What is a Patient Participation Group?
Patient Participation Groups (PPG) within General Practices have existed since 1972.
They are a route for patients to advise the Practice on what matters most to patients and to help identify solutions to problems.
Members of PPGs should be mindful of wider patient interest and not personal concerns when serving on the PPG.
They are run by volunteer members (Practice patients) who represent the collective patient voice.
Highlights
- Act as a ‘critical friend’ to the Practice, reflecting the collective patient views
- Influencing services provided
- Signposting patients to available services e.g. patient libraries, volunteer transport, befriending and support groups
- Help organise health promotion events
- Assist in the production of patient information leaflets
Terms of Reference
Kegworth and Gotham Orchard Surgery
Patient Participation Group
Terms of Reference
- Seek feedback from patients on service development and provision and influence practice decision making, ensuring services are responsive and continuously improved.
- Identify opportunities to improve the patient experience by sharing best practice and good ideas.
- Be familiar with the services offered by the surgery by personal contact with the Doctors, practice manager and website information.
- Have an understanding of the medium/long term strategy of the practice so as to be able to contextualise any input / recommendations by being involved in discussions and receiving information and updates from the practice via the PPG meetings.
- Be a “critical friend” to the practice by providing feedback on patients’ needs, concerns and interests, challenging the practice constructively where necessary.
- Support the practice to communicate in clear, plain English with the patient population by a variety of means e.g. regular newsletters, on line, and serve as a “safety valve” in the community by clarifying the facts around generalised “grumbles” (e.g. complaints, concerns and changes).
- Assist the practice and its patients by providing information about local groups and support services.
- Communicate information to the practice about the community which may affect healthcare.
- Support the practice in helping patients to become more informed about their healthcare options.
- Promote good health and higher levels of health literacy amongst patients by
- encouraging and supporting activities within the practice,
- promoting self care and
- providing information about health and wellbeing issues.
- Support the Rushcliffe CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) to gain feedback on healthcare and social care services in order to influence local commissioning decisions and planning.
- Build relationships with other PPGs and user led groups in the area.
- Give feedback to, and get involved in, local and national consultations.
- Support the CQC (Care Quality Commission) process as appropriate
- Understand and influence the provision of secondary health and social care locally.