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Welcome to Ammonite Health Partnership
PPG Minutes - 17th July 2025
- Location: Bridport Medical Centre (BMC)
- Time: 2.30pm to 3.30pm
- Ammonite Reps: AMu, Dr Skellern, MM, AMa, CG, CC, KL and SM (Ammonite advocates volunteers)
- PPG Reps: PE (Chair), SS, AW, BH, GS
- Apologies: GP, JPT, LD
- Resignations: JS, JF
Agenda Items
- Welcome and introductions
- Apologies
- Notes of the last meeting
- Clinical and reception update
- Role of the advocates
- Practice communications- website, newsletter
- Practice priorities for the PPG
- NHS Dorset restructuring
- NHS Dorset- integrated neighbourhood teams
- AoB
- Date of next meeting
1. Welcomes and introductions made by the group.
PE updated the group and Ammonite staff that x2 members have recently resigned from the PPG
2. Apologies given by
GP, JPT and LD
3. There was a question regarding the recall system raised at the last meeting.
MM explained that invitations/ recalls for vaccinations are sent out by NHS England and Ammonite have no control over them. Ammonite does send its own reminders, however this is sent by an automated system that can’t pick up if an appointment has already been made, meaning that sometimes messages can double up.
Newsletter: It was mentioned at the last meeting about getting the newsletter to Jo Hughes for inclusion in the parish bulletin. The newsletter is in progress but should be released shortly.
ACTION- AMa to send newsletter to PPG once completed and PPG can share with Jo Hughes.
4. Clinical update
Dr Skellern explained that demand is still steady, on average there is 20% more daily demand than this time last year. AMa delivered an update on behalf of the nursing team- There have been 2 new starters in the nursing team at BMC- Paula, Practice nurse, who is with the practice for a 12 month maternity post, and Kim, who is an HCA and has joined in a full time position. Welcome both.
RSV
There has been some confusion around when patients can have the RSV vaccination. Unlike flu, the RSV vaccination isn’t seasonal, so as long as the patient is eligible, they can have it at any time of the year.
BH had a question about how many patients out of area register temporarily with the practice during the summer holiday season and whether this has an impact on the surgery. It was explained that many patients can use their own surgery whilst on holiday, for requests such as prescriptions as they can be sent to a pharmacy in the area they are staying.
There was a question in relation to Measles and whether the uptake for the vaccination has been good due to a recent outbreak. Between 80 and 90% of Ammonites patients have had the vaccination so the uptake is good.
Carers
CC introduced herself as the Carers lead for Ammonite- as well as working in Reception, CC supports anyone who cares for someone else, whether it’s a family member, neighbour or friend. CC checks in with them at least once a year to see how they are doing and if they need any additional support. Patients who are carers can also fill in a form at reception detailing if they need any extra assistance. CC can then signpost them to other services that can provide support.
Patient services (reception) update
CG provided updates and information from the Patient services team:
Calls taken by patient services team
- March – 6,325
- April – 6,878
- May – 6,259
- June – 6,858
There have been some new members of staff that have joined recently.
- Laura – Patient services
- Sharon – Patient services
- Ryan – eHub
There is currently another advert out for another patient services advisor with the aim of taking on x2 members of staff as one staff member leaves for university in mid August.
There will be a meeting taking place at Ammonite shortly to discuss the covid and flu campaign due to take place in the autumn. As soon as any information is out, it will be shared with the PPG.
CG explained that she plans to periodically sit out in reception for about an hour, spending time with patients and gathering some feedback. It was felt it would be a more friendly approach to getting an insight into patients thoughts about the surgery.
5. Role of the Advocates
KL and SM kindly came along to the meeting to give some information on the role of the advocates and what they do. They started as “health champions” and are now known as the Ammonite advocates- volunteers that sit in the reception area for 2-3 mornings a week.
The advocates are not medically trained but their main focus is to offer a friendly ear to patients and assist with anything patients might need help with, such as using the check in screens or filling out triage forms. They have an office space in reception that is available to them if they require somewhere private to use.
They explained that over the last 7 years, they have noticed that loneliness is a big factor and a lot of patients appreciate just having someone to talk to when they come into the surgery, which in turn will hopefully reduce pressure on GP’s. They are also a real helping hand to the reception team and relive some of the pressure on the team, often assisting patients in the queue with help checking in or directing where samples and triages need to go. They also gather feedback from patients and can feed it back to the practice.
The advocates are looking at having a few more members, to hopefully cover some more days of the week. It was suggested that the PPG might be able to get a message out in BLAP to generate some more interest.
6. Practice communications- website, newsletter
As part of the NHS digital transformation guidance, eConsult will be decommissioned by the end of September. Ammonite are currently trialling two possible replacement systems:
- Rapid Health- An automated triage system that uses patient responses to direct them to the most appropriate care pathway. Its designed to reduce wait times and make online access more responsive and structured.
- SystmConnect - This is fully integrated with our clinical system that we already use, allowing patients to send in queries directly. It provides a streamlined way to manage administrative requests, clinical triage and appointment bookings in one place.
Both systems are being trialled by the practice team to understand how they work in real-world settings. We are focusing on ease of use for patients, how well it supports clinicians and admin staff and how smoothly it will integrate with our current systems.
Ammonite will keep the PPG updated once a decision has been made.
The June edition of the practice newsletter has been delayed. As soon as it is completed, it will be distributed out to the PPG.
The planned PPG video has been put on hold temporarily whilst the practice focuses on the new digital system changes. Once the new platform is in place, the practice will develop clear guidance tools and may revisit the video project to support patient understanding and access.
7. Practice priorities for the PPG
Some focus points where discussed, it was agreed that communications with the wider patient population is key, particularly with any vaccination campaigns.
It was discussed that the Maiden Newton and Tunnel road PPG held some fundraising for new Blood Pressure machines for the reception area.
8. NHS Dorset - Restructuring
PE raised the restructuring that has been happening in Dorset, he fed back that NHS Dorset have been asked to cut staff by 50%. Jim Gammans, who has attended meetings in the past, will no longer be able to. NHS Dorset will be merging with the surrounding areas. It is unclear how this will affect help given in the past. Advised to watch this space.
9. NHS Dorset - Integrated Neighbourhood Teams
PE wanted to touch base on the integrated neighbourhood teams within NHS Dorset. AMu advised that Ammonite are involved in meetings that take place within the Jurassic coast PCN ( Primary care network). We have had good engagement so far from various teams, looking at areas we can work closer with, starting with the aging well team, looking at referral pathways and different protocols. The practice will keep the PPG updated as much as is possible.
10. AoB
Transport/volunteer drivers was raised. It was explained that patient transport is outside of the practices remit and not something we are able to provide. There are a few volunteer drivers that volunteer within the community but isn’t something that the practice is able to assist with.
11. Date of the next meeting
It was left with the PPG to come up with a suitable date for the next meeting and inform AM at the practice to be able to book out the room.