Patient Participation Group

PPG Minutes: 4th June 2025

The Surgery Glapthorn Rd, Oundle. 5.30pm

Attendees

• J Bawden (CEO Lakeside Health Care) 
• G Bagden (PPG)
• A Christmas (Acting Chair PPG) 
• S Davidson (PPG) 
• S Edwards (Acting Practice Manager Lakeside Oundle) 
• M Horsnail (PPG) 
• Dr R Naidoo (GP Oundle Surgery)
• S Oakes (PPG
• S McLeod (PPG)

Introductions

All attendees introduced themselves to the meeting, it being the first meeting of the newly launched Oundle PPG

Appointments 

The principal business paper of the meeting was presented by S McLeod. It outlined the PPG’s concerns and disquiet as to the ability of Patients to access appointments with the Doctors and the Practice in general. The paper was lodged with Lakeside Oundle prior to the meeting to facilitate a meaningful and timely response. AC indicated that Appointments were the PPG#s main area of concern, and will be revisited at future meetings continually until improvements are achieved.

The paper acknowledges the present national crisis in the NHS, which results in patient services nationwide being very far from satisfactory and being in disarray. Oundle cannot expect to escape the practical impact of this crisis. That said it is very important that all those involved in managing and running our surgery should strive to ensure that the use and allocation of existing resources are maximized for the benefit of the entire patient body, and that the patient body are in a position to appreciate that this is the case.

Clarity and consistency in terms of the provision of the services which are available is vital. 

Some key issues spoken to were:

1. Consistent complaints as to the accessibility to and availability of GP appointments, and as to the booking system generally.

• A significant number of patients feel that it is very difficult to obtain an appointment at a time which is convenient. It might be helpful for there to be a pamphlet/notice board available at the surgery which makes it very clear what the system actually is.
• There are at present 36 GP sessions, each of 4.5 hours, available each week. A GP will aim to see 4 patients/hr. This inevitably restricts/limits the number of appointments available.
• The meeting enquired if these could be expanded, or if this was a fixed rota dictated by the funding provided by the NHS per patient which, with increments from e.g vaccinations and child immunizations, currently amounts to c £140/patient per year. 
• JB informed the meeting (1) that this rota was not fixed by the NHS; (2) that the present rota of 36 GP sessions/wk was an administrative allocation, alongside other clinical staff services, by the practice as most effectively utilizing the funding available; it is not possible for the current partners to increase the sessions they currently deliver and funding is limited; these sessions could be increased by reallocation of practice resources; and (3) the practice is looking to recruit an extra GP to service the Oundle school patients at the school 3 mornings a week during term time, and be based at the surgery to provide additional support to the practice during school holidays resulting in an extra 4 sessions a week which should provide 72 additional appointments each week outside term time.
• JB indicated that the Practice hopes to make more appointments available once all staff vacancies have been filled.

2. ANIMA appointments

• Sometimes  booked/at capacity by 8.00am, at which stage the lines close. This system was not functioning well so far as patients were concerned. 
• JB indicated that Anima being a triage service is allowing the Practice to offer more appointments. With effect from 1st October 2025 the Practice will be required to allow patients to submit routine, non urgent appointment requests, medication queries and admin requests online usingAnima during core hours, freeing up more GP time for appointments.
• SM asked if an improved and expanded Blended Triage digital appointments system might be introduced, to be used alongside traditional methods and commended the NHS England Paper: Digitally Enabled Triage, 1st published 21 June 2023; last updated 07 April 2025 for consideration by Lakeside.
• Increased digitalization must, however, always take account of the fact that not all patients have access to or are capable of utilizing digital services.

3. Long waits/queues when attempting to book/cancel appointments by telephone.

• The practice  is aware of this, and has just recruited a new lead for reception. Lakeside will also be reviewing capacity in reception.
• The practice  stated that at the moment patients receive a text reminder of their appointment, and can cancel an appointment by text. This can also be attempted via Anima.
• SM suggested that the initial telephone response might include a “cancellation of appointment” press button option. The practice is currently trying to set up a telephone cancellation system with their telephony provider.

4. 8am Rush

• While the 8am rush is a national issue, and Anima is one tool for those who wish to use it, the phone and walk-in requests for appointments are still available

5. Very limited, if any, ability to book appointments in advance despite the current website’s advertising to the contrary.

• This is a real drawback especially for those who have work commitments. The current website is misleading in this respect, and causes unnecessary and avoidable friction both at the reception desk and over the telephone.
• The practice agrees that it needs to find a balance between urgent on the day and prebookable apointments stated that appointments can be pre booked at the moment via the 4 sessions of Extended Access which are available every fortnight between 6.30pm and 8pm. 
• The web site is being updated.

6. Patients requiring urgent care are frequently directed to other Urgent Care Centres (e.g Corby) which they may have great difficulty in accessing.

• Very limited daily access to Oundle surgery GPs via 111 system as set out by the national 111 contract.
• JB stated that the surgery is not an emergency service as such, albeit a duty doctor for the day will always be present.

7. Difficulties in securing continuity of care from the same GP. 

• This is achieved where practicable, but the practice will accommodate s aware of the issue.
• The point was made that continuity of care is the better and more efficient service as the GP concerned will be aware of the patient’s history at the attendance.

8. Pupils at Oundle Private School. 

• See 1 above. All boarders are registered as patients of the practice. As stated the practice is at present recruiting an extra GP who will attend the school clinic 3 mornings a week during term time, and be available at other times within the contract to provide extra sessions at the surgery, and in particular during the school holiday periods.

9. There is a general feeling of despair amongst the patient body, which is very demoralizing for patients, and must also be very demoralizing for all clinicians and administrative staff at the surgery. 

• All concerned are determined to address this aspect so that all available resources are made best use of, and everyone appreciates and realizes that this is the case.

Updated performance metrics

S Davidson requested updated performance metrics for the following: Call volumes; Calls abandoned: Call times to answer; Missed calls; Wait time before call abandoned; Call backs made; Average call length time. Various data sheets were tabled by S Edwards to inform the meeting and will be reviewed by the PPG for a future meeting. It was noted that some data was meaningless but was recorded to comply with the Practice’s contractual obligations. 

Named Doctor

G Blagden raised the question as to the role of the “Named GP”. It was explained that each patient must have a named accountable GP, who must be allocated to the patient within 20 days of registration with the practice. This is an oversight role. (It was noted earlier in the meeting that each GP has about 2,500 patients, about average across the country) It reassures patients that there is one GP who is responsible for their care. It was noted that Patients do not need to see their named GP; they are entitled to see any GP or nurse in the Practice and all reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate their request/choice; the named GP works with the relevant health and social care professionals to deliver a multi disciplinary care package that meets the needs of the patient; the named GP ensures that their patients have access to a health check as set out in 7.9 of the standard GMS contract.
The named GP will not take on 24 hour responsibility for the patient, nor have to change his/her working hours.

Website

A Christmas indicated that the Practice website was hopelessly out of date. JB indicated that a new website was being prepared and was with the GPs for review. AC asked if the PPG could review the website prior to it going live. JB said yes, it would be issued to the PPG for comment as soon as possible.

Distribution of CIL payments

M Horsnail asked what was happening to funds that developers of new housing estates in Oundle were obliged to lodge for health care services as a condition of the grant of their planning permissions.

S Edwards reported that these sums (£130,000) were stuck with the Local Authority to be released when a satisfactory use of the funds could be agreed. The funds were for capital/infrastructure projects only and could not be used for revenue purposes, such as phlebotomy services, or paying for an additional GP, or additional clinical/administrative staff. The practice had to prove a need for the funds and present a business case to the ICB before approval for the release of the funds to the practice for any approved purpose could be obtained. At present the Practice was reviewing what could be done with the funds available The updated position was to be brought before the next meeting by S Edwards.

The PPG is both anxious and surprised at the apparent restriction on the use of these funds by the LA and ICB, which were after all required of  the developers to cater for the inevitable demands of the increased patient body.

AOB

• It was noted that a new Practice manager had been appointed.
• Maternity cover has been appointed to cover Dr Grigson

Date of next meeting

Thursday 11th September 2025 at 5.30pm.