Farewell to Gill and Mary

The Aspen PPG would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Gill Brookes and Mary Haines as they step down from their roles. Their dedication, commitment, and invaluable contributions have made a real difference to the group and the wider Aspen patient community.

Gill and Mary have played an integral part in shaping the work of the PPG, always bringing thoughtful insights, enthusiasm, and a passion for improving patient experiences. Their support, kindness, and hard work will be greatly missed.

We wish them both all the very best for the future and sincerely appreciate everything they have done.

Patients' Rights to Healthcare

Patients have legal and ethical rights that ensure equitable access to healthcare and a patient-centred approach. These rights often include:

Access to Care:  The right to receive healthcare services regardless of race, gender, religion, status, or disability.  Equal treatment in emergencies and urgent care settings.

·   Informed Consent:  The right to receive clear, accurate information about diagnosis, treatment options, risks, and benefits.  Patients can decide whether to accept or refuse care.

·   Privacy and Confidentiality:  The right to have personal health information protected (e.g., under laws like GDPR in the UK).

·  Dignity and Respect:  The right to be treated with compassion, respect, and dignity throughout their care journey.

·   Participation in Decision-Making:  Patients have the right to participate in creating their care plan, including the ability to seek second opinions or alternative treatments.

·   Right to Complain:  The right to voice concerns, complaints, or grievances without fear of discrimination or reprisal.

·   Timely and Appropriate Care:  The right to receive care within reasonable timeframes, particularly for conditions requiring urgent attention.

·  Access to Records:  The right to view, obtain, or request corrections to their medical records.

The Role Patients Play in Healthcare

Patients are no longer passive recipients of care but active participants in maintaining and improving their health. Their role includes:

Engaging in Self-Care:  Adopting healthy behaviours such as proper diet, regular exercise, and avoiding harmful habits like smoking.

·   Providing Accurate Information:  Sharing complete and truthful medical histories, including current symptoms, medications, and any complementary therapies they use.

·   Participating in Decision-Making:  Engaging in discussions about treatment options and voicing their preferences or concerns.

·   Following Agreed Treatment Plans:  Adhering to prescribed medications, therapies, or lifestyle changes and attending follow-up appointments.

·   Using Healthcare Resources Responsibly:  Avoiding unnecessary use of emergency services for non-urgent conditions and scheduling routine appointments.

·   Advocating for Themselves:  Asking questions when unsure, requesting clarification, and seeking second opinions if needed.

·   Providing Feedback:  Offering constructive feedback to improve healthcare services or processes, such as through patient surveys or complaints.

·   Participating in Preventive Health Programs:  Taking part in screenings, vaccinations, or educational programs designed to detect or prevent diseases early.

Patient Feedback - Improving your experience at Aspen Medical Practice

Feedback from our patients and carers

Thank you for your feedback which you have provided throughout 2024 through one or more of the following routes:

Response to a Patient Survey (2024) undertaken by the Practice with the Patient Participation Group focussing the matter of access to appointments & related experiences.  

• The Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board Participation Team also helped in this process.    
• A telephone text Survey was sent to patients following an appointment. 
• General feedback to our Patient Participation Group members from patients/carers
• Through different patient support organisations e.g. Carers Hub
• Concerns that you raise with staff directly. 
• Response to the Annual National GP Patient Survey 

We review the feedback and take actions wherever we can.

What you told us and what we are doing……

You told us that the following was good!

• Staff are friendly, kind and helpful.
• Staff are professional.
• Prompt service when attending appointments.
• People take time to listen.
• Econsult – good response time.

What we did! We let our staff know. It is very much appreciated by them and It is what we expect from all our staff. 

What needs to improve? You have told us we need to focus and continuing to improve access to appointments. Your feedback helped us in our focus.

What the practice is doing…….

Getting through to the Practice:  There are different ways you can  get in contact with the practice for appointments, advice of administrative requests.

The Call back system is now well established. If the practice is receiving a high level of calls you can opt for a call back. As soon as you are at the front of the queue you will receive a  callback from the reception team  

Many patients are telling us this is working well and making a real difference.

Econsult - Contact the practice by eConsult through the website. The eConsult service is now available for submissions between 07:00 and 18:30hrs

• If you submit your eConsult before 13:00hrs the practice aims to respond to you on the same working day.
• If you submit your eConsult after 13:00hrs, the practice aims to respond to you before the end of the following working day.  (Although in many cases the practice should still be able to respond to you on the same working day).

There has been positive feedback on the response time and advice and help through the eConsult route.

How we you get in touch with me?

You may be contacted and seen by the following routes:

* Face to face at the practice or a branch site.         

* by phone

* On a video call

* By text or email

Why don’t I always see a doctor at an appointment?   

The General Practice team includes different medical and non-medical staff, who can give you the most appropriate care. In addition to GPs, Practice Nurses, and Health Care Assistants, the practice have other trained and highly skilled clinicians working in within the team.

When patients book an appointment, the reception team will ask you a number of questions to help the practice make the appointment with the most appropriate person. They are trained & supervised to do this and there is always doctors available to help receptionist with making the right decision. 

Where possible, the practice will try to give you continuity with the same member of the team for the same health problem - please ask during your first appointment.

You should be told who you will be seeing at the appointment – Nurse, Doctor Health Care Assistant etc

Helping you to get the best out of Your Practice

With the help of our patient representatives in our Patient Participation Group we have supported the practice with the following:

Website: Improved our website to help you get in touch with us and find the help and information you need. Aspen Medical Practice – NHS GP Surgery in Gloucestershire

Patient information booklet: This has been developed to help you get the best out of our services. It includes information on how to renew prescriptions, get test results, access to your health records through the NHS App and much more.

If you can’t see a copy around the Practice, please ask at reception for copy.   

How you can help the Practice?

Cancel your appointment if you can’t make it or no longer need it.  This gives us another appointment to give to someone else, and helps decrease the time patients are waiting for an appointment

Tell us if you need help with communication:  For example, if you need an interpreter (verbal or sign language) or any other communication method or an approach that will help you

Providing feedback:

Please continue to give your feedback so we can know when things go well and not so well.  This helps us to give feedback to our staff and make improvements wherever possible. You can feedback to the practice: 

*Through our website

*In person           

* In writing                       

* By responding to requests for feedback through a simple text request for feedback sent following an appointment.

Patient surveys sent from the practice or the annual National GP Patient Survey or through the complaints process (The policy is available on the practice website)

Thank you for your help!   

Join the Aspen Patient Participation Group!

Are you passionate about improving healthcare services for the Aspen community?

Do you want to help shape the way the Aspen Medical Practice supports its patients?

We are looking for enthusiastic patients to join our Patient Participation Group (PPG)!

What is the PPG?

The PPG is a group of patients who work alongside the members of the practice team to:

• Provide feedback and suggestions to improve services.
• Represent the views of patients and the wider community.
• Help ensure the practice meets the needs of its patients.

Why Join?

•  Make a difference in your local healthcare services.
• Be the voice of the patients in shaping the future of Aspen Medical Practice.
• Collaborate with a team dedicated to improving patient experiences.

Who Can Join?

We welcome patients from all walks of life! Whether you’re young or old, working or retired, a long-time patient or newly registered, your input matters.

How to Get Involved:

For more information or to express interest, please complete this registration form and a member of the PPG will be in touch, or speak to a member of the reception team during your next visit.  You can also contact us via Email: aspenppg@gmail.com

Together, we can make a positive impact on healthcare in our community!

How does the NHS Work

 

Aspen PPG Annual General Meeting 2024

 

NHS App News

 Waiting list information in the NHS App

From 30 January 2024, the NHS App will show patients in England an estimated waiting time for their hospital treatment at the NHS acute trust they’ve been referred to. 

Digital prescriptions in the NHS App

From 30 January 2024, patients in England can use the NHS App to view all their prescription details, order repeat prescriptions and generate a bar-code that can be shown to a pharmacy for collection without a paper prescription from their GP.

You can use our promotional materials to encourage your patients to use this new NHS App feature, along with the current order a repeat prescription service.

Gloucestershire Carers Hub Animation

 

HM Armed Forces Veterans Update

Aspen Medical Practice has made good progress with veterans coding and need to ensure the opportunity is available for all veterans who are registered patients at the Medical Practice.  

Why are veterans treated as a special group?

•       Service in the Armed Forces is different from other occupations.

•       They Relinquish some of their own civil liberties and put themselves in harm’s way to protect others during operational and peace keeping tours.

•       Risk of serious injury (for example loss of limbs, eyes, or other body parts) is substantially increased. 

•       Other differences in military lifestyle

•       Mobile lifestyle from posting to posting along with lack of stability and roots.

•       Living abroad and far from family support

•       Separation from loved ones due to unaccompanied tours.

•       Broken links with extended family.

•       More likely to smoke or have smoked.

•       More than half (52%) of veterans have a long-term illness, disability, or infirmity, which is higher than general adult population (35%).

•       Rates of PTSD in those who have seen conflict are significantly higher than in the general population and symptoms may not emerge for many years.

•       On leaving the forces veterans often miss structure, support and friendship that being in the forces provides.

•       Reliance on both formal and informal military structures and systems – could be a major barrier in the transition to civilian life.

•       Transition to life outside the military likely to be stressful and in some cases experience marriage break up and homelessness through eviction or financial pressures.

If you are a veteran, ask reception to record you as a Veteran on your clinical record.  This will help identify you if you are admitted into the Acute or Community Services within Gloucestershire.  If you want more details please contact the PPG Chair who is a veteran and one of the leads in the county for Armed Forces Veterans.

Veterans Widows/Widower/Civil Partner Benefits
Widows/widowers or partners whose husband/wife or civil partner served and would have been entitled to a preserved pension, but was under 60 when they passed away, they should apply to Veterans UK as they may be entitled to a gratuity, though it is not a pension.

 

Aspen 'WalkTalkWalk'

Would you welcome the chance for a gentle walk and the opportunity to meet and chat with other walkers in the groups? Come and join the Aspen ‘WalkTalkWalk’ Group, run by former members of the Aspen Patient Participation Group (PPG) 

Details of walks can be found here  For more information please e-mail aspenppg@gmail.com 

Carers Information

 

Please find attached March What's On which is also now live on the website to view visit: What's On March 2023 - Gloucestershire Carers Hub

Carers Week and Active April 2023

We are continuing to plan our activities and events in 2023 which will include Active April and Carers Week in June.  

If you or your organisation would like to be involved in the planning of either of these events, please contact us by emailing bookings@peopleplus.co.uk  

In Carers Week, we are looking at running pop ups around the county to raise awareness of Carers within communities, the more support we have from organisations the better and we would love for some of you to join us at these pop ups.  

Carers Week Event Booking 

On Thursday, 8^th June 2023 we will be running an event at the Pavilion, Cheltenham. We are taking bookings for stands at this event from the voluntary, statutory, and non-profit organisations.  

This is a great opportunity for networking as well as promoting your services directly to the unpaid Carers in Gloucestershire. 

If you would like to attend and have a stand, please email bookings@peopleplus.co.uk .