Patient Participation Group

What is a Patient Participation Group (PPG)?

The Patient Participation Group (PPG) is a group that brings together patients, GPs, and staff from a GP practice that meet regularly to discuss issues related to their surgery, services provided to patients, and how the practice can best meet the needs of the local community.

Why are PPGs good for patients?

PPGs are good for patients because: 

• They encourage patients to be more responsible for their own health
• Patients gain a greater knowledge of their GP practice and staff, why certain decisions are made, and what limitations exist
• Patients can have a say on plans to change their GP practice
• Communication between patients and staff improves 
• Patients have a chance to make suggestions and ask questions

Why are PPGs good for the practice?

PPGs are good for the practice because: 

• Practice staff gain a better understanding of what services are most important to patients, and how we can best plan these services
• The practice can provide help and advice for patients on non-medical issues
• Practice staff can share their plans for the development of the practice and get feedback from those impacted
• We can get closer to the community we serve

What are the aims of the Concord Medical Centre PPG?

The aims of the PPG at Concord Medical Centre are: 

1. To facilitate good relations between the practice and patients
2. To work collaboratively to improve services and facilities for patients
3. To understand what services/changes the patient population would like to see
4. To act as a representative group to support the practice
5. To raise funds for the practice to assist in the purchase of additional equipment/services that benefit patients

Who will be in the PPG at Concord Medical Centre?

The PPG at Concord Medical Centre shall be made up of 8-10 patients registered with the practice, alongside the Practice Manager, the Patient Services Manager, and a Partner.  

While there are no contractual requirements regarding the structure of a PPG, for effectiveness there is a PPG committee made up of PPG members which includes a: 

• Chairperson – this person will be responsible for setting the agenda in consultation with the Practice Manager, welcoming new members and making introductions, introducing speakers, and ensuring that contributions and the agenda are conducted in an orderly manner.
• Secretary – this person will be responsible for upholding the PPG terms of reference, writing and reviewing PPG documentation (such as meeting minutes and reports), providing an email address (with the assistance of the Practice Manager) whereby patients can contact the secretary to raise matters of importance, and deputising for the chairperson where required.

The above roles shall be held for one year, at which time a vote shall be undertaken to decide the next persons. One holding the above roles may re-apply for a role, and can hold the role for a maximum of three consecutive years.

Membership of the PPG shall be limited to three years.

The PPG will be non-political and non-sectarian and will, at all times, respect diversity and equality.

How will we meet?

The PPG at Concord Medical Centre shall meet quarterly to discuss relevant issues. These meetings shall be in person at the practice, at times/dates that suit the group as a whole. Food and drink shall be provided by the practice.

To support the PPG and extend its reach, the PPG may also utilise call-in functionality via Zoom. This will be dependent on the requirements of the group.

Meetings are subject to a quorum of five patient members of the PPG, and apologies for absence should be sent to the Secretary and Practice Manager in advance of the meeting. Any member recorded as not attending three consecutive meetings will be deemed to have resigned from the PPG, and their position filled by another patient.

The PPG may invite relevant professionals or patients to specific meetings.

Decisions shall be reached by consensus among those present. Where a consensus cannot be reached, then a simple majority of those present shall suffice. In the event of a tied outcome, the Chairperson may cast a deciding vote.

The secretary shall produce minutes of meetings to be considered and approved at the following meeting of the PPG and shall be made available to all members of the PPG.

All discussions within the PPG are to be confidential, and all members of the PPG must always maintain absolute patient confidentiality.

How can you get involved?

We sent out messages recently to all patients asking for interest in the PPG and were inundated with replies. Nearly 300 patients contacted us asking to be involved or for more information, which we were delighted to see.

From this list of 300, we will randomly select a group of patients and invite them to join the PPG. If we do not receive 8-10 patients agreeing to join the PPG, we shall randomly select a further group of patients until we hit our target. We’ll be keeping the form below open for patients to register their interest in joining the PPG.

For any patient who was not selected, we shall message to inform you of such and ask if you’d be happy to be kept in mind in future. We’ll also be looking at a wider forum for patients to have their say, so watch this space!

Finally, there will be a suggestions box hosted in the reception for all patients to provide their thoughts on how we can improve as a practice. Please note that all complaints and feedback should continue to be emailed to our team in the usual way, and that any suggestions that include personal identifying information shall be destroyed.

If you would like to join the PPG, please complete the form below.