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IXWORTH SURGERY PATIENT ASSOCIATION
To help raise money for the Ixworth Surgery Patient Association click the following link www.buy.at/ipa.
A Short History of ‘How We Began’
A public meeting was held in the autumn of 1988, and the proposal was accepted with enthusiasm. A Committee of representatives from some of the larger villages was elected and the officers appointed. The Practice was and still is, represented at the meetings by one of the doctors and another member of staff. The newly formed Group, to be known as the Ixworth Surgery Patient Association was one of the first of such organisations in the then Suffolk Health Authority. Other practices have taken up the idea since, occasionally run by the doctors themselves. This Association has retained its independent status and is run by the patients for the patients with input from the professionals whom they support in patient care. Committee members are democratically elected and not appointed by the doctors.
Every patient registered with the Surgery is automatically a member of the Association and entitled to all the benefits.
The I.S.P.A aims to enhance the communication and collaboration between the patients and the surgery regarding matters of concern e.g. telephones, waiting times and anything of a non-clinical nature. Confidentiality is never breached as clinical concerns are a ‘no go’ area. If, and it happens very rarely indeed, that a patient wishes to make a complaint about their care, their representative can advise them about the Complaints procedure but that is all.
From the outset it became clear that a major concern was the difficulty that patients experienced if they had no transport of their own and had to visit the surgery. A volunteer scheme was set up and quickly grew. Patients request transport when they make their appointment and the arrangements are made by the volunteer co-ordinators with the drivers who freely give their time to help. This scheme was one of the first in the country and is recognised as one of the best in Suffolk.
Education is high on the agenda and public meetings are held from time to time to provide information and education on matters of health and patient care. They are well advertised around the villages.
Lastly, not a priority in the early days, is the need to raise money occasionally for equipment and staff training over and above that provided by the N.H.S. The 1990’s saw a big rise in the availability of high tech equipment to schools and hospitals and the need to support hospices etc. Many of us are familiar with collecting vouchers from the supermarkets to pass on to schools for purchasing computers. Big time fund raising activities have enabled the I.S.P.A. to make a number of purchases that have enhanced the care given to the patients, not least the portable defibrillator which was used within the first week, well before they were readily available throughout the county. The enthusiastic Treasurer has ensured that when a need is identified, financial support is available.
The Volunteer Transport Scheme - Do you live in one of these villages?
We are currently facing a severe shortage of volunteers in the above areas. The transport scheme which has been running for over 19 years is second to none in the County. Without it, a number of patients who do not have their own cars would have great difficulty attending Ixworth and Stanton surgeries for advice and treatment.
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