Patient Participation Group (PPG)
The Patient Participation Groups (PPG) is a group of patients, carers and GP practice staff who meet to discuss practice issues and patient experience to help improve the service provided by the Practice.
Since April 2015, it has been a contractual requirement of NHS England for all GP practices to have a PPG and to make reasonable efforts for this to be representative of the practice population.
Role of the PPG at Bennfield Surgery
- Being a critical friend to the practice
- Advising the practice on the patient perspective and providing insight into the responsiveness and quality of services
- Encouraging patients to take greater responsibility for their own and their family’s health
- Carrying out research into the views of those who use the practice
- Organising health promotion events and improving health literacy
- Regular communication with the patient population.
The current chairperson of the PPG is Martin Saxby, who can be contacted via the Reception Manager: cwicb.bennfieldreception@nhs.net.
Other members of the PPG are: Christine Batchelor, George Baxter, Terry Bell, Danuta Freeman, Eileen Head, Cathy Heatley, Carole Jarman, Anne Jones, Naz Malik, Fiona Philips, Eric Wood, Alan Hunt, Marilyn Sumner, Yvonne Mitchell, Lesley Hanson, Pam Davis and Liz Evans.
Purpose of the PPG at Bennfield Surgery
| DISCUSS | To give patients and practice staff the opportunity to meet and discuss topics of mutual interest. |
| IMPROVE | To provide a means for patients to become more involved and make more suggestions about the healthcare services they receive. |
| TAKE ACTION | To explore issues from patients’ complaints and patient surveys, contribute to action plans and help monitor improvements. |
| FEEDBACK | To contribute feedback to the practice on National Patient Survey results and to proposed developments or change. |
| PROMOTE | To support health awareness and patient education. |
Involvement in the PPG
- The PPG is open to every registered patient on the GP practice list.
- All communities, groups, genders, ages, ethnicities, and disabilities representing the patient list are encouraged to join.
- PPG members should as far as possible, be representative of the practice population.
What the PPG can do
- Discuss suggestions for improving the practice and share concerns that could affect the wider practice community.
- Organise health focused events with the practice that would benefit the local community, i.e. healthy eating awareness.
- Create a patient survey with practice staff, to get feedback about the practice from the rest of the patient population.
- Design a newsletter for the practice, to provide regular updates to patients.
- Assist the practice in making sure their website is ‘Patient Friendly’.
- Engage with the local community to ensure the group is representative.
- Invite health and voluntary professionals to meetings to remain informed and updated about local opportunities for patients.
- Work closely with other local Patient Participation Groups with similar objectives.
What the PPG cannot do
- PPG patient members cannot provide any medical advice to other patients, or deal with personal/medical issues or individual patient complaints during the meeting.
Confidentiality
All sensitive or confidential Practice information relating to the Practice received by any member of the Group shall be treated in the strictest confidence and must not be discussed outside the Group.
The PPG Confidentiality Agreement must be signed before attending any meetings and on appointment to the group.
Membership and Meetings
Members of the PPG must be registered patients at the Practice.
Anyone interested in joining the PPG can complete an application form available on the web site.
The Practice and the Group, from time to time, may approach individual patients as potential members.
Meetings are held regularly and at least 2 times per annum and an open meeting once a year.
A Chair and Secretary shall be confirmed annually.
Attendees normally include the practice manager and one of the Practice Partners.
Any member recorded as not attending without good cause for three consecutive meetings will be deemed to have resigned.
