Peterborough Health and Care Forum - What You Missed

Peterborough Health and Care Forum 27th March 2025 – Summary Report
 

Chair: Elaine Parkin

Attendance
 

• 6 members of the public (3 also Patient Participation Group (PPG) reps: Thorpe Road, Botolph Bridge, Jenner Health Centre)
• Cllr Bob Wicks, Seth Hopkins, Peterborough County Council (PCC)
• Laura Stent, North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (NWAFT), Donna Coe, National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Lynda Barnes, Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT – Research)
• Stephanie Ransom, Cambridge and Peterborough Integrated Care System (C&P ICS) - Medicines Optimisation
• Organisations represented: Healthy You, Jobcentre Plus, Diabetic Eye Screening, Deafblind Enablement

Key Updates & Discussions:

Health and Care Research

• Donna Coe (NIHR) presented on research opportunities at GP practices and local schools.
• Importance of sharing research findings was highlighted; efforts improving, but delays persist.
• Reference to the Health Research Authority’s ‘Make it Public’ campaign.
• NWAFT holding feedback sessions on research outcomes.
• Action: Continue supporting public involvement in research and improve sharing of outcomes.

NWAFT (Update)

• Amanda Pritchard visited on 21 March – praised maternity care.
• BBV (blood-borne virus) screening now opt-out.
• Progress on ambulance offload times – mostly meeting targets.
• New work underway with ex-military volunteers.

Action: Update to be brought to a future meeting.

Diabetic Eye Screening

• Pop-up screening to take place at Jenner Health Centre next week.

PPG (Patient Participation Group) Updates

• Thorpe Road Surgery – Low PPG engagement; recruitment challenges; high DNA (Did Not Attend) rates.
• Botolph Bridge – Concerns around long waits, low face-to-face appointments (only 20%), and risks of misdiagnosis.
• Jenner Health Centre – Military Covenant not universally applied; delays in processing prescriptions from hospitals across its three sites.

Medicines Shortages

Stephanie Ransom shared:

• 42% of patients affected; approx. 150 medicines currently in short supply.
• Shortages linked to multiple factors including supply chain, manufacturing, and post-EU exit impacts.
• Department of Social Care has developed a medicine shortage tool.
• Advice to patients: Don’t rely on one pharmacy. Only order what you need; check medications before leaving the pharmacy. Never share prescriptions.

Experiences Shared:

• Regular partial orders reported at Boots Queensgate.
• Ongoing difficulties accessing medication for chronic conditions like Crohn’s Disease
• Patients often given alternatives due to shortages.