Have your say on how your GP Surgery is run ;
Get involved in your GP’s Patient Participation Group
Local MP Maria Miller has met with the North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning group to discuss the changes happening in GP Practices across Basingstoke and following the disruption of the past 12 months caused by the Pandemic.
Maria commented; “Our GPs worked fast to adapt to the challenges of providing care to all of us when the lock down happened a year ago. Now with many services starting to reopen, each GP Practice is considering how to return to a normal service and what positive aspects of the past 12 months could be kept for the future. Each GP Practice is different. Patients need to make sure they are involved in how their Surgery is planning for the future and can do that by getting involved in the Patient Participation Group at their Practice.”
“Throughout the Pandemic face to face appointments have been available for sick patients who needed face to face help-that will always be a crucial part of any GP’s work. But Practices have also been inventive using video appointments, telephone appointments, texting, econsult, and the NHS App for prescriptions to reach as many of their patients as possible when face to face appointments were not absolutely necessary. This has also helped people who find it difficult to attend an appointment during the working day.”
“For some time GP Practices have been moving away from the traditional model where most people could only see a GP or practice nurse. There are now physiotherapists, paramedics, mental health workers and prescribers, giving patients access to more healthcare professionals which means they can be treated more quickly and effectively."
“Any change needs to be made taking into account the needs of the patients themselves. That is why it is so important patients are involved in the decisions being made in their GP Surgery. Anyone interested in being involved in how their primary care will work in the future can do so through their GP Practice’s ‘Patient Participation Group’, to make sure the changes really work for patients.”
The details for each GP Surgery Patient Participation Group (PPG) can be found on the GP’s Practice website. This is the most immediate and effective way of getting involved with the way local healthcare is run . PPG’s can help build a positive, constructive relationship between the practice and its community to bring in improvements on anything from service delivery to websites and communication .
Maria went on to say, “Since the National Health Service was formed in 1948, GP Practices have been run by doctors as independent healthcare businesses, paid for through the NHS. A number of those businesses in Basingstoke are now merging to offer a broader range of services or moving into new ownership. There will be challenges as a result of this and as we emerge from the pandemic. I encourage residents to become involved though their Patient Participation Groups to ensure that the GP service being developed meets their needs and the needs of their local community.”