The Voice

Your Voice

Everywhere we turn everyone is looking seeking opinions and the voice of the patient.

Ourselves we have consulted with the patient group and will be gathering information on our services and then feeding back (as we all should do).

But looking to the wider group how do we collect information, how do we know it’s a good cross section of people and the right questions are being asked. 

This week on twitter I have come across patient experience matters time and again but I ask ‘what matters’   what matters to me may not be what matters to Joanne.  I can attend meetings to voice my opinion at any time, Joanne can’t. Joanne cant drive so in itself can be an obstacle.  Yet Joanne has an opinion as we all know !

So how do we communicate effectively?  Now if we were talking football, especially this weekend with the Derby I dare say easily over 100,000 would have an opinion.  Maybe that’s the answer, relate health to local sport !!! Or if we wish to target ‘the young ones’ why don’t we just gatecrash an event (before they get too excited). Just a thought.

As a CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) we are looking at lots of methods of how we communicate with the people of Sunderland. I can confirm that patients and public are invited to an engagement event on

Tuesday 25^th February 2014, 10.15am – 2.00pm

The Quayside Exchange

197 High St East, Sunderland, SR1 2AX

The workshop is being held to seek your views on how Sunderland CCG currently engages with patients and members of the public and to share information on new initiatives for engagement covering

·         The CCG engagement  model

·         Locality Patient Groups

·         Introduction to Sunderland Healthwatch

·         The new CCG website and ‘My NHS’

And guess what, you might see me there.

All in a days work

The world as we see it…

Saturday was match day so although I got a lift in I knew I had to find my own way home so booked a taxi.

“How come you working a Saturday” said the taxi driver

After explaining that all surgeries were a business and cheques had to be paid. Also it was the best time and quietest time to look at targets etc see how we are performing as well as many other things we do.One thing I did look at was how many patients had gone to A&E and walk-in centres that could have used another service, and how much had come out of the practice budget this week.   After all………..

‘A&E is for Accidents and Emergencies and not for Anything and Everything. ‘

After a nice chat about the work that we all do, he admitted himself he had no idea that’s what happens in a Doctors Surgery. He did believe that people came in got seen by someone and that was it.  He was surprised when I told him how much it cost every time someone went to the walk-in or A&E .  I’m sure it would be a topic of conversation when he gets home.

I think we all work in our own area’s without really giving that much thought to how others operate. Maybe if we did we might see things differently.

Now I’m going to try and be diplomatic here, like I say try…. Wouldn’t it be nice

when we switch on the news its not all doom and gloom, wouldn’t it be nice when something is not to our standard we stop just for a moment and wonder why or give the benefit of the doubt, wouldn’t it be nice if everyone made a conscious effort just to smile at the person we don’t know who normally we would not smile at…  it could make all the difference, Wouldn’t it be nice to think about our emergency services and ask our selves is this an emergency or an accident? Just a thought.

Another thought for the day… do you think that patients will stop going to A&E for sore throats etc when its renamed ED Emergency Department ?

Well back to the day job… and the lunch time weigh in.

If you have anything you would like to add to the blog please do get in touch.

Gloria

Dawn's Inspiration

Well the first week of the diet has gone really well for us all.  I was the biggest loser so

very happy, having said that it just goes to show how much rubbish I must have been eating. 

I had a boost from one of our patients Dawn who sent me this email (I do have her consent to publish this)

“Hi Gloria

Just want to wish you luck with the weight loss.

I know you don't have as much weight to lose but In the words of Max Bygraves 'I wanna tell you a story'.....

 In November last year I was despondent at being seriously obese.  I bought an exercise bike for my 50th birthday but Exercising made me breathless, gave me shin splints and pains in my chest.

Out of desperation I made an appointment with Dr Hubbard who advised me to go swimming at least three times a week and reduce my calories to 1500 a day.

I followed his instructions religiously and by the end of April I had lost sufficient weight to start exercising at the gym - hard work but it continues to pay off.  I am now over 5 stones lighter than when I started 13 months ago and boy can I feel the difference- I can honestly say it has not been difficult -my message to you is it can be done - all it takes is determination”

Thank you so much Dawn.

I have gone back to Dr Hubbard and asked for advice regarding the men… oh yes you don’t escape that easily.  Dr Hubbard said there are about 200 calories in a pint of lager/beer.  If you consider the daily calorie allowance for men this could mean that almost one extra’s days calories could be taken by those men who drink 10 pints a week.  So if you drink, by  reducing alcohol is a good way to start loosing weight.

Another weigh (that should be way) to change what we eat is by reading/watching some of the helpful tips that Change4Life are promoting.  Leaflets are in the surgery. 

Gloria