• To offer opinions in a constructive manner and to put forward ideas on behalf of other patients.
• To improve the provision of health care.
• To improve communication between surgery, patients and the wider community about matters concerning the surgery and health in general.
• To provide assistance in development of new services.
• To encourage a spirit of self help and support amongst patients to improve their health and social care.

Message from our Chairman

Welcome to the latest edition of the Prince of Wales Surgery Patient Participation Group newsletter. This edition is the first of the new format. The plan is to issue a newsletter more often, so that matters of interest to you, are published in a more timely manner. Eventually we hope to be able to issue them on a monthly basis.

In this way we intend to be able to alert you to important messages and updates that might be time critical. For example, the Flu vaccinations for 2023, that have been brought forward approx. 5 weeks in response to an increase in cases being reported. If you haven’t already booked your appointment for the flu vaccination, please check the upcoming dates shown at the end of this newsletter, to ensure you don’t miss out.

We are very fortunate to have a Digital Champion from Dorset Council in our group. There is a short report from him in this edition. I would urge anyone who is thinking of getting, or using, a computer device (smartphone, laptop, tablet, desktop) to contact him and to take advantage of the totally free lessons that he runs at our Surgery paid for by Dorset Council. They are on a one to one basis, so everything you want to learn is at your pace, whatever you want to learn. Including, sending an email, surfi ng the Internet, shopping online etc.

The Strollers Group is going from strength to strength, so please read their report in this Newsletter. If you would like to join our happy band, please just turn up to one of the published events. You will be most welcome.

If you have any comments or if I can be of any assistance, please contact me using my email address - boxdragon54@gmail.com 

Peter Hazelton
Chairman
Patient Participation Group
Prince of Wales Surgery

Need help getting online? We’re here to help.

The Dorset Digital Champion service runs regularly at the Surgery, with our own digital
champion giving free, private, one-to-one sessions every Tuesday morning. If you have a
Smartphone, Tablet or iPad, or a laptop, and you want to get more out of it, book yourself a
session or two, bring it in, and start to take safe control of the internet.

Phone this number anytime during the working week to make your booking 01305 221048.

Strolling Group update

The Strolling Group had an amazing 22 attendees at the last walk, up from the original three
when we first launched the Group.
From October we will be meeting on the first and third Thursdays of each month, instead of
the second Thursday of the month which clashed with another group using the room at the
Pavilion in the Park (Pips).

Join us on the 5th and 19th October, and keep and eye out for dates in November.