MHW 2002: Cambourne

'Casual feel. Helpful people. Listening doctor.'

Just one satisfied male customer at the excellent MEN'S HEALTH WEEK OPEN EVENING: MONKFIELD MEDICAL PRACTICE, TUESDAY 11th JUNE 2002, 6 - 8pm

Background

Cambourne is a new town on a greenfield sit. The first houses were occupied about three years ago and the Monkfield medical practice opened its doors to patients in February 2001. They now have about 1250 patients, with around 100 new registrations per month.

A working group had been set up by Peter Bailey, lead GP, to identify the health needs of male patients in this newly developing community and design effective ways of meeting those needs.

Discovering that Men's Health Week was designated for the second week in June provided an opportunity to both support this aspect of health promotion and explore ways of engaging with the men of Cambourne. It was decided to hold an Open Evening, with opportunities for clinical contact - but in a less formal setting.

The event was publicised by :

- sending a personal invitation to every male patient over the age of 16 (415) towards the end of May. A response was not required, but appointments could be pre-booked for the evening, if desired.

- devising and distributing a lively poster

- placing a message on the front page of the practice website

- advertising in the local Cambourne Crier

What was offered?

• Five minute appointments with Peter, the GP, with no need to pre-book
• Appointments with Denise, one of the Nurse Practitioners, again without pre-booking
• Blood pressure & weight checks, together with advice from Sandra,the Clinical Pharmacist
• Stress management advice from Gill, the WellFamily Services Co-ordinator
• Representatives from local clubs (Football, Running, Tennis & Yoga) to give out information on their activities
• Representative from Weightwatchers with information on their new MP5 weight-loss kit for men, diet and healthy eating advice
• Access to a wide range of relevant information leaflets and books plus the opportunity to talk to Diane, the Information Officer
• Access to the 4.7MB version website, with on-line questionnaires to complete while waiting for appointments etc., via a laptop.
• Orange juice, nibbles and biscuits available to all!

4.7MB version

What worked well?

The evening was a great success! The waiting area was changed around, to provide a different environment, with tables for information and displays. Playing jazz CDs added to the informal atmosphere. The flow of people waiting to see the GP and Nurse was never unreasonable.

GP appointments made : 9

A wide range of concerns & questions were raised including hypertension, erectile dysfunction, tinnitus, knee pain and vasectomy failure by men ranging from 30 - 70 years of age. Up to four separate conditions were raised in one (?five minute!) consultation.

Nurse Practitioner appointments made : 5

Weight checks : 6

Smoking cessation advice : 1

Patients requiring follow-up

 

• Blood pressure over 160/100: 2
• CHD risk > 15%: 1
• BP >150/90 requiring follow-up bp measurement: 4
• BMI > 25 : weight reduction advised: 5

Specific Health concerns raised with Sandra included

• Cholesterol levels, how high, when to treat
• Exercise: advice on suitable ones to do, nearest classes
• Chiropodist: will we have one in Cambourne?

   

There was sometimes a queue for blood pressure & weight checks, but it gave an opportunity to look at health information, for most people.

Weightwatchers : Involving the representative from Weightwatchers was valuable and she gave information on diet and the need for exercise to a number of people who did not need the weight-loss information.

4.7MB version

What did the men think?

Simple evaluation forms were devised and Joy, the receptionist on duty, ensured that every man completed one, before leaving. A total of 16 were collected. The response was 100% positive with:

• 44% praising the informality and friendliness of the staff
• 25% recorded the fact they liked being able to see a nurse or GP without an appointment
• 75% said they had taken away some information leaflets
• 25% requested these evenings being held regularly in future

   

• Many mentioned the value of being able to meet all their health needs in one visit.

   

'I don't visit the doctor. It was a good reason to visit the surgery and to talk about health issues'

'Being able to discuss all matters about diet, health, fitness etc. in one session'

'Casual feel. Helpful people. Listening doctor'

What did we learn for next time?

None of the representatives from the sports clubs turned up!! This did not detract from the success of the occasion, but it was in the publicity!

The Internet connection could not be established on the laptop, therefore the on-line questionnaires were unavailable.

Gill, the WellFamily Services Co-ordinator, had suffered an injury which meant she was unable to be present at the event.

The GP reflected that he could have been better prepared with advice and/or symptom questionnaires on erectile dysfunction, hypertension and prostatism.

Sandra felt that cards to give to patients recording BP readings & BMI would have been useful, together with the facility (perhaps in a semi-private area?) to enter data on patients' records during or after the evening, rather than the next day.

A patient subsequently requested that screening for diabetes could be included, in future.

The way forward

From both the evaluation forms and the team's reaction to the success of the evening, this could be a regular aspect of Monkfield's provision for men's health, perhaps every 3 - 6 months.

4.7MB version