Patient group

We have an active patient participation group at our practice.

At Whitwell Surgery we want to work with our patients to provide the best care and support we can, and our Practice Patient Group (PPG) helps with this.

Our PPG is a group of patients, carers and staff who meet to discuss topics of mutual interest including service issues, new innovations and patient experience. The PPG supports good communication between the practice and patients and is a way for patients to become more involved in the work of the practice.

The PPG can:

  • Offer patient feedback about their experiences with the surgery, or pass on feedback, suggestions, comments or queries received from other patients.
  • Review patient complaints and patient feedback from patient surveys and the ‘friends and family test’. The PPG can use this information to propose service improvements and contribute to action plans to help improve services.
  • Support health awareness and wider patient education.
  • Help make the practice work more efficiently by identifying changes that may not have been considered.
  • Influence decisions about which services are provided
  • Offer practical support to the practice

For patients, being part of the PPG is a way of contributing to the NHS and the wider community whilst having their voice heard and helping bring about change and improvements. It is also an opportunity to find out more about the NHS and healthcare provision and is a great way to meet new people and develop new skills, such as negotiation and dealing with people.

Anyone over the age of 16 can join the PPG. There is no limit on numbers, and you don’t need any prior experience or training. The most important thing is that you are keen and focused on taking positive action to help the practice and the local patient population.

Our PPG meets with the practice team a few times a year, to discuss ways we can improve our surgery. Our current Chair is Linda Brett.

You can find out more by reading the Terms of Reference and Membership for our PPG below.

Practice Patient Group Terms of Reference and Membership

Purpose

The purpose of the PPG is to establish a system of communication with all the registered patients in the practice so that their views and concerns are fed back into the practice.

Tasks & Objectives

The key tasks & objectives are to:

  • Contribute to practice decision-making and consult on service development and provision.
  • Provide feedback on patients’ needs, concerns and interests and constructively give remarks to the practice whenever necessary.
  • Serve as a “safety valve” for dealing with grumbles and complaints about the practice – representing patients but also helping them to understand the practice’s point of view.
  • Develop self-help projects to meet the needs of fellow patients for example, by providing transport to enable patients to get to the surgery.
  • Provide a vehicle for patients to make positive suggestions about the practice and their own healthcare.
  • Influence the provision of secondary healthcare and social care locally.
  • Participate in community engagement activities for example on the provision of new services or changes in service development by providing feedback.
  • Advice on how to spend money which has been donated to the practice.

Membership

Membership of the PPG is voluntary. The group is open to all patients registered at the practice; however there should be a good geographical spread to represent the practice population.

The group will elect a Chair, Vice-Chair and a Secretary. The Secretary will take the minutes which will be circulated to all members and made available to any patients on demand. The meetings will be ideally attended by the Practice Manager and often a GP.

Quorum

The meeting will be quorate when four or more members of the group are in attendance. If four or more members are not present, or cease to be present during the meeting it will be adjourned.

Frequency of meetings

The PPG will meet every two to three months.

Review

The terms of reference will be reviewed on an annual basis.

 

Join our PPG

We welcome enquiries from patients who would like to join our patient group.

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Date published: 9th September, 2023
Date last updated: 15th May, 2024