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Newsletter - October 2022
An Update on The Firs' Management
Following the CQC visit on the 6th and 7th of June 2022, the NEL-ICB decided to award the contract to another provider. The latest CQC Report is available on our website.
The contract was awarded to a neighbouring practice within the same PCN; the Addison Road Medical Practice. The contract start date: 6th August 2022.
Dr John and Dr Akingbala have retired and handed the practice over to the caretaking provider.
We also have a new look to complement these new and exciting changes.
Before:
After:
Meet Our New Management Team
Dr J Crofton
Medical Director
Dr Imran Ahmad
Clinical Lead
Sindhu Balakrishnan
Management Lead
Patient Engagement Sessions
We carried out 5 patient engagement sessions and 1 Patient Participation Group (PPG) meeting. View the minutes of the PPG meeting.
Two Patient Engagement drop-in sessions were held on the 20th of September, and one session each was held on the 25th of August, 1st, and 8th of September, for patients who missed the engagement sessions.
The first introductory meeting to the PPG was held on 4th of October, the minutes of which are available on the website. Over 250 patients attended the engagement session, and 21 patients attended the first PPG meeting.
These events were very encouraging as patients welcomed the positive changes which we are keen on bringing at the practice. We also saw active engagement and passion about the service.
Quality Improvement Work Planning Sessions
Our staff are our biggest asset. We held a joint Quality Improvement Work Planning Session facilitated by the EQUIP team on Thursday, the 25th of August 2022, with over 70 staff from Addison Road Medical Practice and The Firs Medical Centre in attendance.
Some of the learning objectives and goals of the session were to understand the reasons as to why a new management team was needed at The Firs, and to build relationships between the two practices, discuss our shared values & ethos.
This session turned out to be instrumental in appreciating how we can collaborate as a singular unit, and where we can retain our own identities as two separate practices.
You Said, We Did
During our recent GP Patient survey in 2022, 29% of our patients found it hard to book an appointment.
We also noted that the practice did not have an adequate digital offer for our patients, so we have created a digital hub consisting of a multi-disciplinary team of a GP, Pharmacist, prescription clerk, administrators working out of one shared space.
We have installed a digital screen to monitor the calls coming into our practice, so as to make sure we have adequate staff to cover the peaks and troughs of incoming calls.
We have gone online with our digital offer, Klinik, which we have integrated into our system to improve access and give you a better patient experience.
Our aim is to respond within 4 hours of receiving a request which enables our patients to have same day responses.
We thank the patients for their uptake on Klinik as the number of calls coming in from our patients has reduced by 21%, implying that our patients are having a smooth experience with our new digital offer.
Not only have Missed calls gone down by 20% since our hub went live, but we have also increased the number of calls answered within 5 minutes by 22%.
During the Patient Engagement sessions, we got feedback about the website, and so we have created a brand new website.
What Our Patients Have to Say About Us
Our patients have already started noticing the difference, since we have gone live. Read a few of our newest reviews on Google and the NHS website.
Employee Spotlight
Read about one of our lovely colleagues, Dr. Nazia Siddique! She is a salaried GP at The Firs and has been with us since September 2013. As she says in a witty note, she's now a 'part of the furniture'!
We asked her a few questions to get to know her better, read along to find out what she says...
What would you say you enjoy the most about your job, and work environment?
Caring for and getting to know patients and their families over the years. Feeling that you have made a positive difference in someone's life is very rewarding. Lovely relationships with colleagues, and of course the nice comfortable purpose built building!
Tell us about a great memory you have from The Firs:
Always when Shashi brings indian tea in a flask!
What is your favourite food?
Japanese, specifically katsu curry and rice!
What are things you enjoy doing/your hobbies?
Yoga, long walks in the forest, reading, inevitably doing some kind of baking at the weekends with my kids.
What does a fun day look like to you?
Probably a day out exploring London City, there's always something new to discover!
Contact us online
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How to use our online service
Go to your GP practice website and follow the instructions.
You do not need any login details and you can submit any medical query at a time when it suits you.
1 Select your service
Start by choosing the service you need; e.g. an appointment request, sick notes or blood and scan results.
2 Fill in your information
Give details of your request.
3 Contact from your GP
Depending upon your medical need we will contact you to arrange an appointment or provide you with advice by text or phone
Published: Nov 14, 2022
