Patient Participation Group

A group of volunteer patients, carers and surgery staff who meet regularly to discuss and support the running of the surgery.

Patient Participation Groups look at the services offered, patient experience and how improvements can be made for the benefit of everyone.

Each Patient Participation Group is different, but they all have the aim of making sure that the surgery puts the patient, and improving health, at the heart of everything it does.

We are pleased to say that we currently have a core of approximately 10 to 15 patients who have expressed an interest in being members of the group and are regular attendees at the meetings. This is supplemented by 4 non patient members who are the practice manager, GP partner, advanced nurse practitioner and patient services manager.

Join our Patient Participation Group

All registered patients are able to join our Patient Participation Group. People of all genders, ages, ethnicities, and those with health conditions and disabilities are encouraged to join.

Members should as far as possible, be representative of the surgery population.

To join:

fill out a Patient Participation Group registration form
phone us on Windsor House Surgery 0333 242 7777 or Shenstone House Surgery 0333 242 7777 or Adwalton House Surgery 0333 242 7777

The aims of the Patient Participation Group

“To work with the practice to provide practical support, to help patients take more responsibility for their own health and to provide strategic input and advice. PPGs are based on cooperation between the practice staff and patients”.

Benefits for the patient

Patients will be more responsible for their own health.
Patients will have a better understanding and knowledge of the practice and its staff.

This allows up to date information to be given to patients and will inform what decisions can be influenced and what cannot. It will also allow the practice staff to gain an understanding from the patient’s perspective. It may also be useful for the chair to have meetings with the practice manager on a regular basis or attend management meetings of the practice. This ensures that two way communications are achieved.

Patients will have a forum to suggest positive ideas and voice concerns.
Patients will benefit from improved communications between patients and staff.

Benefits for the practice

GPs and their staff will be able to plan services jointly with patients in order to increase their effectiveness.
They will be able to get help from patients in meeting targets and objectives.
They will have a forum to voice concerns, ideas and suggestions to patients.
They will get closer to the community for whom they care.

Being representative

A common criticism of many PPGs is that they are not representative of the practice population. It is always going to be difficult to get a group that exactly reflects the demographics of our practice, and volunteer roles tend to attract those that have a certain level of confidence and free time, and have flexibility about working and earning money. However, a PPG is there to make sure that the patient voice is listened to and not necessarily always to be the voice itself. Therefore if you wish to volunteer please contact the one of our surgeries and complete one of the forms in reception.

Communication

We aim to make the group as transparent as possible. We will publish minutes of every meeting on this website. At the members’ request their names have been removed but other than that the minutes are a true and accurate reflection of what was discussed and agreed.

PPG – terms of reference (PDF)

PPG – constitution (PDF)