STAUNTON PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of meeting held on Tuesday 10th September 2024
Venue: Corse and Staunton Village Hall Annexe
Time: 7:30pm
Present: Councillors; J. Millar, D. Williams, B. Allen, J. Capper, P. Burford (District Councillor), G. Millar (Clerk), and 1 Parishioner.
1.Chairman’s Welcome
Cllr Millar welcomed all present.
2.Receive Apologies
Apologies were received from Cllr Peach and Corse Parish Council Representative, Barbara Buck.
3.Declarations of Interest
None declared.
4. To confirm the minutes of the previous bi-monthly meeting held on Tuesday 9th July 2024
The minutes of the previous bi-monthly meeting held on Tuesday 9th July 2024 were proposed by Cllr Allen and seconded by Cllr Capper to be accepted as a true record.
5. County Councillor Report
No report provided.
6. District Councillor Report
District Councillor, Philip Burford provided an update on new Local Plan requirements and how this may impact Staunton with the potential for new housing developments in order for housing targets to be met.
An update was also given regarding the plans for a Biosphere Reserve in the district.
7. District Councillor Report
No report provided.
8. Councillor Resignation
Cllr Millar explained to all the unfortunate resignation of Cllr Fuller.
Cllr Capper now to fill the vacancy on the Planning Advisory Committee and Cllr Millar will fill the vacant role dealing the Play Area matters.
9. Footpaths
GST 39 – A sand and stone splay has now been laid to try and alleviate the muddied areas.
GST 35 - A sand and stone splay has now been laid to try and alleviate the muddied areas.
GST 32 – Public Rights of Way Officer, Will Saunders now has a resurfacing quote for the remaining section of the footpath. However more temporary resurfacing will be completed in the meantime before works to provide a permanent solution can begin.
GST 6 - Public Rights of Way Officer, Will Saunders to investigate fixing/replacing the broken stile. Final confirmation is to be sought regarding costings including installation, however, Councillors approved a 50% funding towards this from Staunton Parish Council’s footpath reserves.
GST 5 - Public Rights of Way Officer, Will Saunders looking into establishing a permissive path to avoid the paddock which is currently blocking this footpath.
GST 29 – A replacement gate for the improper one currently in use is quoted at £500-£600. Councillors approved to contribute towards this from Staunton Parish Council’s footpath reserves. This was proposed by Cllr Allen and seconded by Cllr Capper.
10.Chartist Way Saplings
Cllr Millar explained to all that it has been arranged for all remaining saplings in the area that were planted to be moved on Sunday 10th November.
11.Johnstone Close
An update was provided from Two Rivers Development Manager stating that they hope progress with works should commence in the coming weeks.
12.WI Poppies
The WI have kindly made and provided Staunton Parish Council with 125 poppies to be used on Remembrance Day. Cllr Millar and Cllr Capper to collate these onto wreaths ahead of Remembrance Day in November.
13.Patient Participation Group
Report provided by Cllr Peach:
At the recent Patient Participation Group meeting Practice Manager, Louise Tweney, reviewed several changes implemented since the last meeting. This included the erection of a wooden panel to protect patients from adverse weather whilst waiting at the dispensary window. Future work is likely to include a bench for use by patients finding it difficult to stand whilst waiting in the queue, and further wood panelling to prevent patients from pushing through vegetation when exiting the area, rather than retracing their steps the way they came in.
The waiting list for non-urgent appointments was still causing some frustration, exacerbated by the continuity of care pledge, where patients are booked to see a named doctor for all their consultations. Funding constraints and limited space was not helping this, but General Practice Improvement Plans, facilitated by an external consultant at no cost to the Practice, was being implemented over a fifteen-week period to identify areas for review and improvement.
Further pressures on General Practice included increases in the minimum wage, a limit on the number of consultations per practitioner (no more than 25 patients per day) and many hospitals Secondary Care issues being pushed back to the Practice Primary Care provider. This latter problem meant patients were often discharged with requests for routine blood tests, etc to be carried out by the Practice, but with little information from the referring hospital, such that large amounts of time and effort were having to be devoted to clarifying what exactly was required for the patient.
Staffing levels at the practice remain static, with Dr Willis, one of the current GP trainees, leaving to be replaced by Dr Majid Motamedi. The practice has a wide range of clinical staff with excellent patient care skills and specialities such as the Musculo-skeletal First Contact Physio, a Nurse Practitioner with a speciality in Diabetes Care. The aim is to limit patient waiting times for some of these more routine consultations and provide a more fulfilling and effective experience that will reduce longer term health complications to the patient, keeping future hospitalisation to a minimum.
Flu clinics have been arranged throughout October and text notification and booking links have been sent to all patients. COVID vaccinations will be offered to eligible patients at the time of the flu vaccination, so there will not be separate booking arrangements.
Generally speaking, the text messaging system is working well and not only provides notification of clinics but enables immediate booking of some appointments together with appointment reminders closer to the appointment date. This has helped to reduce the number of missed appointments and therefore prevent increases in waiting times for an appointment. All patients are encouraged to sign-up for the service, although the traditional methods of making an appointment are still available.
The Practice is fully committed to providing the best possible service to patients, but with continuing pressure for increased Primary Care and reduced financial support, this is not without its problems. We will continue to work hard on improvements to the service and listen to your comments which can be made both through direct contact with the Practice or via our Patient Participation Group.
14.Finance
Council to receive a report following a recently completed internal check of Staunton Parish Councils financial records
Cllr Williams reported that following the most recent check of Staunton Parish Council’s financial records, everything is in order with no issues to report.
Council to be presented with any payments and/or training requests for approval
No items for approval.
15.Planning
16.Any Other Business
Cllr Millar notified all that the memorial bench for former Councillor Tony Fardon requires maintenance work. Staunton Parish Council to contact Stan Cotton to quote for this.
Cllrs were notified of the upcoming changes for WCAG requirements for Parish Councils and the impact this will have on us. This item is to be included on Staunton Parish Council’s November agenda for discussion.
Staunton Court layby still has a pothole that is filling with water. Work to this to be revisited.
Cllr Williams notified all of a reported oil leak from a bin lorry collecting in the Village. Works to rectify this are underway.
Cllr Capper also reported that around £200 was raised for Staunton Parish Council at the last fundraising Supper Club, with the next one due to be a steak night on Saturday 2nd November.
17.Public Participation
No items raised.
The meeting finished at 8:44pm
Signed: Date: