Friends of Wistaria Surgery
Page 1 of 2
Chairman's Report for 2010
My first year as Chairman has been a busy one settling into the job. In this I am very
grateful for the help and support given to me by the Committee and our team of volunteers,
all of whom have put in such a great deal of time and effort to make the Friends a success.
So, thank you all.
Activities
1. The monthly coffee mornings organised by Eleanor Hanvey and her team have been very popular, with Neville Lewcock providing an excellent and varied range of speakers. .
2. The Befriending Service, a core activity of the Friends, goes from strength to strength. Gill Taunt has taken over the running of this very important function, assisted by Susan
Antonio and there are now have some 17 fully trained volunteers assisting people in the community in need of contact and help, who are usually referred to us by the surgery.
3. During the autumn period, Jill Lindemere and her volunteers provided support at the surgery flu clinics.
4. Trevor Nunn and Hugh Keal organised a series of walks through the Forest on Saturday mornings in October and November, that were very popular and these will be repeated in the spring. Hugh also looks after the surgery garden and is always in need of volunteers. Helpers please contact Hugh on 01590 675023
5.On the social side, Marie Mudie has once again, provided the Friends with a wide range of social events, all of which demand a lot of hard work on the part of herself and volunteers. Among these are,
The Easter Raffle
Visit to Mottisfont Abbey Gardens
Visit to Lymington New Forest Hospital
Fund raising stall at Rotary Fair
Lunch at Lanes
Quiz evening and supper
October meeting
Christmas party and raffle
Equipment
A key function of the Friends is to provide equipment and other items of benefit to patients that would not ordinarily be provided by the statutory authorities. During the year, the Friends have funded,
1. Final phase refurbishment Health Education room
2. Bariatric scales and infant measuring equipment
3. New doctor consulting room equipment
4. Refurbishment of patient waiting areas
NHS Reorganisation
The NHS will be going through a major reorganisation during the coming year, much of which still has to be clarified. What is clear though, is that this will undoubtedly have an effect at surgery level. The Friends enjoy an excellent relationship with Wistaria and we remain ready to provide whatever support and help that may be required from us over the next few, probably difficult years. One development for 2011 will be the formation within the Friends, of a Patient Participation Group covering all patients, as part of a national movement. Effectively, this expands an existing activity of the Friends, placing it on a more formal basis with representatives from ALL patients, doctors and staff. The Patient Participation Group will feel its way carefully through the myriad of changes that will affect the NHS and we will endeavour to keep patients aware of developments. It is envisaged that the PPG will also make contact with other Patient Participation Groups in the area.
Maureen Brown Bequest
The Friends are currently holding some £45,000 from the Maureen Brown Bequest. It is our recommendation to continue holding these funds on deposit until there is a clearer view of how these funds may be used for the benefit of patients in the new NHS structure.
Waiting Room Painting Displays
Recent visitors to the surgery will have noticed the display of paintings in the waiting
rooms. These are by professional artists from the Palette Club in Lymington and all will agree, the paintings add to the ambiance of the waiting rooms. The artists will rotate the paintings every three months and the paintings are for sale. Full details of how to contact the artist are beside each painting.
Communication
We are aware of the need to step up the level of communication to members, patients and the community at large. The Friends newsletter is distributed to members and further copies are available to all patients in the surgery reception area. We also intend to circulate copies to businesses in the town in order to widen the awareness of the Friends, its activities and objectives. In addition, members are invited to make use of the Friends website (www.friendsofwistaria.org.uk) for news and up to date information on forthcoming events. The notice board in the surgery entrance also displays forthcoming events. As with most other organisations, we will in future endeavour to communicate by email and are currently studying how best to set up such a system.
Committee 2011
Christine Jackson, Vice Chairman, will step down after her term of six years comes to an end at this AGM and I would like to thank her for all the hard work and support she has given to the Friends and in particular, the Befriending service which has become such an important part of the Friends activities. I am pleased to say that Christine has agreed to continue editing the newsletter. Eleanor Hanvey retired from the Committee during the year but has kindly agreed to continue with the coffee mornings. Eleanor has been a committee member since 2005 and we appreciate very much the work and effort she has put into the Friends
Finally, members, thank you for supporting our activities over the year.