Friends of Saltash Health Centre
Karen Ash, a member of Friends of Saltash Health Centre in Cornwall, talks about the ways the group engages with the patient population
Getting started
Friends of Saltash Health Centre was established 14 years ago, to help raise funds to buy specialist equipment for a new physiotherapy unit being built. It now has a core of nine regular members and has raised £30,000 over the years, which, among other things, has helped pay for motorised doors to allow easier access to the health centre. Every year, the group uses a Christmas coffee morning to help engage with patients, and as an opportunity to hold a prize draw to help raise funds.
Engaging patients
The group works with the medical and nursing staff to achieve a basic aim of improving facilities. It plays a particularly pivotal role in helping feed back the findings of the annual patient survey to the practice. To help recruit new members, the group distributes leaflets to patients with the repeat prescription slips, and letters about the annual winter flu jab clinic, issued by the surgery. It also distributes a regular newsletter, which tells the patient community about the work going on behind the scenes.
The group is in the process of getting involved with a new strategy group being set up in Saltash, which aims to bring as many health services together, and utilise the local hospital and medical centres to save patients from having to travel too far for treatment.
A Doctor’s View
Dr Neville Devonport said: ‘We greatly value the work of the patients group. Through regular contact meetings they are able to tell us what is important to them about our services and help in a tangible way to improve the patients’ experience. On occasions we have been helped by representatives of the group acting as a sounding board to give feedback on the results of the patient questionnaires that take place from time to time. In doing so, they have been instrumental in guiding changes and developments. This is an example of constructive and productive community engagement in health services.’
Giving something back
Malcolm Down, aged 72, joined the group four years ago, after his life was saved by the work of the PPG ten years ago. Malcolm suffered a serious heart attack while being seen by the GP in the consultation room, and was revived using a new defibrillator that had been bought and installed in the surgery only two weeks before, thanks to the PPG’s fundraising efforts. He said: ‘I joined the PPG out of sheer gratitude, and a desire to work towards saving and improving other peoples’ lives. If it wasn’t for the defibrillator that my doctor used to bring me back to life, I would have most certainly died the day I had my heart attack. That was ten years ago!’