Patient participation group

A PPG is a group of volunteer patients from a specific practice, along with management representation and GP involvement where possible from that practice. This equal partnership working is essential to achieve high quality and responsive care that is tailored to the needs of its patients. Research has shown that practices with a PPG have improved health outcomes amongst their patients.

What we now call PPGs had existed in a few practices for many years, usually as a sort of semi-social group, possibly with some fund-raising activities. However, as the NHS has developed a more patient-centred approach over the past 10 years or so, formalising these groups into PPGs became to be seen as a useful tool in the principle of what is called ‘patient participation’. The idea is that the voice of the patient is as important in developing services as that of professionals. PPGs have a key role to play in ensuring that patients and carers can influence local care services.

Consequently, it is a contractual requirement for all English practices to have a PPG. They should be developed in an appropriate way so that they are representative of, structured to reach, and to encourage active, regular engagement of the practice’s population and demographic make-up. We are keen to ensure that our group is representative, as far as the arrangements of PPG meetings and correspondence will allow, and that historically underrepresented and seldom heard groups, including patients with mental health conditions, disabilities and other ‘protected characteristics’ are part of our group. In addition, PPGs should also attempt to involve carers of registered patients (even if these carers are not registered at the Practice).

Bedworth Health Centre is interested to know patients opinions on how we can improve our service and the way that the surgery and staff are perceived. The surgery’s current PPG is made up of six members who meet bi-monthly. The meetings are also attended by the Practice Manager, IT & Project Lead and one or more GPs (when their attendance is considered relevant or where their opinion would be useful). The relationship between the PPG and the Practice is particularly effective and has been developed over a number of years. Following the merger of Dr. Singh’s and Dr. Reily’s practices in mid-2017, the two separate PPGs combined and this has proved beneficial in meeting new challenges. Some previous activity of the Bedworth Health Centre PPG has included:

• Prior to the merger, PPG members: were present in the surgery on a regular basis to inform patients about the forthcoming merger; developed leaflets and posters to support this; and provided feedback to practice management for planning purposes.
• Following the merger, PPG members were present on ‘merge day’ and in the weeks following, to provide help and guidance to patients with the new arrangements and layout.
• Post merger, the PPG secured funding from Warwickshire County Council to commission two banner posters for the surgery waiting areas about the new arrangements.
• Undertook a patient survey in 2017, 2018 and 2019: the responses informed certain issues, including those arising from the merger.
• The PPG Chair has, in the past, attended bi-monthly meetings with all other Chairs of other practices PPGs in North Warwickshire to network with the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and other local health organisations, including George Eliot Hospital (GEH).

Their involvement in activities such as this is of significant benefit to, and is greatly appreciated by, the practice, as their involvement enables these important tasks to be completed and allows the practice to use its resources in other areas which would otherwise be taken up by these tasks.

Whilst there is no set way as to how PPGs should work, the typical arrangement is that they meet on a regular basis to discuss the service provided by the practice in question and what improvements could be made to benefit the patient population and the practice. PPGs may be virtual, face-to-face or a combination of the two. Dependent on the number of members it may be that an ‘organising committee’ is required to set up these two different groups. All PPGs should have a Constitution / Terms of Reference whilst a Chairperson and Secretary should also be appointed.

The workings of PPGs should be guided by local needs with the central aim of putting the patient, and improving health, at the heart of everything it does. Some groups often look beyond the immediate vicinity of the surgery to healthcare decisions that affect the community in which the surgery is based. PPGs advise the practice on its performance from a patient’s perspective, providing strategic input and advice, giving an insight into the responsiveness and quality of services that the practice delivers. In some instances PPGs also organise health promotion events and look at ways to improve health literacy amongst the practice’s population, in addition to encouraging patients to take greater responsibility for their own, and their family’s, health and wellbeing. Some PPGs also communicate with the wider patient population, run volunteer services and support groups for the locality, carry out research on behalf of and into the Practice and conduct fundraising to improve the service provided by the Practice.

The PPG and Practice should work together to review feedback and issues raised from sources such as the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the NHS Friends & Family Test (F&FT) and local voluntary and community groups (e.g. Healthwatch). The Practice should engage with PPGs and aim to review and act on this feedback, considering areas for improvement. Based on the priorities for improvement identified from these sources of feedback, the Practice and PPG should come up with a plan to tackle these in the form of a report (to evidence appropriate involvement of the PPG from the Practice) and what actions were taken to address these.

PPGs give patients a voice and allow constructive suggestions and ideas to reach the areas of the practice where change can be implemented. One of the reasons that PPGs operate is to provide practices with positive yet constructive feedback. They are intended to be a ‘critical friend’ to the practice, not to replace the formal complaints procedure.

Bedworth Health Centre is on the lookout for new members of our PPG! To find out a little bit more about what membership entails please contact the surgery and ask to speak to Ross, IT & Project Lead. If you wish, it may be advisable to speak to the Chair of the PPG. If you wish to speak to them please provide Ross with your contact details and consent to share these with the Chair. Ross will then pass these details to the Chair who will be in touch further. Following your enquiries, if you still wish to join the PPG, please complete the form via the link on the right hand side, or alternatively download a copy of the ‘PPG Membership – Expression of Interest’ form, complete and return to the surgery, marked for Ross’s attention.

If you would like to provide feedback or make comment on aspects of the surgery, through the PPG, but don’t necessarily want to join the PPG, please provide Ross with your contact details and consent to share these with the PPG. Ross will then pass these details to the PPG and a member will be in touch to discuss further. As above, it must be stressed that the PPG is not a forum for complaints and these should be addressed to the Practice Manager using the normal channels.