PPG Committee Meeting - 9 November 2023

• Time and location: 10:30am Woodlands Meeting Room
• Present: Flavia Leslie (FL), chair, Kevin Fitzgerald (KF), Babs Capps (BC), Wendy Price (WP), Mary Harrison (MH); Sam Buckley (SB)
• Practice staff: Dr Helen Miles (HM); Kathryn Hall (KH) Practice Manager; Caroline Bodinham (CB); Assistant Practice Manager

1. Apologies: None
2. Minutes: Minutes of the last PPG committee meeting were approved
3. Matters arising:
   • KF apologized for the late distribution of the minutes and added that part of KH’s update was missing. A corrected set of minutes will be sent out in due course.
4. Report from the Chair:  
   • The main focus of course is the Health and Wellbeing Day planning. 
   • Flavia acknowledged WP’s great help and said that the other two chairs of the PPG ‘s have been brilliant.
   • We have 20 organisations coming and it should be really good for Didcot.
5. Treasure’s Report: 
   • There has been no change since the last meeting, with the balance remaining the same.
6. Update from Practice: 
   • Staffing 
     • We’re fine from a doctoring and admin point of view but we have had two nurses resign in the last couple of months. This means our nursing capacity is quite significantly depleted at the moment. The practice has also taken on around 700 new patients in the last few months and we do need nurses to support some of those people.
     • We have three applicants from a recent job advert for interviewing so we’ll hopefully have some more positive news next time. 
     • One of our healthcare assistants is also currently doing the nurse associate training programme so she is only working 50% in reality because she is undertaking a university course which will ultimately allow her to become a nurse in the future. 
   • Practice Premises
     • We have regular cleaning programmes which will include changing our curtains, internal wall washing in the operating room and the dressings room in the New Year.
     • For the best part of the year we have been negotiating the possibility of an extension to the Woodlands practice building. One problem that we found before we can proceed formally to planning is that of parking. A travel survey suggested we needed another 12 parking spaces and this also raises significant concerns about the volume of traffic coming onto the site.
     • We have had some positive discussions with Oxford Health because it would necessitate us needing to purchase land from them, but it is slow progress.
   • Estates and Estates strategy
     • The GWP development continues to make progress slowly, but there is a plan to support the funding needed and a business case is being developed by the ICB.  The project is complex because the building will be built by a 3rd party developer on Council-owned land and will then be leased by the practice.  
7. Health Awareness Day – 18th November
   • This is looking very promising with representatives for Fitness, Yoga, Samba, Massage, Turning Point, Nourish and Flourish, Women’s Institute from Blewbury and Harwell, Parkrun, Corner Man (Men’s depression) at the boxing club. Bruno Brunskill is going to have rolling notices all about health apps and access to IT and he’s bringing at least two of his collaborators to help people who want support with technology.
   • We are aiming to borrow blood pressure machines from the Practice, but although Alex Hart agreed to this, it hadn’t been communicated to the Practice Manager. KH to clarify.
   • Achieve Oxford are sending information about their Weight Management Programme. 
8. PPG Membership Recruitment
   • FL believes that an information desk with information about the PPG will be at the Health Awareness Day but obviously it will need to be manned by one of us all the time. There is going to be a feedback form at the end of the session which will include asking if people would like to be involved with the patient participation group.
   • Information to encourage membership of the PPG is already on the Practice’s website and  on the media screens in the practice. 
9. A.O.B. 
   • Difficulties in obtaining COVID vaccinations was raised
     • Woodlands does not have the capacity to provide this function across Didcot and is only providing a small number of vaccines for those people who are most vulnerable. 
     • Cleggs Pharmacy has capacity issues in booking and the actual vaccination as they also accept ‘walk-ins’ which causes further delays. Apparently, their admin reporting is also under scrutiny and there seem to be discrepancies in some patients being reported that they have had their vaccination when they actually haven’t.
     • As well as Cleggs, patients are being sent to Goring and FL is very concerned for the elderly and those without transport
10. Date of Next Meeting: 10:30am Thursday 22nd February 2024 at Woodlands