Patient Participation Forum

Join the Patient Participation Forum

The Patients' Forum comprises individuals from the practice who gather regularly to advocate for the patients' interests. This group collaborates closely with the practice staff to address patient concerns and improve services whenever feasible.

New members are encouraged to join and contribute their perspectives.

If you are unable to make these days and would like to become a member, please contact us.

Latest PPF Meeting Minutes

If you'd like to see historical PPF minutes, please contact us.

Thursday 5 March 2026

Date: Thursday 5 March 2026
Location: Practice Meeting
Duration: 2 hours
Chair: KG PPF Member
PPF Members In attendance: BB, LB, GB, LB, MF, SJ, SP, AS, VM, HR
TLCP Team in attendance: MU, LE, CF, VR, GG, JH, KC
Guest speaker: RM Health Watch

1. Opening Remarks

Meeting opened with a reflection on the previous meeting which had been difficult.
Members emphasised the importance of maintaining a positive, collaborative approach between patients, clinicians and the practice.
A shared goal was reaffirmed: to improve healthcare services for patients.
Patients expressed appreciation for the support they have received from the practice.

2. Review of Previous Minutes and Action Log

Private Reception Space

All practice sites now have designated private areas for confidential discussions at reception.
Patients can request to speak privately if needed.

Digital Inclusion Information

Information on digital inclusion hubs is available on the practice website.
Patients were encouraged to review the resources online.

Staff are available at each site weekly

Total Triage Data

Data has been collected and will be circulated to PPF members.

Complaints Learning Data

Complaint analysis for the past three years prepared and circulated.
Further discussion scheduled later in the meeting.

PPF Chair and Secretary

Expressions of interest have been circulated.
Appointment expected before the next meeting.

Presenter: Suzette (Social Prescriber)

Overview

Social prescribing supports patients with non-clinical issues affecting health and wellbeing, including:

Loneliness and isolation
Mental health support
Community activities
Exercise and wellbeing groups
Befriending services
Social and financial support

How Patients Are Supported

Initial assessment via phone or face-to-face.
Confidential and non-judgmental support.
Referrals to community groups and services.

Referral Routes

GP or clinical team
Reception team
Self-referral via the practice website
External organisations

Support Duration

Typically, up to 8 weeks, although complex cases may take longer.

Referral Data

Referrals increasing annually:

2023–24: 683
2024–25: 1,102
2025–26: 1,772 referrals

Key Issues Identified

Top referral reasons include:

Mental health
Loneliness
Financial concerns
Housing issues (Housing letters from GP are rarely helpful, Medical summaries will be requested where needed)

Housing support remains limited due to wider housing shortages.

4. Community Initiatives – Walk with a Doctor

A monthly “Walk with a Doctor” session takes place on the first Friday of each month at 12:30pm.
Provides informal opportunity to exercise and discuss health.

Discussion points:

Attendance levels to be confirmed.
Request made to consider another day due to Friday prayer times.
Capacity depends on GP availability as this occurs in personal time.

5. Government GP Contract Update

The new GP contract begins 1 April 2026.
Practices are currently reviewing the implications.

Key points:

Headlines suggest same-day GP access, but practices determine how this is implemented.
The practice already performs strongly in same-day access due to online triage introduced in May 2024.
No major changes expected immediately.

6. Jessie’s Rule Discussion

Jessie’s Rule encourages clinicians to review repeat patient attendances to prevent missed diagnoses.

Discussion outcomes:

Practice clinicians already monitor repeat visits.
Clinical systems allow doctors to view previous consultations and repeated attendance patterns.
The rule reinforces existing clinical practice rather than introducing new processes.
There are poster reminders in all clinical consultation rooms.

Patients can request:

A second opinion from another GP within the practice.
Referral for a second opinion from another hospital if required.

7. Test Results and Support for Vulnerable Patients

Discussion focused on:

Results Communication

Test results are available through the NHS App.
Patients may contact reception to check results.
Clinicians will contact patients if results are abnormal or require follow-up.

Challenges Identified

Hospital results do not always reach the GP system automatically.
Vulnerable patients may struggle to chase results themselves.

Practice Approach

Reception can escalate missing results to clinicians.
Alerts exist in patient records to identify vulnerable individuals.
Safeguarding and vulnerability lists are reviewed through multidisciplinary meetings.

8. Internal Pharmacy – Patient Feedback Request on Repeat Prescriptions

The Internal Pharmacy Team requested that the Patient Participation Forum (PPF) provide feedback on the repeat prescribing process to help identify potential improvements for patients.

PPF members were asked to consider the following questions and provide feedback to Jacqueline Henty who will pass responses to the pharmacy team for review.

Questions for PPF consideration:

Do you think the practice repeat prescribing process is clear and understood by most patients registered with the practice?
Would you describe the process as timely, safe and effective?
Are there any parts of the repeat prescribing process that patients feel could be improved?

PPF members were asked to reflect on their experiences and provide feedback at the next meeting or via email to the practice team.

9. Patient Engagement and Community Outreach

Patients were encouraged to contribute to engagement activities.

Proposal:

PPF Members to suggest and bring ideas/initiatives they would be happy to be involved in

10. Complaints Data Review (2023–January 2026)

Overall Complaints Trend

Complaints

2023–2024: 506 Complaints
2024–2025: 438 Complaints
2025–2026 (to date): 250Complaints

Projected total: ~300 complaints

Overall complaints have reduced significantly.

Complaint Outcomes (2025–2026)

Upheld: 82
Partially upheld: 55
Not upheld: 55

Age Breakdown

Largest group:

20–59 years

Complaints reduced across all age groups.

Main Complaint Categories

Top subjects:

Communications – 55
Prescription issues – 24
Clinical treatment – 22
Staff attitude – 20
Appointment access – 18

Positive Improvements

Large reductions in complaints related to:

Appointment access
Appointment availability
Staff behaviour
Follow-up care

Emerging Concerns

Increase in complaints about:

Clinical treatment (Although not necessarily upheld)
Inaccurate patient records

11. Friends and Family Test (January 2026)

Sent externally ad hoc and entries made on website

Results:

83% positive
11% negative
6% neutral

Practice ranking: 5th place locally

Positive ratings:

Very good: 66%
Good: 17%

Age feedback:

Under 25: 78% positive
25–65: 84% positive

12. New Women’s Health Service

A new LARC (Long-Acting Reversible Contraception) Women’s Clinic will start:

First Saturday of each month
First service of its type in Lewisham.
Pilot to run for two years.

If successful: May expand to other areas across Lewisham.

13. Communication Improvements

WhatsApp Channel

Practice has launched a WhatsApp information channel.
- Used for:
  - Real-time updates
  - Service announcements
  - Health campaigns

Information also available on the website.

14. Guest Speaker – Healthwatch

Speaker from Healthwatch England discussed support available for patient’s making complaints about:

GP practices
Hospitals
Dentists

Key feedback:

The practice was praised for being approachable and responsive to complaints.

Announcement:

Healthwatch services expected to be disbanded in March 2027.

15. PPF Governance and Roles

Chair and Secretary Roles

Expressions of interest invited.
Application form simplified to encourage participation.
Will trial volunteers rotation.

Meeting Structure

Chair and Secretary roles may rotate between practice sites.

Interest will be circulated to PPF members after each meeting.

16. Meeting Close

The Chair closed the meeting on a positive note, acknowledging that the discussion had been much improved, constructive and informative.

Members highlighted the value of patients and clinicians working together collaboratively to improve services.

The clinicians were thanked for their time and participation in the meeting. Overall, the meeting was considered productive, and members expressed that the outcomes were positive.

The group looks forward to continuing this collaborative approach in future meetings.

Next meeting dates

Morden Hill Site Thursday 04 June 2026 15.00pm-17.00pm
St Johns Site Monday 07 September 2026 12.00pm - 14.00pm
Honor Oak Site Date TBC December 2026 Time TBC
Belmont Hill Site Date TBC March 2027 Time TBC

Meetings

All Patient Participation Forum meetings will now be unified.

Dates:

Morden Hill Site Thursday 04 June 2026 3.00pm to 5.00pm
St Johns Site Monday 07 September 2026 12.00pm to 2.00pm
Honor Oak Site Date TBC December 2026 Time TBC
Belmont Hill Site Date TBC March 2027 Time TBC

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