which it operates amongst the wider patient population.
- To engage in activities which support the Practice.
- To promote effective communication between patients, medical and administrative staff of Woodlands Medical Centre and Blewbury branch surgery.
- To ensure that the aims and work of the Patient Group is inclusive and reaches as wide an audience as possible
- To provide a mechanism to encourage patients’ suggestions and constructive criticism about the Practice and its organisation and to provide feedback to the Practice about patients’ expectations and concerns.
- To facilitate discussion and communication on topics of general health interest, including the promotion of good health, the prevention of disease and the development of voluntary support for patients with particular needs.
2. Membership
- Membership is free, voluntary, unpaid and open to all patients of the Woodlands Medical Centre.
3. Committee
- The business of the Patient Group will be conducted by a Committee consisting of a Practice Partner, a Practice Manager, and up to 10 patients who have expressed an interest in becoming more involved and joining the committee to support the work of the Practice and the Patient Group.
- Where applicants exceed the recommended 10 patients, consideration will be given to length of service, availability and first come first saved basis.
- Other members of staff, patients and outside organizations may be co-opted when appropriate due to specific topics or projects.
- Administration of the Group and the PG Committee will be provided by a lay: Chairman, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer, who will be elected by the committee, from its elected lay-members.
- Committee members will be asked to declare any interests that they may have in any commercial enterprise which is health or care related and will be asked to refrain from any promotion of this work when carrying out PPG business.
- Much of the work of the PG committee is conducted via email. Anyone who is not able to use email should declare this in order that alternative communication mechanisms can be put in place to ensure inclusivity for that committee member.
- Membership of the committee is based on the regular attendance and commitment to attend committee meetings which will usually take place during the working day. Persistent non-attendance at committee meetings may result in the member being asked to vacate their position in order to enable another interested patient to take their place.
- New members will be asked to attend a short interview prior to joining the committee formally to discuss the role and their contribution and to clarify any queries about the workings of the committee and the wider PPG.
4. Meetings
- Meetings of the Committee shall be open meetings held at the discretion of the Committee and shall be minuted. The minutes will be displayed on the Practice website and will be available separately on request.
- The quorum for a Committee meeting shall be at least one of: a Practice Partner, or the Practice Manager; together with at least 3 of the Patient representative committee members, one of whom should be the committee Chair or Vice Chair or, in their absence, their delegated representative. The Practice Partner and Practice Manager may appoint alternates if they are unable to attend.
- Either the Chairman or the Practice Partner may request a meeting with the other at a suitable time to discuss matters of common concern.
- An Annual General Meeting will be held before the end of May in each year. Advance notice will be provided to members of the patient group at least 4 weeks prior to the AGM. The meeting will also be publicised in the practice and on the website.
- An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) may be held at the discretion of the Committee or at the written request of 10 patients. Advance notice will be provided to members of the patient group at least 2 weeks prior to the EGM.
5. Wider Patient group membership management
- Membership of the patient group will be indicated by a code on the patient record to enable easy communication via text message which may include links to key information that may interest members on the practice website.
- New members of the Patient Group will be invited to join via the Practice website.
6. Financial Management
- The patient group holds a small discretionary fund for the purpose of funding activities that support the aims of the Patient Group and fosters improved education and understanding of key health topics for patients of Woodlands Medical Centre.
- Funds are administered by the practice in partnership with the patient group and decisions on how funds will be used must be made and agreed by the PPG Committee.
Patient Group Minutes
Latest Meeting Minutes: 16th January 2025
- Date: 16th January 2025
- Time: 10:30am
- Location: Woodlands Meeting Room
Present
- Flavia Leslie (FL) – Chair
- Babs Capps (BC)
- Wendy Price (WP) – Vice-Chair
- Kevin Fitzgerald (KF)
- Jim Sayers (JS)
Practice Staff
- Dr Helen Miles (HM)
- Kathryn Hall (KH) – Practice Manager
- Caroline Bodinham (CB) – Assistant Practice Manager
Apologies
- Mary Harrison
- Harvey Fagg
- Keith Allen
Minutes
The minutes of the last PPG committee meeting were approved.
Matters Arising
There were no matters arising.
Report from the Chair
FL reported that the South Oxfordshire Patient Association hold monthly meetings and she has attended these. The forum has circulated consultation documents on reform of the NHS. The summary of the reform suggestions include focus on care closer to home, more use of independent providers, and GPs to be allowed to test more and also make use of advice and guidance services.
Practice Update
Staffing
Doctors
The practice is currently 10 sessions short of doctor capacity. KH clarified that a doctor session is the equivalent of one weekly clinic and responsibility for around 270 patients, including managing results, prescriptions, and usual care.
Although recruitment occurred before Christmas, one doctor declined the offer. A new doctor was due to start in June but has since also declined the role. Recruitment efforts are ongoing.
The practice is considering temporary GP support through the PCN Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to help with appointment capacity.
Nursing
The practice is advertising for a practice nurse and using agency support due to an ongoing vacancy and health issues affecting a team member. There is good interest in the post this time, offering some optimism.
Healthcare Assistants
Two HCAs were recruited in November and are settling in well. They have boosted capacity for blood tests and annual health reviews. Both are beginning training in wound management and dressings to help in another pressured area.
Admin Staff
A new team member started in January. There are still coverage issues in the afternoons, so the practice is advertising a role specifically to cover this period.
New Appointment System
The new appointment system launched on 9th September 2024. FL thanked Dr Miles for drafting patient guidance but suggested making it shorter and simpler, avoiding jargon like “triage”.
Action: KH to redraft the guidance, with FL assisting with proof-reading.
The new system appears to be working well. Reception staff assist patients with completing forms. Concerns about older patients were addressed: they often start by completing forms over the phone with staff, then proceed independently.
The practice has also signed up to the Healthier Together service, an app developed by GPs and consultants in Oxfordshire to help parents concerned about their children. It offers self-help or referral guidance. The practice can take 10 referrals per day through the app, which doctors find useful due to its symptom clarity and prioritization assistance.
Patient List Size
KH advised that the practice list continues to grow and currently stands at 18,647 patients. Due to current GP vacancies, the practice has around 2,500 more patients than its doctors can fully support. Efforts continue with recruitment, use of locum doctors, and extra sessions from Dr Wilson and Dr Soukup to handle results, prescriptions, and paperwork.
If recruitment is unsuccessful, the practice may need to consider closing the list again to ensure patient safety.
Results from GP Survey
The practice shared last year’s GP survey results. KH noted that patients reported difficulty contacting the surgery, though satisfaction with received care remains high. This feedback motivated the move to an online form system, which has improved appointment availability and accessibility despite some winter constraints and reduced doctor sessions.
The committee agreed on the importance of reviewing next year’s results to assess whether the appointment system change has improved patient contact satisfaction.
Practice Premises including Great Western Park
Progress continues on transferring land from Taylor Wimpey to the Council. All parties are conducting the required checks. Outline plans for planning permission are expected to be submitted soon, with excitement about forward movement. The next steps include working on internal layouts, room specifications, and recruitment.
PPG Membership and Recruitment
Two potential new members expressed interest in joining the committee but were unable to attend this meeting and sent their apologies.
Babs is collaborating with the local school to advertise in their newsletter, aiming to attract parents with spare time to join the committee. She also plans to reach out via the Harwell local community newsletter to generate interest in both the Woodlands and Didcot Health Centre committees.
Any Other Business (AOB)
There was no further business for discussion.
Date and Time of Next Meeting
Originally scheduled for 27th March 2025 at 10:30am.
Post-meeting note: The date has been changed to Thursday, 3rd April 2025.
24 October 2024
- Date: 24th October 2024
- Time: 10:30am
- Location: Woodlands Meeting Room
Attendees
- Present: Flavia Leslie (FL), Chair; Babs Capps (BC); Wendy Price (WP); Kevin Fitzgerald (KF); Jim Sayers (JS)
- Practice staff: Dr Helen Miles (HM); Kathryn Hall (KH), Practice Manager; Caroline Bodinham (CB), Assistant Practice Manager
- Apologies: Mary Harrison
Minutes
Minutes of the last PPG committee meeting were approved.
Minutes of the AGM in July were also approved.
Matters Arising
There were no matters arising.
Report from the Chair
Flavia reported that she recently met with the other PPG chairs, Dr Alex Hart, and representatives from the Great Western Park Community to review plans for the new Health Centre building with the architects. The meeting was very informative, and the architects shared designs on how the building will look, the location of the entrance, and plans for solar panels and a modern cooling system via the windows.
The building will have two floors and 20 consulting rooms. There is an ambulance bay. Feedback was generally very positive. There was a suggestion about the need for a zebra crossing to be sited outside the surgery building entrance. Flavia also fed in concerns regarding sufficient airflow and the management of infectious patients.
The next step is to submit the plans for planning permission. Work on the development is ongoing, with arrangements to transfer the land from the developers to the council.
Treasurer’s Report
There has been no spending against the money allocated to the PPG, and the balance remains unchanged.
- Cheque Deposit (7 November 2022): £179.34
- Cash Deposit (28 December 2022): £50.00
- Total: £229.34
Practice Update
Staffing
Doctors
Dr Leach has recently left the practice. One new doctor, Dr Anna Magnusson, has been recruited. The practice has recently advertised for another doctor and interviews are underway. Dr Pathinayake is unfortunately still off sick. There is some locum support from Dr Rachel Whitefield.
Nursing
The practice recently advertised for a trained practice nurse but unfortunately received no applicants. A new advert will be placed shortly. Nursing capacity remains reduced due to one vacancy and one nurse currently only able to carry out telephone work due to a back injury.
Healthcare Assistants
Two new HCAs have been recruited to help maintain capacity for blood tests, annual health reviews, and other tests and injections. They are due to start at the beginning of November.
Admin Staff
Advertisements have been placed and interviews are currently ongoing. One member of staff is off sick, and another has recently started maternity leave. Although the new appointment system has reduced pressure on the telephones, the work of total triage and the overall volume of admin work associated with the increased patient population have made it difficult to cover all areas of work.
New Appointment System
The new appointment system was launched on 9th September 2024. Dr Miles explained that it helps prioritize continuity for patients with long-term and complex conditions who benefit from seeing their usual GP.
Patients are learning to use the form, but where they struggle, the reception team completes the form on their behalf. There are confidentiality concerns when patients insist the form be completed at the reception desk, so it is preferred that patients ring in if they cannot access a computer.
There is a need to educate patients on providing more detailed information on the form. While the form tends to elicit minimal input, the more information provided, the easier it is for doctors to assess urgency and prioritize. The aim is also to resolve as many issues as possible without the need for an appointment, such as prescription requests, referrals, or test results.
The committee discussed providing guidance to help patients get the best out of the new system.
New Build
Kathryn advised that work on options for an extension at Woodlands Medical Centre is ongoing. The practice is seeking advice about land valuation to consider purchasing the land immediately adjacent to the practice building from Oxford Health Foundation Trust.
New Committee Members
The committee welcomed Jim Sayers to the group and thanked him for his contribution. Flavia commented that she had been expecting another new member, but they had not arrived that day.
The practice team expressed interest in gaining input from younger members of the practice population to ensure the committee is representative. Babs offered to speak to the school where she volunteers as a reading assistant to see if there is interest from parents.
Any Other Business
There was no further business for discussion.
Date and Time of Next Meeting
16th January 2025, 10:30am