BARGOOSE – Patient Participation Group

We want to hear from you….

We are seeking a small group of people who can be contacted by e-mail to give their views on proposed changes and improvements to the services we provide. The contact would be once or at most twice a year over the next two years.

If you are happy for us to contact you by e-mail please download the Contact Form below and hand back to reception, a Bargoose representative or post in the ‘secure’ Suggestions Box.

Contact Form
Patient Reference Group Registration

Non-urgent advice: BARGOOSE Patient Participation Group

In December 2002, following 18 months of preparation work, the first official meeting of a Patient Participation Group for the practice met. The committee had been formed following a public meeting in a local church hall where over 50 patients attended. This group has continued to grow from strength to strength.

The group was named BARGOOSE following a ‘naming competition’ This name comes from a combination of the surgery names from the main surgery at BARton-Le-Clay and the branch surgery at GOOSEberry Hill in Luton. The group’s aims as stated in their constitution are:

‘to assist in the improvement of the services provided by the Practice and to promote better understanding and communication between Patients and Practice’

Further Information on the BARGOOSE Patient Participation Group

Reports and Newsletters

2024

2022

Our Achievements

Since the introduction of Bargoose, both Partners and patients alike have gained a greater understanding of each other’s needs and built a culture of receptive listening and responding.

The benefits to all parties have been enormous. Meetings are held every 6 weeks and are always attended by a Partner on a rotation basis and the Practice Manager. Over 30 newsletters have been produced, generally on a quarterly basis, suggestion boxes have been introduced, dedicated notice boards for Bargoose have been installed at both sites and contain photos of all the Committee members with brief details of their interests and backgrounds. 

There are also notice boards at both sites specifically used to cover a health topic, which are changed on a monthly basis and are looked after by a committee member. Do let us know if you have any ideas or material for topics that would be of interest to patients.

Bargoose have been innovative to patient care in organising a number of health evenings. These have been:

  • Drop in Health Evenings when speakers give a presentation and various organisations (relating to health and welfare) have displays. Our GP’s attend and present a question and answer session which is always enjoyed by the 50+ patients present.
  • An open evening for young people 16 – 25 with contributions from 6 specialists in various aspects of health and fitness with 3 of the Partners and the practice nurses present. This was attended by 12 youngsters.
  • A Parents Health Evening for adults caring for a child (children) aged 1 – 8 years with speakers on First Aid, Nutrition, Minor Illnesses and Allergies. Attended by nearly 40 parents.

In addition

  • 30+ newsletters have been published all containing health related topics. These are collected by patients from the surgeries and we generally produce approximately 800 copies of each edition.
  • Bargoose were directly responsible for arranging for the mobile breast screening unit to visit the surgery and over 1400 women were screened. The hospital has now ceased this due to financial reasons.
  • Direct involvement with the practice in the planning and implementation of changes to our Phlebotomy Service and the introduction of new systems for dealing with blood forms.
  • Direct involvement with the practice in the introduction of a new telephone system which has increased our accessibility by telephone results in the survey from 43% to 90%.
  • Introduction of a Healthy Walks Group which meets monthly on alternate Thursdays at 11.00 a.m. and an evening walking group that meets fortnightly on Wednesday evenings at 7.00 from May – September.

In April 2005 Bargoose won the Strategic Health Authorities Investing in Your Health Awards “Improving the Patient Experience” category and in December 2006 an article was published in Work Based Learning in Primary Care titled “Organisational learning developed through implementing a successful patient participation group”.

The BARGOOSE Committee

The Committee elected is as follows:

Chairman:

  • Gareth Jones (Flitton) / Tel: 01582 573072

Secretary:

  • Rita Winters

Treasurer:

  • Richard Browne (Silsoe)

Newsletter Editor:

  • Roger Bannister

Other Members:

  • Christina Rathbone (Clophill)
  • Susan Turner (Clophill)
  • Paul Rich (Luton)
  • Richard Browne (Silsoe)
  • Sheila Mason (Barton)
  • Carol Bond (Barton)
  • Rita Winters (Barton)
  • Edwin Cooper (Silsoe)
  • Sonia Sentonaris (Shillington)
  • Susan O’Neill (Clophill)