Group Consultations

What does Frome Medical Practice offer?

Group Consultations are a way of supporting patients with long-term conditions. You could think of them as a group medical appointment. They are delivered to a group of patients with similar health issues, in a supportive group setting.

There are many benefits to a group consultation:

• More time with a clinician
• Better patient experience
• Increased patient confidence to manage their condition
• Opportunity for patients to support each other
• Improved clinical outcomes – meaning a patient's health can benefit from this type of consultation
• Reduction in  hospital admissions and A&E attendance

Group consultations take place at Frome Medical Practice for patients with the following conditions:

• Diabetes
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Mental health

More groups will be starting soon. These will be added to this list as they start to happen.

Patients will be invited to these group sessions by letter. Th exception to this is the Diabetes Group Consultations. Attendance at this can be booked for you by your Health Care Assistant when your diabetes review is undertaken.

As this is a new way of providing patient consultations we understand people might be concerned about coming along to a session. Patients who have attended them have offered positive feedback though, saying they found the group consultation:

• Meant they have more time with a clinician than they would get in 1-1 appointments
• Meant there was consistency around their care – seeing same clinician at each session, for example
• Provided an opportunity to share their own experiences of their illness and ways they’ve been able to manage it
• Helped with their confidence
• Helped them understand their condition
• Was something they look forward to attending
• Was a place to make friends

Clinicians also feel that the sessions mean they develop a closer relationship with patients and so there are benefits all round.