| Do you have an hour or two to spare? If yes, then great because we need you!I recently started volunteering with the Tamar Valley Health Patients’ Group and I’d like to share my experiences with you. I had never heard of this group before and I’m sure many of you haven’t either but this is a group where everyone who visits their local GPs surgery should be a part of. Why I hear you ask? Because it gives you a voice and you can become part of positive improvements within our GP surgeries!
I have attended meetings where problems are highlighted such as waiting times, parking issues, computer systems etc and as a group we look to find solutions to improve our experience when we do have to visit a GP, Nurse, Pharmacist etc. I have been taking part in exit poll surveys outside Callington and Gunnislake Health Centres, which has resulted in some great feedback and interesting information, which will then be presented to the surgery with possible solutions. I have met the staff, learnt new information and gained an insight into how our local surgeries work but most of all I now feel confident that I have a voice that will be heard and can contribute to continuous improvement for our local health services. If you are interested in becoming part of this forward thinking group, please email tvhppg@outlook.com and you’ll receive the latest newsletter and a very warm welcome. Plus Join the tvhPPG Facebook Group Tamar Valley Health NHS England, in their wisdom, decided in 2014 to write to hundreds of patients in every practice, asking them to confirm that they were still registered with their practices. Large numbers ignored these letters, possibly never opening them, and these patients have now been deregistered automatically. > It has been rumoured this to be at the practice’s request. It is incredibly rare for a patient to be removed from the practice list, and would have involved phone calls, letters, meetings and probably police involvement, unless they live outside the practice area. > If you know someone who has been removed without all of this, please encourage them to come and re-register. We’d like our lost patients back! Kathie Applebee Strategic Management Partner www.TamarValleyHealth.co.uk
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