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 .  

NHS App Video Guides

Since the move to the new Electronic Patient Record in Aspen, patients have been experiencing problems with online services.  The practice has updated the information on their Practice IT System Change and Online Access news article.  

Click here to read more information.  

Following the system migration patients are no longer able to log in to online services using the EMIS Patient Access Log in. Logins via the NHS app are unaffected.  These are some short video guides to help you download and set up the NHS App.

Why I use the NHS App | NHS Digital

NHS App - NHS Login without using Photo ID

NHS App - NHS Login Using Photo ID

 

 

Register with the NHS app: Quick guide 

 

⚠️ IMPORTANT ⚠️ Aspen Medical Practice IT System Change

Aspen medical practice will be changing their clinical system provider from EMIS to TPP SystmOne between 11th-29th November 2022.  Why are we moving? the system will give us more functionality with providing GP clinical services and also integrates with community services who use SystmOne. 

SystmOne will allow for communication with patients, enabling healthcare professionals to send text messages or emails to those who are due to receive vaccinations. Clinicians can also use the Airmid or NHS App, through which notifications can be delivered directly to a patient’s phone.  To download Airmid see the video below

Clinicians can access a patient’s existing record if they are already registered on SystmOne, enabling them to retrieve and record pre-existing data without having to start the process from scratch. For those patients who are not currently registered on SystmOne, users have access to PDS and GP Connect functionality, meaning a patient’s demographics can be retrieved from other systems, further speeding up the registration process. If a patient is already registered on SystmOne, all data from the process is recorded directly into their existing electronic health record, rather than just the basic vaccination details. This ensures their contact with health services in the future is well-informed.

There will be some disruption, however, as we move systems, we will do our upmost to ensure we keep disruption to a minimum.

Please visit https://www.aspenmedicalpractice.nhs.uk/practice_news/practice-it-system-change/ for more information. 

Aspen "WalkTalkWalk" Group BBC Gloucestershire Making A Difference Awards

 

Big Congratulations to Gill and Sandra for being highly commended at the BBC Gloucestershire Making A Difference Awards at Cheltenham Race Course on Saturday 24th September 2022.  Gill and Sandra have been instrumental and the driving force behind the Aspen "WalkTalkWalk" group and listening to some of the members who attend, you can certainly see the benefits this group is having on patients.  Many congratulations Gill and Sandra! 

The walks for October through to December are available on this link