Patient Partners PPG at Moreton Health Clinic
Bob Seddon, Chair of Patient Partners at the Moreton Health Clinic in The Wirral, explains how his PPG helped deliver more flexible opening times.
Bob has been a member of the Patient Partners PPG at the Moreton Health Clinic in The Wirral for over two years. He is one of the group’s founding members and is also the Chair. He got involved with the group because of his keen interest in healthcare issues, and the opportunity it offered for him to interact with fellow patients and be involved in decision making about ways in which services could be improved. The group has eight full time members and meets ten times a year to feed patient concerns back to the practice, and to help the practice operate more effectively.
One of the group’s most important pieces of work is providing information leaflets about health issues, including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and smoking, to those unable to access this kind of information through the internet. The leaflets are popular with patients and feature details of how to access local specialist help and support.
The group also worked closely with practice staff in response to patient demand for more flexible opening hours. The group managed to negotiate for the reception desk to remain open over weekday lunchtimes, so patients could have the flexibility to pop in during their lunch hours to drop off prescriptions and make appointments.
The chair of the local Primary Care Trust recently attended a monthly meeting to consult with the group on ideas and initiatives that could improve the way in which primary care services are administered across the region.
www.moretonhealthclinic.nhs.uk