DRAFT ONLY Biggar Medical Practice Patient Group Meeting

draft only biggar medical practice patient group meeting --------------------------------------------- tuesday 6th october 2020 min

DRAFT ONLY
Biggar Medical Practice Patient Group Meeting
---------------------------------------------
Tuesday 6th October 2020
Minutes
In attendance: Sarah Sinclair (Chair) (SS), Steve Harvey (Deputy
Chair) (SH), Barbara Duffner (BD), Jean Elliott (JE), Beth Anderson
(BA), Donald Stewart (DS)
Apologies: Anna McDiarmid, George Cunningham
1.
Introduction. The Chair welcomed everyone to the zoom meeting. She
reminded the Group that the last meeting for which there were
minutes was on 14th January 2020. The meeting planned for February
had been postponed to March 10th. Lockdown occurred very soon
after that so no minutes were produced. Sarah thanked Barbara for
offering to draft the minute of the meeting in view of Donald's
workload at this challenging time. Sarah then invited Donald to
share with the Group information about Covid – 19 and other
matters. The Chair then invited DS to give an update to the group
which is shown below.
2.
Covid 19 – Lockdown Issues
a.
Experience: Neither the Practice nor the NHS had had encountered
anything like the Covid pandemic, although there were contingency
plans there was little experience or training on dealing with such
an event.
b.
Communication: Daily conference calls were setup as a means of
communication between practices and the Health Board.
c.
Personal Protection Equipment: There was no PPE equipment of the
type needed although this was addressed by DS as a priority, as
was setting up a system of safe working and patient access.
d.
Demand for Prescriptions: Patients were very worried, requests for
prescriptions were at a very high level causing a drain on
resources within the Practice.
e.
Patient Contact: The Practice continued to see Patients, with
initial contact by phone and/or video. Based on this initial
contact the decision was made as to whether the patient needed to
be seen and if so whether the symptoms described indicated
Covid/non Covid symptoms.
f.
Red/Amber Zones. Access via the ‘red zone’ was arranged for those
displaying Covid like symptoms with assessment by an assigned
Doctor. The ‘amber zone’ was used for Patients without symptoms.
Both zones had separate entrances. Importantly patients who needed
to be seen have been seen throughout the pandemic.
g.
Covid Assessment Centres. There were two Covid Assessment Centres
setup, one in Airdrie and one in Hamilton. Doctors from the
Practice volunteered for shifts at the centres.
h.
Buddy Practices. We have buddy practices with plans to provide
support to each other in time of crisis, however restrictions with
IT systems limits what support can be provided.
i.
Services Provided. During the initial period of lockdown, only
urgent work was carried out.
j.
Shielding: This involved a large workload in identifying patients
and cross referencing with national lists to ensure shielding
letters went to the correct cohort of patients. Also Electronic
Key Information Summaries were produced or updated for patients
who already had one in place.
3.
Current Situation
a.
Appointment System: The Practice continues to support as many
patients as before lockdown through a mix of phone or video
consultations and seeing patients in the practice. There is
greater use of phone/video than before Covid. Appointment is book
on the day to understand who has Covid symptoms and how patients
can be best supported.
b.
Chronic Disease Management: The Practice is currently focusing on
Risk Assessment of patients’ conditions in deciding how best to
treat and support them as individuals, e.g. grouping reviews for
an individual on same day to avoid a patient attending on
different days for diabetes, cardio vascular, COPD.
c.
Check-ups/Blood Checks: The Practice is risk assessing patients
e.g. in deciding on the frequency of check/ups or blood tests. The
system will no longer operate on an MOT basis but will be based on
clinical assessment of risk/need.
d.
Admin Non NHS work e.g. medical reports for insurance and shotgun
licences have recommenced.
4.
Community Services
a.
Clinics: Health Visitors, Speech and Language Therapy and Midwife
visiting have restarted. The need for infection control between
visits means that for some services there has been a substantial
reduction in the number of patients that can be seen in a day.
b.
Flu Vaccination Programme: For the first time the Programme is
being run by the Health Boards and not by GP practices due to the
implementation of the GP contract. This is causing confusion and
some stress to individuals. Patients will receive a letter with an
appointment time/day and information on what to do if they cannot
make the allocated appointment. The Practice is unable to
make/change appointments. Biggar Medical Practice straddles two
Health Boards, Lanarkshire, and Borders. They are operating
different arrangements.
Dr Goldie had already provided information about the new arrangements
to the Biggar Community Action Group. It was agreed this would be
circulated to the Group. Sarah agreed to draft an update, share with
rest of Group and DS for comment prior to circulation to all Community
Councils, Facebook groups etc. Action DS and the Chair.
It was agreed that the PG would undertake a survey of patients in the
New Year to get feedback on how they found the new arrangements had
worked. In parallel information about take up would be obtained.
5.
Breast Screening Service
a.
The Group was surprised that Breast Screening was to be undertaken
in Lanark rather than Biggar. Last year the PG had been expressly
asked by West of Scotland Screening Centre how they would view the
continued use of the space outside the Corn Exchange. The PG had
made it clear they would welcome this. Action: The Chair is to
draft letter querying the planned arrangements.
6.
Hospital Services
a.
Transition to Recovery: DS stressed that anyone who needs a
referral to hospital is referred. Planned (elective) and routine
referrals have been affected especially during the initial stages
of lockdown. The transition to recovery has varied from speciality
to speciality dependant on risk assessments.
7.
Practice Staffing
a.
Staff have worked extremely hard during the lockdown and had to
deal with four bank holidays being cancelled at extremely short
notice. To date the practice has had little disruption due to
personnel having to isolate and we have had no staff Covid
positive.
8.
AOCB
a.
It was agreed that these notes and notes of future PG meetings
would be sent to all Community Councils
9.
Date of Next Meeting: Tuesday 17 November 2020 at 2.00 pm