JHS Patient Participation Group

The Patients’ Voice

Nine patients form a patients group committee.  We try to collect feedback from fellow patients and represent patients’ views to the surgery.  We meet roughly every 6 weeks, including four meetings with one of the GPs and the practice manager.  The minutes of these meetings are placed on the surgery website (under ‘PPG News’) and a summary is put on the PPG’s noticeboard in the surgery waiting room.

So, if you’ve got any ideas about how the surgery might do something different or better, please get in touch by emailing us on jhs.patients.group@nhs.net. You can also leave a note marked “for PPG” at the surgery reception. We will not pass on your name to the surgery unless you ask us to.

There are two other ways patients can get involved:

• you can join our email list of patients we contact once or twice a year for views on particular surgery issues.  This includes our annual patients’ survey
• you can join our committee and take part in our discussions which cover things like the changes to surgery services, how to collect patient feedback, improving the surgery website, addressing issues raised by patients, the implications of the changing face of primary care, and surgery priorities for spending money raised by patients.

Contact us on jhs.patients.group@nhs.net if you are interested in either.

We write articles for each edition of the surgery's quarterly newsletter and produce a short annual report listing what we have done over the past 12 months (see 'PPG News').  We worked with the surgery to produce a one-page summary of what patients can expect from the surgery and what the surgery expects from patients - see Surgery Service Levels ​.

Mike, Chris, Jackie, Bob,

Ann, Sue, John, Nick and Barry

Other News

Our Patient Group have worked with us to develop an article which outlines some advice about what patients can expect from the surgery and in turn what the surgery expects from our patients. We hope this information is helpful and provides useful guidance.

please see attached link: Surgery Service Levels

Mike Etkind (chair)

Mike took over as chair in May 2016.  He first came to live in Prestwood in 1999 and then moved to Little Kingshill.  He is married to Sally and they have 4 married children and 4 grandchildren.  Before retiring at the end of 2015, Mike worked as a civil servant, mainly dealing with environmental policy.  He says he joined the PPG “to keep myself occupied and out of mischief”.  He sees the PPG not only as a way of helping the surgery get feedback from the patients it serves and being a critical friend, but also as an opportunity to support the surgery and ideally establish a community of patients who can support one another.

 Jackie Bailey (secretary)

Jackie has been a patient at the surgery for over 20 years and a member of the patient committee for over 5 years. Jackie sustained a spinal cord injury at the age of 17 and has been a full time wheelchair user since then. She lives with her husband and youngest son next door to her mum and dad in Cryers Hill. In the past she has worked as Peer Support for both the Spinal Injuries Association and the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital and continues to be involved there as a volunteer in trying to improve patient experiences. 

 Christine Jarvis (deputy treasurer)

Chris is a retired member of the surgery staff and a patient at the practice. She joined the team in 1978 and covered roles as a receptionist, medical secretary and practice manager. She has witnessed the many changes which have taken place in the NHS over this time. She believes in the importance of the caring ethos of our surgery and wishes to see this attitude continued and enhanced in the future. She is a founder member of John Hampden Patients' Group, which has now evolved into the PPG.

Bob Cox

Bob arrived in Prestwood back in 1982 as he progressed his career in Sales and Marketing in the Pharmaceutical Industry, specialising in vaccines.  His two boys were then aged 11 and 9 years. They chose Bucks for grammar school education and fortunately both ended up at Aylesbury Grammar, before moving on to university.  He is a true “Geordie” born and bred on the north bank of the river Tyne and a Newcastle United supporter. His main sporting interest is F1 motor racing.

Both boys and his wife, who is from Edinburgh, work in the Healthcare Industry at board level, but he is now retired.  Family wise they are well travelled around the globe and travel is their hobby.

Anne Ballard

Anne trained as a psychologist and worked for many years as a business analyst in the pharmaceutical industry, finally creating her own management consultancy. On retiring early in 1998 Anne ‘went back to school’ and spent three years studying for a degree in English Language and Literature at Oxford, which she found both very hard work and extraordinarily enjoyable. Anne and her husband, Peter, have lived in Great Missenden since 1972 and have been patients at JHS ever since then. She has twin daughters and three grandchildren.

Sue Scott

Sue is relatively new to the practice, having moved to Prestwood in 2016.  She moved here following the death of her husband so as to be closer to her family.  Sue is a retired GP having practised in North Worcestershire for 30 years.  Her own practice was small and friendly, very like The John Hampden Surgery, which is why she joined this practice as a patient.  It is interesting to be on the other side of the fence.

John Deakin

John is a chartered accountant. He is now retired but spent much of his career specialising in oil tax with a major US company. After retirement he obtained an OU degree in History of Science, Technology and Medicine.  He has lived in Prestwood since 1979 and he and his wife Margaret (who died in 2017) immediately became patients of Drs McKelvie and Jenkins at JHS.  John is Treasurer of Prestwood Methodist Church. He enjoys gentle walking - especially in the Yorkshire Dales - and 6 grandchildren (aged between 11 and 21) also help to keep him alert.

Barry Cope

Barry has been a patient for over 10 years and is a type 1 insulin dependent diabetic and therefore relies on the surgery to run effectively to support him in his day to day pressures of having diabetes. Barry uses an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitoring which he is more than happy to discuss with anyone that will listen!

Barry, who trained as an engineer, is the General Manager of two accreditation schemes and a trade association in the construction industry and therefore is a specialist in processes, auditing, training and efficiency (all of which are skills that can be translated into a GP practice environment).  Barry has supported the surgery behind the scenes (particularly with IT and DIY!) and recently joined the patient group in order to support the ongoing development of the surgery. 

Nick Talliotis is also a member of the committee. 

Dr Mallard-Smith and Laura Russell (practice manager) attend four meetings a year.

                Mike                             Jackie                      Chris

           Bob                          Ann                              Sue

         John                      Barry

Patient Group Survey 2020-21

The PPG have now completed the annual survey and these results have been shared and discussed with the practice.

Please find below a link the Annual Survey findings.

PPG 2020-21 Survey Report

Notes from online PPG meeting Monday 26th April 2021

Attending: Mike Etkind, Bob Cox, Chris Jarvis, Alice McMurdo & Jackie Walker

Apologies: Anne Ballard, Barry Cope & John Deakin

1. Covid19 – it was agreed that the vaccination programme has been going very well and is well organised. Pfizer vaccinations will not be supplied from early next month but the practice is aware of the twenty people still requiring their 2nd Pfizer inoculation and is prioritising their appointments. Bob felt the research regarding mixed vaccinations should be published soon which may give greater flexibility. Mike and Laura are updating the front page of the JHS website every week to keep patients as informed as possible. Mike has also submitted an article to The Source regarding the presentation of flowers to the staff as a thank you from the PPG and an acknowledgment of their hard work through this difficult year. Latest figures show the Missenden area currently has 0-2 Covid cases per week.

2. Future Way of Working – the mini-survey carried out recently showed patients continue to be divided over the introduction of telephone/online consultations. The Partners have written an article in the latest Newsletter to reassure patients that face-to-face appointments are still available if the clinician feels that it’s necessary following an initial telephone consultation. They are currently waiting for guidance from NHS England as to how this might change in the future but will liaise with the PPG regarding any future decisions.

3. Finances – these are currently in a healthy state, however the practice now needs a larger fridge to hold the necessary vaccines. Mike agreed to enquire whether there was any potential funding for this from within the NHS/CCG, if not the PPG agreed to fund the cost.

4. Complaints & Compliments – the practice have received a high number of compliments throughout the last year, for which they are extremely grateful, and the Friends & Family survey has garnered a 98% recommendation for the year which is amazing. Complaints have been dealt with in a timely manner and the 5 Significant Clinical Events have been learnt from and any necessary changes in practice have been implemented.

5. Primary Care Network Update – Mike reported that one of the Clinical Directors had chosen to stand down from their post, leaving Clare Gabe from Amersham Health Centre as the only Lead. Meetings have been scheduled but then subsequently cancelled over the last year, however, it was hoped a board meeting would take place as planned next week. There was concern that the Social Prescribers were no longer in post and it was felt that a manager of sorts might need to be appointed to drive this forward as we come out of Lockdown. Strong links between JHS and Prospect House have been developed.

6. Answerphone Message – whilst the message has been shortened recently information about Domestic Abuse has now been added. PPG members were asked to consider the length and content of the message when they next phone in and email either Mike or Laura with any views they might have. Alice had had occasion to ring another Practice and said their answerphone message, which was recorded by the senior Doctor, was short and succinct but set a friendly tone; she will endeavour to note it in more detail for future reference.

7. Any Other Business –

· Prestwood Pharmacy – changes of staff and service delivery was raised as a concern, especially a report that enquiries about Minor Ailments were not now being addressed. The PPG were asked to notify Mike if they heard of any other reports or experiences of this as its part of their contract. However, it was acknowledged that we continue to be lucky to have a local Pharmacy at all.

· Flowers – Lynn the Practice Nurse had made a point of passing on her thanks for the beautiful flowers from the PPG and said they were very much appreciated!

8. Date of Next Meeting – Jackie to liaise with Laura regarding the possibility of a full PPG face-to-face/online meeting sometime in July

The Surgery is there to serve you, the patients.  One of the main purposes of the Patients Group is to get feedback from patients about the Practice.  The names of people who offer comments are not passed on to the surgery unless a patient asks for this to be done.

If you would be willing to be on the Patient Group’s feedback list and receive occasional emails could you please send a simple one-line email to jhs.patients.group@nhs.net saying:  “I am willing to be contacted by the John Hampden Surgery’s Patient Group” and your name.  Thank you.

The information you supply us will be used lawfully, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. The Data Protection Act 1998 gives you the right to know what information is held about you and sets out rules to make sure that this information is handled properly.