1. Meetings Minutes / Matters Arising

• The minutes of the last meeting were accepted.  There were no matters arising

2. Staffing

• A new salaried GP, Dr Judith Clayton, will be starting in November.
• A new staff member has been appointed to work 2 days a week as a workflow coordinator and coder.  This should help deal with the backlog of letters and improve efficiency.
• Dr Farndale will be returning from maternity leave in November
• Dr Barbara Savella has been appointed as a new GP registrar

3. Appointments

• A new online, AccuRx, triage system has now been fully implemented.  Details have been communicated to patients.  JC commented on how well this was communicated.
• All requests for appointments etc must now be made through the AccuRx portal.  All AccuRx will be triaged by the duty doctor each morning.  Urgent issues will be dealt with on the day, non urgent issues may be given a later appointment or referred to the nurse, pharmacy or physiotherapist if appropriate.  AccuRx requests will be initially checked by the receptionists who have been trained to red flag very urgent issues.
• For patients unable or unwilling to complete the AccuRx request online, they can go to the surgery and complete a paper form, which will be accurately transcribed by receptionists, or they can ask receptionists to complete the form for them, either in person or by phoning the surgery. 
• The intentions of the new system are to reduce the early morning queues in person and on the phones, and to ensure that patients get the appropriate treatment when they need it.
• The AccuRx system also helps the doctors as it enables them to have an outline idea of what the patient’s problem is before they come through the door.
• Patients are encouraged to give detailed and accurate descriptions of their issues to facilitate the triage.
• The new triage system should facilitate continuity of care, by directing patients to the same doctor wherever possible.
• Each AccuRx request should cover only one issue.  If patients have a number of separate issues, they need to complete separate requests.
• Note that an additional facility will be implemented shortly which will send patients a link to enable them to book appointments at a time suitable for them after they have been triaged.
• It was noted there is also a facility for admin requests that can be used, for example, for cancelling appointments etc.
• The system has only been fully implemented for a week, and will be independently evaluated for its’ effectiveness in due course.
• All emergency calls such as suspected stroke/heart attack/immediate risk to life should go to 999 as usual.  The NHS 111 service is also available.

4. Building Works

• Plans for the building works that are being funded are progressing well.  The funding needs to be used before the end of April next year, and this limits the scope of what can be planned.
• Currently, the proposal is to move walls on the north side of the surgery to create an additional consulting room from the two large rooms at present.  On the south side a wall will be moved to make consulting room 4 larger.  The patient toilets will be refurbished, an additional staff toilet will be created, along with additional storage and a sluice area.  The ‘sandpit’ in the lobby will disappear and will become the entrance into the consulting area.  There will be a new pushbutton door to the surgery to facilitate access.
• Plans have been agreed by the ICB, and NHS agreement is awaited.  Potential builders have been identified.  Building should begin in January / February.
• Additional building works are planned in the long term, but not possible with the current funding.
• Appointments during the building works will be challenging, as only 3 consulting rooms will be available.  The surgery will have to use many more virtual appointments.  

5. AOB

• It was agreed that it would be helpful to increase the membership of the PPG, and KS committed to putting a notice up in the waiting room.
• JC asked about the screen in the waiting room.  This can be used for information for patients but is not currently being used.  It was questioned whether the screen could be used to summon patients to consultations, however the doctors prefer to fetch patients, as it both enables them to move around, and also helps them to assess patients before they enter the consulting room.

5. Next Meeting Dates

• 8th December 2025: 6:30pm to 8pm