Village residents’ appointments timed to perfection for the West Dart Bus at Dartmouth Medical Practice

Volunteer West Dart Bus driver Jerry Neville with the bus

Dartmouth Medical Practice is bringing in a new system to ensure residents of villages around Dartmouth can secure appointments that coincide with the timetable of the West Dart Community bus.

The secured appointments are all on Friday mornings, as that is the day the bus – which has been running through the South Hams since 1986 – visits both Dittisham and Blackawton and drops residents in Dartmouth. The service starts on Friday January 18.

The Medical Practice has made the move as it attempts to improve access for all residents in its catchment area.

Members of the practice’s Patient Participation Group were instrumental in the move. They highlighted the need to make sure residents without cars in these two villages could get appointments when the bus visited the town. Appointments at other times would create big headaches for those without transport.

The medical practice partners are also hoping to make sure blood tests and other information gathering can be done on the day to help residents from the villages make as few visits as possible to the surgery, reducing their costs and stress.

Reception manager Sam Lumley and new Dartmouth Medical Practice Partner Dr Andy Freeman, ready to take appointments from village residents

Appointments not filled by residents of the villages will be offered to others if they are not allocated within 48 hours of the appointments.

Dartmouth Medical Practice Partner Dr John Uhr Delia said: “We are delighted to offer these appointments to village residents. It is an idea we have been working on for a while now and we are pleased to launch it for the New Year. The great thing is if they aren’t filled we can re-allocate them, ensuring no appointments are left unused.

“We are determined to make sure we listen to our patients so we can provide the best service possible to all. The Patient Participation Group has been instrumental in a number of initiatives and this is one they were keen we implement. They are a vital part of our plan to keep looking for improvements in our services.”

To book a Friday appointment call the medical practice on 01803 832212 or register for online appointment booking through its website: www.dartmedical.co.uk.

Dartmouth Medical Practice Forums Chance to “Connect with Patients” – GPs

Dartmouth Medical Practice have called their latest forums – to be held on Monday July 9 and Thursday July 12 – “a further opportunity for patients to learn more about and contribute to the delivery of care in our community.”
Dr Andrew Eynon Lewis said he valued the forums – which take place every six months – as a chance for the medical practice to “connect” with its patients.

The forums will be held on July 9 in the Clifton Room of Dartmouth Guildhall and on July 12 at Dittisham Village Hall. The forums title will be “Team Working: How does Dartmouth Hospitial, Dartmouth District Nurses and the Practice deliver coordinated care in times of change?”

Both Forums start at 7pm and the medical practice is hoping for a good turn out for both.

They continue the theme of the last forums in December 2011, which highlighted how the Practice works with volunteer organisations in the area to improve care and communication to safeguard patients.
As well as holding the forums every six months the GPs are also concentrating on bring them out to the villages so that everyone who wants to get involved has the opportunity.

Speaking at the forums will feature a presentation from the GPs including short sections by representatives of the hospital and the district nurses – before a question and answer session with the GPs.

“These forums are always a wonderful opportunity to connect with and get feedback from our patients,” said Dr Eynon Lewis. “We are making sure that we give out information which could help or interest the community at the forums, but also that we take time to listen It is vital to the work we do that we take on new ideas and interesting views on our service.”

Latest Dartmouth Medical Practice Forums Outline Hospital Connections and Details of Community Nursing

Dartmouth Medical Practice’s latest public forums will outline how the practice works with the town’s hospital and helps to organize district nurses.

The forums will be held at Dartmouth’s Guildhall on Monday July 9 and Dittisham Village Hall on Thursday July 12.

The medical practice is visiting different villages in its catchment to try an increase participation in the forums.

The forums are unique to Dartmouth Medical Practice – they are held every six months to allow the community to learn about the services the practice provides and to ask partners at the practice questions.

Previous forums have looked at the Practice’s structure and how it works with community organisations. As a direct result of the forums the Patient Participation Group – a volunteer group that advises the practice on its services – was reformed and has helped to bring in a new appointments system and Saturday opening.

Practice partner Andrew Eynon Lewis said the forums had become an important tool for communicating with the practice’s patients.

“We are pleased that they have been well supported,” he said. “They have helped us to understand what our patients expect and need and also managed to communicate the breadth of services we offer. We are pleased to be going to Dittisham and look forward to engaging with the community there.

“This forum will focus on two issues of importance to our community; Dartmouth hospital, it’s role and what we can expect from it, and nursing in the community, what it offers and future developments.”

Dr Adam Morris, partner at the practice said: “The forums are a vital part of our communication strategy with our patients and have been extremely positive and useful. We think that the forums will bring more insights into the needs of our patients and hopefully increase understanding of the services we coordinate with local hospitals and the way we work well with nursing teams in the area.”

Dartmouth Medical Practice Team “Strengthening diabetic care in Dartmouth” by Sharing Expertise

Dr Andrew Eynon-Lewis and Sister Heidi Constance

Dartmouth Medical Practice has announced a new drive to make sure all those with diabetes are regularly checked.

And the practice is using all the expertise at its disposal to give the best care for the condition. This means that extra training has been given to all members of the medical practice clinical team – meaning that patients don’t have to travel to Torbay for appointments when they are first placed on insulin.

The Medical Practice currently has more than 350 patients with diabetes: a figure that is predicted to increase. To address the challenges that diabetes presents the DMP has reviewed how it delivers care to patients with diabetes.

Leading this initiative is Sister Heidi Constance, Practice Diabetic nurse, and Dr Andrew Eynon-Lewis, who have been involved in national initiatives designed to promote diabetic care in the community.

Dr Eynon Lewis said this was a great development for diabetes care in Dartmouth.

“To meet the challenge we face because of the increase in diabetes, patients and health care workers need to work together to share knowledge and expertise in a meaningful way,” he said. “We have reviewed the way we engage with diabetes.

“The result is a strengthening of the organisational aspects of care which includes the establishment of a monthly diabetic clinic run jointly by Heidi and myself for those patients requiring extra input and a ‘skilling up’ of the whole clinical team involved in delivering diabetic care, which importantly includes the facility to start patients on insulin, preventing the need travel to Torbay.“

“Providing more advanced diabetic care closer to home is in-step with the health service reforms and builds on the work done by Practice Nurse Chris Drew many years ago,” said Sister Constance.

“The vast majority of patients will be contacted by us as a matter for course thanks to our existing follow up system and will be contacted by the surgery for their diabetic reviews.

Patients who are concerned about their diabetes are advised to contact Heidi at the Medical Practice on 01803 832 212.

DARTMOUTH CARING ‘VITAL’ AS TOWN’S ELDERLY POPULATION GROWS TO 35.8 PERCENT – REPORT

Dartmouth’s elderly population will increase to 35.8percent by 2024, making the role of Dartmouth Caring all the more important according to a new independent report.

A report from the Council for Voluntary Services Commission in Devon on Dartmouth Caring and the services it offers said that the increase the elderly population people in Dartmouth made the charity’s role in the community increasingly important.

This increase will be more pronounced in Dartmouth than elsewhere in the country –which is predicted to have an elderly population around 25 percent in 2024.

Dartmouth Caring offers services which aim to help people in the Dartmouth area live independently for as long as possible.

The services they offer include a weekly Lunch Club at the Community Café, a Memory Café for those suffering short term memory loss, a Parkinsons Café for those suffering Parkinsonian symptoms, a shopping service, a befriending service, health and well being checks for carers, a free counselling service and the much-lauded Bridge Workers.

The report states that Dartmouth Caring’s importance thanks to the wide range of services o it offers, is increasing. It has seen 30 percent increases in demand for many of its services for the last three years, and this trend is set to continue and, according to population predictions actually increase.

The report paints a rosy picture for Dartmouth Caring’s work: ‘Dartmouth Caring is undergoing a rapid expansion of its services- a reflection of both demand and the quality of its services. [It is] helping older people remain socially active and remain in their own homes for longer. The charity is innovative – developing new services in response to changing demands.’

Dartmouth Caring Manager and Co-ordinator Alison Stocks said: ‘We are delighted that this report has shown our services are making a positive impact on the lives of people in Dartmouth and the surrounding district. The population of Dartmouth is older than most and our volunteers and staff are making a difference every day.

‘We provide services which Government agencies wouldn’t – and we want to help everyone we can who needs us. We are almost completely supported by our fundraising activities and will continue to do so. This report shows why it’s so vital we continue to provide the services we do.’

MEDIA RELEASE – DARTMOUTH MEDICAL PRACTICE HAIL SUCCESS OF SECOND PUBLIC FORUMS

Dartmouth Medical Practice has thanked the people of Dartmouth and district for their engagement in the second set of public forums last week.

The forums, which took place at the Townstal Community Hall on November 21 and at Dartmouth Golf and Country Club on November 24, outlined the changes the medical practice has made since the first forums in April, and highlighted its close working relationship with other organisations, including the Patient Participation Group and Dartmouth Caring.

The forums were attended by more than 60 people altogether, and the medical practice partners who took questions from the public during the forums said they were delighted by the reaction they had received.

The presentations detailed how the medical practice had used feedback from the first forums to bring in changes to the practices appointment system, bring in online appointment booking, start a monthly newsletter and bring in developments to the practice’s end of life care.

The new chairman of the Patient Participation Group Rosie North and representatives of Dartmouth Caring – administrator and coordinator Alison Stocks and Chairman Dee Nutt also outlined how they work with the medical practice to help provide the best quality care for all in Dartmouth and district.

Questions asked by the public included how to contact the Patient Participation Group -which is a critical friend to the practice and has helped implement many of the changes since April at the practice – what proposed changes in the NHS would mean for those using services, and requests for more information on services to be made available.

GP Dr Andrew Eynon Lewis said: ‘It was really good to again meet with our patients in an open and friendly forum, which allowed us to have a clear and friendly dialogue with them about a wide range of issues. We look forward to continuing the dialogue in the future.’

Dr Adam Morris, who spoke at both forums, said: ‘We enjoyed again engaging so well with our patients. We were delighted to welcome Dartmouth Caring and the Patient Participation Group to talk about their roles. I think both fulfil roles without which it would be very tough for us to do a good job, because they are so closely linked with the community.’

The Medical Practice plans to hold more forums in Summer 2012 to ensure the constructive dialogue with its patients continues.

If you would like to bring an item for discussion to the attention of the Patient Participation Group, contact group chairman Rosie North on northrnm@btinternet.com, go to www.dartmedical.co.uk, or contact the Medical Practice on 01803 832212.

MEDIA RELEASE – SECOND DARTMOUTH MEDICAL PRACTICE FORUMS WILL HIGHLIGHT PARTNERS IN CARE

Dr Adam Morris

Dartmouth Medical Practices two upcoming public forums on Monday November 21 and Thursday November 24 will highlight the groups the medical practice works with providing care in and around Dartmouth.

The Patient Participation Group and Dartmouth Caring are two groups that the forums will work to highlight to explain exactly how the Practice works with them to improve care.

The medical practice forums will also show the changes that have been made by the practice since its first public forums in April – which include a new appointments system, a monthly newsletter and online appointment booking.

The forum on November 21, which is to be held at the Townstal Community Hall, will follow the first annual meeting of the Patient Participation Group – which gives the Medical Practice advice and feedback on its services.

In the forum there will also be short presentations by the PPG and Dartmouth Caring, a charity which looks out for the elderly and vulnerable in the Dartmouth and district area – and works actively to increase communication and cooperation between all providers of care in the area.

The forum will also give members of the public the chance to ask some of the medical practices seven partners questions about the practice and healthcare in the Dartmouth area. The idea of the forums is to encourage a positive and friendly dialogue between the practice and its patients.

Dr Adam Morris, a partner at the practice, said: ‘We are aiming to make it easy for our patients to engage with us in a conversation which will help us be the best we can be. We have taken on the feedback we received at the last forums and have made real and effective changes. These forums are a real opportunity for our patients to help shape the future of healthcare for this area. We are listening.’

The second Dartmouth Medical Practice forums will be held at Townstal Community Hall on Monday November 21 and Dartmouth Golf and Country Club on Thursday November 24. Both will begin at 7pm.

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MEDIA RELEASE -PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP PLANS FOR FIRST ANNUAL MEETING

the participation group with Medical Practice members Graham Lockerbie and Kathy Congdon.

Dartmouth Patient Participation Group – which gives feedback on services and healthcare to Dartmouth Medical Practice – is to hold its first Annual Meeting on November 21.

The group was formed to be a ‘critical friend’ of the Medical Practice and has been reinvigorated since the first Medical Practice public forums in April. Since then the group has discussed and advised the medical practice on a number of new initiatives and ideas to help improve the service it provides.

It has helped the Practice introduce a new appointment system, an online booking system, and is currently helping it to produce a new patient survey.

The AGM will begin at 6pm and the group’s first chairman, vice chairman and secretary will be chosen.

The meeting is also directly before the first of the Medical Practice’s next public forums – which begins at 7pm in Townstal Community Hall on November 21.

Medical Practice manager Kathy Congdon – who sits on the group as a representative of the Medical Practice and has watched the group grow and become established – said it was fitting that the PPG held its annual meeting before the forum.

‘The last forum really helped the group to gain new momentum and drive,’ she said. ‘Many of the current members got involved because they were enthused by the discussions at the forums, and wanted to get involved to help the medical practice to give the best service to all its patients as possible.

‘We hope that the group will become a trusted contact for the community. If you think that there is an issue to be discussed, or would like to find out more about the medical practice and its services, you can contact a member of the PPG. They can either give you the information you require, or bring it to one of the group’s meetings for discussion, and potentially, action.’

The PPG has a dedicated page with names and contacts for all its members which can be accessed through the Dartmouth Medical Practice website: www.dartmedical.co.uk.

The PPG’s Annual Meeting starts at 6pm in Townstal Community Hall on Monday November 21 – the Medical Practice Public Forum begins at 7pm. The second Medical Practice forum will be held at Dartmouth Golf and Country Club on Thursday November 24, also starting at 7pm.

MEDIA RELEASE – DARTMOUTH MEDICAL PRACTICE SECOND PUBLIC FORUMS TO CONTINUE PATIENT ENGAGEMENT

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Dartmouth Medical Practice will be holding its second set of public forums in November – which will outline how the first forums in April have affected the way the practice works.

The forums will also aim to highlight the way the medical practice works with other organisations and look to the future for healthcare. With this in mind, the forums will be entitled: ‘Progressing Healthcare in Dartmouth through Promoting Partnerships’.

The forums are a pioneering effort by the Medical Practice, which serves 8,500 patients in the Dartmouth and district area, to ensure that it provides the service people expect and the health care services they need.

There will again be a question and answer session at the forums, and the Medical Practice partners want to again focus on communicating with its patients so that it can continue to provide the best possible service.

Medical Practice partner Dr Andrew Eynon-Lewis said he was looking forward to another chance to have an open and positive discussion with patients.

‘We all saw how powerful the last forums were,’ he said. ‘This was because we were openly looking to communicate and listen – and our patients responded to that. I think it’s vital we keep this process going by holding these new forums.

‘We have much to share, such as how we have responded to the information we received at the last forums by making changes in our appointments and other significant moves which we believe have helped patients access our service more easily.

‘But more than that we are again hoping to find out what our patients want, expect and feel about healthcare in Dartmouth and its surrounding districts.’

One of the forums will be held outside Dartmouth to make it as easy as possible for members of the community from Dartmouth’s surrounding villages can attend as easily as possible.

The second Dartmouth Medical Practice forums will be held at Townstal Community Hall on Monday November 21 and Dartmouth Golf and Country Club on Thursday November 24. Both will begin at 7pm.

MEDIA RELEASE – DARTMOUTH GP TO BECOME MEDICAL DIRECTOR FOR DEVON, PLYMOUTH AND TORBAY

Dartmouth Medical Practice GP Graham Lockerbie has declared he is ‘proud and excited’ to be chosen as the new Medical Director for the NHS in Plymouth, Torbay and Devon.

Graham Lockerbie - new Medical Director for Plymouth, Torbay and Devon

And Dr Lockerbie, who has been a GP in Dartmouth for nearly 30 years, has said that he is determined to do all he can to help ensure good healthcare for all in Devon and hopes to make a big impression in the role, which he started this month.

In 2013 large Primary Care Trusts will be dissolved and a new system where groups of GP surgeries will work together to decide what kind of care is needed in each area will be brought in

Dr Lockerbie, one of the partners at Dartmouth Medical Practice, will be helping to ensure that the change from the current NHS organisation is managed well and goes smoothly.

He was picked for the role in part thanks to his long experience sitting on the ‘Commissioning’ boards that decide what care services have been provided to patients in the South Devon area over the last twenty years.

His time at the very heart of the NHS means that he understands all the implications of the choices large Health organisations make every day. His calm and friendly demeanour has won him many friends in Dartmouth and he now takes his expertise onto a larger stage.

The new role means that Dr Lockerbie will be dropping his hours in Dartmouth Medical Practice, and will be in the surgery one day a week. He will be undertaking this arrangement to see if it works well for him and the patients of the practice – and will be reviewed in three months.

But he insists that the change in role will only be good for the patients of Dartmouth.

As ‘Medical Director’ Dr Lockerbie will be taking on the challenge of ensuring new systems and organisation put in place for the new NHS setup are funded properly, will help to improve cooperation between GP practices, will be in charge of checking that GPs and their practices are up to scratch and will be a figurehead for health services in the area along with the new cluster Chief Executive Ann James.

Dr Lockerbie said: ‘I am very pleased to have been offered this post, which will make a real difference to the health services provided for all in Devon.

‘I know all my colleagues at the practice will continue to give the best care possible to the people of Dartmouth four days every week, and I will look forward to my day in surgery each week, helping to provide medical care and guidance to the people of Dartmouth – a town I love and have called home for more than quarter of a century. I hope it works out as it would be a huge shame for me to stop working at the practice.’

Dr Andrew Eynon-Lewis, a partner in Dartmouth Medical Practice, said: ‘Graham’s long involvement in the commissioning of medical services, along with his strong commitment to good health care for all mean he is the perfect fit for this role.

‘We have put together a plan to cover the days when Graham will now be out of the surgery – with Adam Morris, John Uhr Delia and myself increasing our hours. I am proud to work in a Medical Practice which has such depth in skill that not only can Graham take on such a coveted role, but we can arrange cover for him with our existing GPs, with relatively little disruption.’