Nov. 26, 2025

Agenda

  1. Feedback from last meeting
  2. Practice Changes
  3. GMS contract changes
  4. Building Issues

Minutes

1 Feedback from last meeting

·         Advice on supplements considering medical conditions and medications.  Community pharmacy first port of call.

·         Text messages sent to patients regarding annual reviews should be more specific to inform the patient that more than one appointment may be required to satisfy the review criteria

·         Repeat dispensing info more widely available.

·         We have revised our website and information screen to include pharmacy first information, and this is also included intermittently on our Facebook page.

·         The standard message regarding invitations of annual review has been amended.

·         Repeat dispensing information Included on Facebook page and information screen which has recently been updated.

·         There were concerns over the speed at which the information screen operated; therefore this has now been slowed to allow more time to read the information.

·         CS suggested that it would be useful for the slides on the information screen to be printed and stored in a folder in the waiting room for patients to read.  This is a great suggestion and has been done.

2 Practice Changes

The Practice is currently undergoing many changes.  We have been a reasonably stable team since 2013 apart from Dr Telford leaving, but with Dr Roussak and Dr Manjooran both leaving – Dr Roussak's last day today, this will be a big change especially to those who consulted with them both regularly.  Dr Roussak is emigrating with her family to Australia and Dr Manjooran has had to prioritise his family at this time.  They will both be a huge miss to us all at the practice and their experience and popularity will be felt by all.

However, we have a lovely new GP who started with us last month. Dr Doyle is working on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and comes to us with a wealth of experience.  She has taken over the role of safeguarding lead for both Adults and Children, previously Dr Jeffery, and Freedom to Speak up Lead.  Dr Jeffery is taking over the role of Palliative and Frailty lead, previously Dr Roussak.  Dr Elmahgoub is our Prescribing lead and also looks after Belmont Care Home, visiting once a week to take care of their needs.

Dr Doyle also performs minor surgery and will be taking over doing the minor surgery clinics and simple joint injections.

We are currently advertising for another GP to work alongside us.  In the meantime, we will have some locum doctors working with us to fulfil our needs.  Dr Choi is a regular locum and we have had great feedback from patients he has seen.  We do try to use locums who are familiar to us or have worked with us previously.  Hopefully we will be successful in recruiting soon.

Nurse

Following Julie leaving in May, we have recruited Amanda as our new Practice Nurse.  She has been with us a couple of months. She does the baby imms and specialises in Asthma and COPD.  She works Monday to Wednesday.

Receptionists

We have a new receptionist starting next week and Victoria has been promoted to Medical Secretary.  Dawn will be training as her Deputy starting next week. 

3 GMS Contract changes

You may have seen in the press that there have been changes to the GMS contract which state the surgery must be open until 6.30pm instead of our usual 6pm.  We are fulfilling this obligation by having a receptionist stay until 6.30pm, but as stated in the lone working policy, availability will be via intercom only for queries etc.

eConsults are to be available for patients during core opening hours of the practice.  These are for routine requests only, however there are some which should have been classed as urgent, but the patient has ignored the warnings prior to sending.  This is a very worrying factor. The increase in eConsults is having a huge impact on clinical time. The LMC is in discussions with government about this as a matter of urgency as it places extra pressure on the GPs and is also a real safety concern.

CS suggested we audit the number of eConsults we were receiving and those which were not suitable eg those which were not routine requests.  This is something we will be undertaking.

4 Building Issues

We have had comments from patients about the cracks in the walls of the building.  This has been an ongoing issue over the last couple of years.  We are in the process of arranging repairs in the new year.  As this affects most rooms and the meshing of the cracks to avoid recurrence, this will be a big job.  We have plans in place for this to be carried out in the new year, and we will ensure it causes as little disruption as possible, working mainly in the evenings. 

We also have issues with the drains, which may not be pleasant at times, but again this is under review and being addressed.

 

Next Meeting January 2026 – Date TBA