What is a Patient Participation Group?

A Patient Participation Group (PPG) is a group of patients, carers and staff who meet to discuss service issues, new innovations and patient experience to support in improving services. 

The purpose of the group is to facilitate patients and the practice staff working together to share ideas to help improve the services offered at the practice in addition to sourcing out any local community services that would help enhance aspects of the patient's lives.

We plan to hold a face-to-face meeting later in the Spring to recruit members to the new PPG core group, and further meetings will be held virtually and in the evenings, to allow all of our patients the opportunity to attend.

We are always happy to hear from patients to know how we can improve our service to you and how you perceive our surgery and staff.  To help us with this we need to have an established Patient Participation Group (PPG).

The purpose of the PPG is:

• To give patients and service staff the opportunity to meet and discuss topics of mutual interest.
• To provide a way for patients to become more involved and make suggestions about healthcare services they receive.
• To explore issues from patient complaints and patient surveys, contribute to action plans and help monitor service improvements.
• To review existing service feedback from NHS Choices and friends and family surveys and propose developments or change.
• To support health awareness and wider patient education.

Objectives

In partnership with Meopham Medical Centre, the PPG aims:

• To act as an advisory group providing perspectives and concerns from patients that can influence how services operate.
• To communicate to the group areas of patient concern with a view to influencing change
• To act as a consultative group for any changes within the services
• To encourage and support the role of the services in involving patients in their own care
• To monitor complaints and comments received about the services
• To annually review the results of the patient survey and suggest changes as appropriate.
• The group will influence the development of policies in the service by representing patient views. This will ensure patients make the best use of the facilities available.
• The group will conduct surveys with patients to inform them of any action plans.
• The group will work with individual services to ensure changes are fed down to local community groups.
• The group will be informed of the commissioning plans and policies of the CCG and engaged in consultations when required.
• The group will influence how information is given to patients which may include poster displays, information leaflets, service newsletters and electronically

Roles within the Core Group

Chair / Vice Chair

The role of the Chair is to organise the planning of the agenda (usually in consultation with the Head GP or Practice Manager and secretary of the PPG) and chair the meetings. 

Secretary 

The main role of a Secretary is to take minutes. The secretary can also be responsible for the PPG’s mailing list. In some practices the Practice Manager or admin staff will cover these duties. The PPG secretary also helps with agenda planning. 

If you would like to join the PPG, or hear more about it, Please complete the join our Patient Participation Group form. We would like to hear your thoughts and ideas.