It has been a busy month or so for the Shepperton Residents’ Association (SRA). On the 21st September, we had the first Open Meeting in the Village Hall for well over a year due to the pandemic and all that! Shepperton Med-ical Centre was the main subject of discussion and there were 7 members of their staff in attendance including the Practice Manager, Caroline Self and the senior GP partner, Dr Frances Rogers. Dr Rogers, Mrs Self and Dr Burgess gave presen-tations explaining the difficulties in providing a medical service to an elderly and ageing Shepper-ton population with a diminishing amount of staff time at the practice’s disposal. Not only is the recruiting of new GPs problematical, but also many GPs do not work full-time in any one prac-tice, having commitments in local hospitals and other care establishments as well. Hence, new systems have been introduced to try and manage the increasing strain on the practice’s resources. These, as Dr Rogers explained, have not been viewed as popular by a great proportion of the Shepperton residents. Video consultations and the provision of nurse, paramedic and pharma-cy personnel to analyse and spread the load have been brought in. In particular, two issues appear to be key areas of concern with patients. I base this assessment on the number of times I have faced similar agitated conversations on these topics in and around Shep-perton. Firstly, the difficulty/inability to make verbal con-tact – whether face-to-face or on the telephone – simply to have access to a GP voice in the surgery. This appears to be difficult to achieve. Secondly, the continuity of having the same GP so that familiarisation with the individual is more meaningful. Having the notes on the patient does not always fit the bill. It is difficult to substitute knowing and understanding the patient – prefera-bly face-to-face.
On this second point, as Dr Rogers said, this is very hard to achieve in the modern world of over-stretched GP practices and GP movements, up and down the country, not just Shepperton. There is no doubt that the members of the Medical Practice in Shepperton work hard and long hours. I believe that no one doubts that fact. It is also true that many patients are appreciative of the prac-tice’s efforts. However, since a large proportion of the patients are, as Dr Rogers said, of a more senior age, an easier way to access, via telephone at least, should be considered as a priority. If patients could gain access on the telephone, at some time in the day, many of the issues that get raised would be more easily addressed. It was good that the Medical Practice came to the meeting to discuss these issues. We all appreciate that. It is also reasonable to expect that the doctors would want to do this, as unique service providers to the community they treat. Also at the meeting, Bill Cunningham gave a brief update of some of the more common scams that are currently doing the rounds. Bill also intro-duced Tracy Moore who is the new Neighbour-hood Watch representative in the area. We hope that both Bill and Tracy will give updates on their subjects at future SRA Open meetings – as a regular feature. On the High Street we have witnessed some wel-come activity with a number of vacant premises showing distinct signs of life recently. It seems a strong possibility that a burger bar, Mediterranean Brasserie and trade materials shop are in the process of fitting out and stocking up There also appears to be activity in both retail units in the Barclays Bank building. I’m not too sure what is happening there at present, but rest assured, we are keeping tabs on any developments, as with Araby Corner! Currently, I and a few of the Big Tree Night com-mittee members are endeavouring to get our trad-ers to invest in a Christmas tree over their premis-es. In that way, we can, at least, look forward to a festively lit-up Christmas High Street, even if there is no Big Tree Night this year. In the meantime – KEEP SUPPORTING YOUR HIGH STREET – Visit your local shops and keep life buzzing in Shepperton!!!
Carl Phillips, Vice Chair Shepperton Residents Association