About the Patient Participation Group

PPG Minutes: Wednesday 29th October 2025

Members present

AC, PC, RW, JS, BZ, SW, DA, MG 

Staff present

• Dr George Verghese (Senior GP Partner)
• Eileen Marriner (Assistant manager)
• Ed Galea (Reception/admin supervisor) 

Elders Directory and Frailty Neighbourhoods

George highlighted the importance of the elders directory as a resource to support frailty neighbourhoods and end of life care, aligning with NHS England's policy focus from April 2026 onwards, and emphasised its anticipated value for the ageing population.

• Policy Focus on Frailty: George explained that NHS England and the local area will prioritise frailty neighbourhoods and end of life care, with the elders directory serving as a key enabler for these initiatives starting from April 2026.
• Resource for Ageing Population: The elders directory is expected to be a significant resource for the ageing well population, supporting innovative community approaches and aligning with national policy directives.

Staffing Updates and Clinical Capacity

George and Ed provided updates on new staff arrivals, including new GPs and administrative staff, as well as upcoming departures, noting that the practice now has its largest complement of doctors since 2010 and is fully utilising clinical space to meet the needs of a growing patient population.

• New Clinical Staff: George announced the addition of Dr Nana Kozato and the expansion of Dr Dorota Kucharczyk’s role, bringing the salaried doctor team to six, alongside three partners, and noted the arrival of two new GP trainees.
• Departures and Recruitment: George shared that advanced nurse practitioner Miss Linda Eyre will be leaving, with recruitment underway for a replacement, and Ed reported the departure of Anwar (care coordinator) and Tracy (PSA team), with Jasmina joining as a new PSA.
• Clinical and Administrative Team Status: The practice is at full clinical capacity, with all rooms utilised, and retains its existing nurses, physician assistants, mental health practitioner, social prescriber and first contact physiotherapist.
• Implications for Service Delivery: The increased staffing is expected to enhance clinical capacity, particularly for the winter months, and support the needs of the now 15,300 registered patients.

Premises and Planning Application Update

George provided an update on the ongoing search for permanent premises, the renewal of the current site's planning application, and the status of co-location options, with Paul and other participants discussing patient support for the application and the challenges of the current building.

• Planning Application Renewal: George explained that the practice is renewing its planning application for a five-year extension at the current site while continuing to search for a permanent home, with a decision expected by the end of November.
• Co-location and Alternative Sites: The option to co-locate with another practice is no longer available, as Lambeth Walk and Vauxhall are moving forward with a business case for Graphite Square, leaving the current practice to continue its independent search.
• Patient and Stakeholder Feedback: PC mentioned submitting supportive comments for the planning application and suggested encouraging other patients to do the same; George confirmed that patient and ICB feedback has been collected to support the application.
• Current Premises Limitations: George acknowledged that while the current premises are functional for care delivery, the lack of meeting rooms and staff welfare areas remains a challenge until a permanent solution is found.

Neighbourhood Health Services and Equity of Care

George led a discussion on the government's neighbourhood health service initiative, explaining the definition of neighbourhoods, the aim for consistent service provision across Lambeth, and the challenges of aligning care and access, with input from BZ and SW on cross-borough service variation and local access issues.

• Definition and Structure of Neighbourhoods: George clarified that NHS England and Southeast London have defined five health neighbourhoods in Lambeth, aiming for coordinated and consistent service offerings across all areas.
• Equity and Service Alignment: The neighbourhood model intends to address inequities in care between boroughs and within Lambeth, ensuring that services such as child hubs and mental health support are uniformly available.
• Cross-Borough Service Variation: BZ raised the issue of service delivery across Lambeth and Southwark, noting that some services are shared while others differ; George explained that access and service culture can vary significantly even under the same provider, leading to inconsistencies.
• Community-Based Care and Access Challenges: SW observed that moving services into the community can sometimes mean less convenient access for local patients, and George acknowledged the need to balance community care with local accessibility, especially in urban settings like London.
• Patient-Centred Approach and Future Aims: George emphasised that neighbourhood health services should prioritise patient needs, reduce unnecessary travel, and shift care closer to home, with ambitions such as having district nurses within 15 minutes of patients.

Repeat Prescribing Processes and NHS App Integration

George introduced a review of repeat prescribing processes, discussed the push for increased NHS app usage, and addressed PC concerns about fragmented hospital information and integration challenges, outlining ongoing and future efforts to improve digital health record access.

• Review of Repeat Prescribing: George stated that the practice regularly reviews its repeat prescribing processes for safety and efficiency, with clinical pharmacist Kwamena expected to engage patients for feedback and optimisation
• NHS App Usage Targets: The government aims for at least 70% of patients to be registered and actively using the NHS app; currently, 63 to 64% are registered in Lambeth, but only about 30% use it regularly.
• Hospital Information Fragmentation: PC highlighted that the NHS app does not consolidate hospital information, requiring patients to use separate apps (e.g., MyChart, MyCare) for different hospitals, and noted delays in information transfer to the GP surgery.
• Integration Initiatives: George explained that there is a national mandate for third-party apps to integrate with the NHS app, and locally, the PCN is working on direct integration between GP records and the Epic hospital system, though this will take several years.
• Patient Experience and Future Improvements: PC and George discussed the impact of fragmented digital records on patient engagement, with George noting that some hospitals already integrate with the NHS app and expressing hope for broader adoption in the future.

Confidentiality and Patient Information Handling

RW raised concerns about confidentiality in handling patient correspondence and phone interactions, prompting George to outline current procedures, acknowledge shortcomings, and commit to clearer processes and staff retraining, with Ed and Eileen tasked to follow up.

• Handling of Confidential Correspondence: RW described an incident where confidential information delivered in a marked envelope was opened and temporarily misplaced; George explained that all mail is opened by reception and scanned, and acknowledged the need for a clearer, more secure process for patient-delivered material.
• Levels of Confidentiality in Records: George detailed the three levels of confidentiality applied to clinical notes, open to all staff, organisation-only, and clinician-only, and advised on how to mark correspondence for doctor-only access.
• Reception and Phone Confidentiality: RW reported concerns about personal information being repeated aloud in reception and over the phone; George agreed this was not ideal and committed to retraining staff on best practices for patient identification and privacy.
• Actions and Follow-Up: George, Ed, and Eileen agreed to review and improve the handling of confidential patient information, including clearer marking of patient correspondence and refresher training for staff, with feedback to be provided at the next meeting.

Online Consultations and Patient Access

BZ, MG, and George discussed the use and benefits of online consultations, recent contractual changes requiring all-day online access for non-urgent requests, and strategies to help patients use digital tools more effectively, with plans to share the new 'You and Your GP' charter.

• Contractual Changes for Online Access: George explained that from 1 October, all GP practices must keep their online consultation systems open for non-urgent and routine requests throughout the day, with the practice already largely compliant but making minor adjustments.
• Patient Experience with Online Forms: BZ shared her experience navigating the online system for multiple issues, noting the value of guidance from reception staff and the richer information provided through written submissions.
• Benefits and Challenges of Online Access: George and MG discussed the efficiency and responsiveness of online consultations, with George noting that only about 30% of queries currently come online and expressing a desire to increase this proportion for better triage and information quality.
• Patient Charter and Support: George introduced the new 'You and Your GP' charter, a national standard outlining patient expectations and rights, and proposed sharing it with all participants to help them get the most from their GP practice.

Follow-up tasks

• Patient Correspondence Handling: Implement a clearly defined process for managing patient-delivered correspondence to ensure confidentiality and prevent items from going missing. (George, Ed)
• Reception Confidentiality Training: Provide refresher training to reception staff on confidentiality procedures, including appropriate methods for verifying patient identity both in person and over the phone. (Ed, Eileen)
• Patient Charter Communication: Send a copy of the 'You and Your GP' Charter to all meeting attendees along with the meeting minutes. (Ed, Eileen)