Fundraising and Events
A huge thank you to the stall holders, visitors, cake bakers, tombola donators and assorted helpers who all contributed to making our 2024 Christmas Bazaar a success.
2025 Christmas Bazaar date: Saturday 29th November – if you would like a table at this event then please do email contact@thetriangletrust.org.uk.
We have lots of exciting ideas for other fundraising events and will update our website once they have been confirmed.
Thank you
We are hugely indebted to our Patrons and regular contributors.
If you would like to become a life-time patron, an annual contributor or make a donation.
in 2024 The TrIANGLE tRUST FINANCED:
• Peak Flow Meters
• ECG System
• Cycle Rack
• Examination Couch
• Bench
• 10 Digital Blood Pressure Monitors
FeNo Monitor
+ supplying of consumables
PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP – Annual General Meeting
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The rescheduled date for the PPG AGM is Wednesday 11th September 2024 at 7.30pm, at the Memorial Hall, Stoke Sub Hamdon.
If you have already submitted questions for the AGM we will take these forward to the revised date – there’s no need to share them again.
The Triangle Trust – Annual General Meeting
The next Triangle Trust annual general meeting will be held on
21st January 2026
All Saints Hall, West Street, Stoke Sub Hamdon,
TA14 6PU.
Doors open at 6.30pm meeting starts at 7PM
Please consider becoming a member of the Triangle Trust Committee, we meet 6 times a year and we have vacancies to fill. Please contact us by email contact@thetriangletrust.org.uk
APRIL 2024
Since the last newsletter there have been lots of changes at Hamdon Medical Centre. In May 2018 the surgery joined Symphony Healthcare Services (SHS), an organisation wholly owned by Somerset Foundation Trust. SHS now manages 16 practice contracts over 20 sites. The practice is also part of the South Somerset West Primary Care Network (SSW PCN) which is made up of four practices, Buttercross Health Centre, Crewkerne Health Centre, Hamdon Medical Centre and Martock and South Petherton Surgery. PCNs are a national initiative to enable practices to work more collaboratively together and we are especially fortunate that the SSW PCN is made up of all SHS surgeries. The work of the PCN facilitates stronger group working and helps build relationships to support the local community.
At Hamdon we now have many PCN employed staff who work with us and our patients; a care coordinator (Helen), health coaches (Jackie and Caroline), a social prescriber (Bryony), a GP assistant (Maxine), a community psychiatric nurse (Beccy), pharmacists (Anna and Katie), and the complex care team of a GP/nurse who work with a few of our most complex patients for a period of time when they need extra help/support and then hand them back to us at Hamdon to continue their care/support. We are also lucky to have Michael, our musculoskeletal practitioner as well, the only one of the PCN practices to do so. They all add to the breadth of support we can give to patients registered at Hamdon.
Regular Hamdon Medical Centre Staff have changed a little too with some retiring, and some joining- in the last 12 months we have had Dr Solomon Lebese join as a regular salaried GP, Sarah Wills and Swen Mersilian have taken over as our new Practice Managers (working with both us and Crewkerne Health Centre but emphasising that the 2 practices very much continue to be their own entity), we have 2 new practice nurses Rachel and Lorraine and new Health Care Assistants in Tracey and Kay.
In addition to all the above, as many of you will already be aware, our PCN is moving from Ask My GP onto a new online platform called Anima, that will be live from 24 April 2024. We would encourage those who are able to register on this platform to do so,but for those who cannot, please continue to call and speak to our receptionists as normal. They will add you onto the Anima list and you will be in the same queue for a response from the appropriate member of staff and so there is no disadvantage to ‘having to’ call receptionists. Your patience whilst we have transferred from one system to the other, and only take urgent calls for a short period, has been very much appreciated. We continue to follow NHS guidance on how to see patients. With the new Anima online consultations will continue to be available, telephone consultations are always available and if a patient does need to be seen then a clinician will book a face to face appointment if deemed clinically necessary.
I specifically wanted, again, to say a big ‘Thank You’ to all of our patients for putting up with the ever changing way in which we have been working since the pandemic- we are aware of the delays that had built up in recent months and we are all hoping for some more stability as we move forwards, although I suspect this will take a little time to achieve! Even though our ways of working have changed, please remember we are all here, working hard and continuing to support and care for all our patients, and I reinforce, please do not be concerned that you HAVE to email to make contact- receptionists are very happy to take calls from you and to help any patient who have no email access/ability.
We continue to meet regularly with members of the PPG (patient participation group) and discuss future plans/ideas with them. Their support particularly at the time of flu/covid vaccination season is invaluable and much appreciated. We continue to offer spring covid booster, and autumn flu and covid appointments through the practice, so please look at social media, our website or contact us for more information if needed.
All the staff at Hamdon would like to thank the Triangle Trust for their ongoing support in raising funds to help the practice in the purchase of and maintenance of medical equipment, as well as the present pilot of provision of transport for those eligible patients who otherwise would not able to get to appointments at the surgery. This year alone they have provided funds for a bariatric couch and chairs, other examination couches , an ECG machine, a new spirometer and a fridge for blood samples to be stored overnight. It is hugely appreciated and helps us to provide continued care for our patients within the local community. Thank you.
Patient forum (PPG)
What is the Patient Forum, also known as the Patient Participation Group (PPG)?
The PPG is the official term used throughout the NHS, but it might be better described as the Patient Forum. It comprises of volunteer patients registered with the Practice who are prepared to spend a couple of hours each month in partnership with the Clinicians and staff within the practice.
The objective is to provide feedback to the Practice which helps to improve services and to achieve consistently high quality and responsive care. Such a forum is an essential and valued part of all Symphony Practices and helps them understand what the patient experience is really like and how we can best achieve any changes and improvements identified. Our forum usually meets on a monthly basis and always has the Practice Manager attending as well as clinical staff if available. We discuss the current activity at the Practice, foreseen challenges and developments for the future, as well as suggestions to assist from a patient perspective.
Our major objective is to assist the Practice in communicating with all patients over how to get the best service possible within the resources available. But, obviously, we are not in a position to challenge or influence clinical decisions for
individual patients.
We are now in a period of significant change within the NHS services in Somerset. The Somerset Integrated Care Board (ICB) was formed in July 2022 to manage all the Primary Care services within Somerset. It has the responsibility and holds the budget for all services (GP Surgeries, dentistry, ophthalmic services, mental health and district nursing and home care to mention but a few) and is working to integrate such services and remove the areas of duplication seen under the individual management structures. Whilst it will take several years to fully complete all this integration, many features are coming on stream. For example, the creation of a Primary Care Network (PCN) is the linking of GP practices in a specific geographic area to enable services to be shared. Our PCN consists of the Surgeries at Hamdon Medical Centre, Somerton and Ilchester, Crewkerne and South Petherton and Martock. A new feature within the PCN is the creation of the GP Urgent Assessment Centre based in Martock where all the GPs from the PCN can refer patients who need same day assessment of a medical problem which is urgent but not immediately life threatening, ie, not needing hospital A&E attention. Our Forum, working with the other PPGs within the PCN, has helped design the service to ensure it works well from the patient perspective. We will continue to ensure that focus is
maintained as further services are developed.
We are always looking for patients to join and share their views with the forum. In particular, we would like to increase the representation for younger patients and families. The wider the range of patient representation that we have within the Patient Forum, the better and more relevant will be its effectiveness.
All patients registered with the Practice who are interested in supporting the work of the Practice are welcome and encouraged to join.
Please contact us via: hamdonpracticeppg@gmail.com
February 2024