Patient Participation Groups

Building Better Participation - Your Patient Participation Group - your link with your doctors, nurses, and practice managers. It's all about you!

Your Patient Participation Group

The PPG is a group of volunteer patients working in partnership with the practice. PPG members offer time and a wealth of knowledge, expertise and experience.

  • Meet regularly with the practice to discuss issues that are important to you
  • Listen to you - and pass your views on
  • Tell you what's happening by email and Facebook
  • Discuss with the practice future developments they are planning
  • Do projects that will improve the services patients receive
  • Help run health awareness events

Our aims

  • To assist in the continuous improvement in the levels of patient care, service and satisfaction as experienced by patients
  • To help the practice to continuously improve its ratings from the CQC, the Care Quality Commission, the independent regulator of health and social care in England
  • To represent all groups of patients
  • To provide an anonymous (and therefore 'safe' and 'candid') channel for communications from patients on their points of view concerning the practice
  • To ensure that patients feel that they are equal stakeholders in the current services provided by the practice and the planning and provision of new services and facilities
  • To assist in activities where inputs from PPG members will add value

Benefits of the PPG to the practice

  • The potential to engage with PPG members and therefore patients with knowledge, expertise and experience to inform practice thinking
  • An additional channel of communication that enables the practice to reach patients that they would normally not reach
  • Enhancement of the practice’s interaction with patients
  • Being seen to be listening to and engaging with patients

Benefits of the PPG to patients

  • An anonymous (and therefore 'safe' and 'candid') channel for communication on their points of view on: Issues that impact on them; What matters most to them; What is going well; What could be improved; What concerns they have
  • Reassurance that their opinions are being heard and treated seriously by the practice
  • News and alerts on upcoming events (e.g. Surgery closures)
  • Reminders about important clinics (e.g. Flu Clinics)
  • Being offered special health-related talks (e.g. Breast Cancer Events, Carer talks, Diabetes)
  • The opportunity to: contribute to the development of new services and facilities. To influence these in ways that are best for them, the patients
  • Signposting to items on the practice website

PPG activities

The activities that the PPG undertake are subject to discussion with the practice but may include:

  • Projects that align with the aims of the PPG and that are agreed with the practice
  • Assisting in the production of and dissemination of patient-friendly communications that provide patients with information about the practice, their health and how to access services
  • Managing communications via PPG email lists, Facebook and print publications
  • Arranging for poster campaigns in local outlets. (eg Library, chemists, shops)
  • Organization, promotion and participation in, as appropriate, in health awareness events
  • Helping in advising patients on available support services such as patient charities, volunteer transport, befriending and support groups
  • Undertaking surveys or research to find out what matters to patients and discussing the findings with the practice
  • Liaison with the Clinical Commissioning Group by attending regular 'Chairs Meetings'
  • Liaison with the PPGs in our local Primary Care Network