Agenda and draft minutes

To receive declarations of any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or other registrable or non-registrable interests from Members in respect of any item to be considered at the meeting.

No declarations of interest were made by Members in respect of any items of business discussed at the meeting.

The Panel is asked to confirm as a true record the Minutes of the Meeting of the Panel held on 4 March 2025 (attached) and to authorise the Chair to sign them.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Health Liaison Panel held on 4^th March 2025 were reviewed by the Panel. The Panel agreed that they were a true record and authorised the Chair to sign them.

The Panel shall receive a presentation from a representative from NHS Pharmacy on the Pharmacy First service.

Invited Speaker – Sharn Dev (NHS Pharmacy)

The Panel received a presentation from Sharn Dev, Superintendent Pharmacist - Horton Pharmacy. (Subsequent to the meeting, the presentation slides were published as an addendum to the agenda).

The following matters were considered by the Panel:

a)            A Councillor asked whether pharmacists are happy to provide the service and are they being renumerated for their time on the service. Feedback was given saying that pharmacists are willing to adapt, supported via new technologies. In terms of renumeration, the Speaker explained that it is based on meeting targets, objectives and criteria to the programme.

b)            A Councillor asked about issues around patients failing to attend appointments. The speaker stated that clinical responsibility lies with the pharmacy, if the patient has been referred via GP. The pharmacist must make three separate attempts to contact the patient. The Speaker shared that no local issues had been detected to date – lots of improvements had been seen, aided through the support of technology. The Speaker noted that as a community we must embrace technology, to support growth of the service locally.

c)            A Councillor asked a question around walk-in appointments – are they common within surgeries across the borough? Feedback was given stating that there is consistency across pharmacies in the Epsom area, which helps support community support networks.

d)            A Councillor asked how we can get the message to residents that this form of service is growing and that it is a route for care that they may like to consider? The Speaker shared that they were keen to discuss more avenues for promotion and increasing awareness to support residents learn about the service. The Councillor followed up stating that the Speaker may wish to consider local Ward newsletters as a route for exploration. This suggestion was noted by the Speaker. 

e)            A Councillor asked whether residents are required to exclusively visit one pharmacy to receive their care. The Speaker stated that no, residents are welcome to visit a practice suitable to them. The Speaker shared that the service is in place to look after people, rather than creating obstacles to care.

The Panel shall receive a presentation from a representative from Love Me Love My Mind on the Love Me Love My Mind organisation, including how they provide support for residents in our borough.

Invited Speaker – Allen Price (Love Me Love My Mind)

The Panel received a presentation from Allen Price – Charity Coordinator for Love Me Love My Mind. (Subsequent to the meeting, the presentation slides were published as an addendum to the agenda).

The following matters were considered by the Panel:

a)            A Councillor asked whether information about Love Me Love My Mind is available in local hospitals/doctor surgeries. Feedback was given stating that it’s a tall order for a small charity to coordinate and distribute printed material around the Borough. The Speaker suggested that an alternative could be a touring show around the Borough, to share information at a local, targeted level.

b)            A Councillor asked whether the Speaker has looked at Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of larger companies within the Borough to amplify the work of Love Me Love My Mind within the Borough. The Speaker thanked the Councillor for their suggestion. 

c)            A Councillor praised the Saturday events held at Epsom Social and noted they are a good way to foster healthy habits and behaviours.

d)            The Speaker highlighted details of a forthcoming community event taking place on 19^th July at Court Recreation Ground, Epsom.

The Panel shall receive an information paper from Epsom & St Helier Hospital Group regarding the new online patient system.

The panel received an information paper from Epsom and St Helier Hospital Group regarding an update on the launch of the new groupwide electronic patient record system – iClipPro.

The following matters were considered by the Panel:

a)            A Councillor questioned whether the iClipPro system ‘talks’ to all local GP surgeries and both local hospitals, or if it is just based around patients using the Trust services.

b)            A Councillor commented on difficulties with iClipPro with respect to time delays using the system. The Councillor stated that the principle of the service is good but feels like the positive impact and effectiveness is not there yet.

c)            The Chair requested an invitation to be sent to James Blythe, Managing Director - Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust to attend the next Health Liaison Panel meeting on 20th November 2025.