St Martins Practice is committed to involving you - our patients - in planning and improving our services. Our group is organised so that you can be involved as much or as little as you like. For example you may prefer to do everything by email from your own home. Alternatively you may like to attend our quarterly meetings.

When you sign up please specify if you prefer e-mail communication or post.  We have quarterly face to face meetings which you may choose to attend if you wish - the agenda is circulated in advance. 

Interested? Please click the link to complete the sign-up form, and we will then contact you.

13^th December 2022, 2-3pm

7^th March 2023, 5-6pm Minutes

13^th June 2023, 2-3pm

12^th Sept 2023 5-6pm

12^th Dec 2023 2-3pm

We are seeking patients and staff to join a collaborative focus group. The aim is to build a joint picture and understanding of issues relating to accessing GP services in 2023, and perhaps to find ways of improving access that are relevant to St Martins Practice and people who live in Chapeltown. It may be that the group can find ways to more closely match the needs and preferences of patients, with the resources available to the practice.

What would be expected of participants?

• To attend a face to face workshop from 2-4pm on Monday Jan 30^th 2023, at St Martins Practice – and also up to 2 further face to face meetings at later dates to be agreed, probably March / April 2023.
• To arrive prepared and willing to be a participant in the group, and to be fully involved in open, respectful, and constructive group discussions.
• This work is part of a formal research project running at the University of Manchester, and so there are some requirements to be observed. All participants at the focus groups will be asked to sign the project consent form.

Who else will be at the focus group?

Around 12 staff and patients will be present: we are aiming for equal numbers of each. From the staff side there will be a range of clinical, management and patient support staff. There may also be colleagues from the Integrated Care Board (ICB) Patient Participation Team present, plus the group facilitators / researchers (see next question)

Who will be leading the focus group?

In addition to staff & patients, there will be expert researchers from the University of Manchester present to facilitate discussions. They have already done similar focus groups elsewhere.

What will happen in each focus group?

• In the first meeting, the research team will invite participants to discuss their experiences and ideas relating to patient access. At the end of this meeting, a small number of actions will be decided on with a view to implementing these over the next 4-6 weeks.
• At the second meeting, a further round of discussion will take place with a focus on reviewing the actions from the previous meeting. Ideas about how to continue working together will be discussed.

Is this project actually going to change anything?

At this stage, its too early to say! As part of joining this research project the practice has committed to identify, on the basis of the discussion in the focus group, potential areas for changes to access, and has committed to trying some of them out to see if they are helpful.

However we would like to point out that this project is not going to provide us with more funding or more staff.

I would like to join the focus group: how do I arrange this?

Firstly: thank you for your interest. You must also be available for a face to face meeting on Monday Jan 30^th 2023, 2-4pm at St Martins Practice – and also up to 2 further face to face meetings at later dates to be agreed, probably March / April 2023.

If you are available then: please email us on adminsmp@nhs.net with FAO CAMILLA HAWKES in the subject line, with your full name, and date of birth, confirming your email address and telephone number. The deadline for expressions of interest is 7pm on Wednesday 25^th January 2023.

Depending how many expressions of interest we receive, it may not be possible for everyone to attend. All expressions of interest will be replied to. All attendees will be also emailed with more information before the first meeting.

I would like to join in but I am not available to attend.

Firstly: thank you for your interest. Secondly, the project will conclude with an action plan, which we are planning to send to everyone who was invited.