What is a Patient Participation Group?
A Patient Participation Group (PPG) is a group of patients, carers and GP practice staff who meet to discuss practice issues and patient experience to help improve the service.
PPGs work in partnership with their practice to:
- help patient to take more responsibility for their health
- contribute to the continuous improvement of services and quality of care
- foster improved communication between the practice and its patients
- provide practical support for the practice and help to implement change
As a PPG member you have an opportunity to contribute your views about how the practice is running and meeting patients’ needs. It is fine to be a topic ‘champion’ (e.g., diabetes issues, or elderly care) – topic experts make a very valuable contribution, and it is also important to be able to contribute across a range of issues. The PPG deals with common issues that affect patients so your personal experience will be useful if it helps to illustrate a wider point.
You can also work with the PPG to speak to other patients and carers at the surgery, or to listen to their views (e.g., by looking at survey results), giving you information that you can then bring into PPG discussions. You might want to suggest ‘agenda’ items.
You can be an effective PPG member by keeping up to date with local health issues, if you are able. You could take up opportunities to develop an understanding of the structure of the NHS and the place of PPGs place within it.
Your views are valuable, so express them clearly and without apology, whilst respecting others.
What does a PPG do?
A PPG is a critical friend to the practice, giving feedback about GP services and changes that are made. PPGs can inspire positive change - for example, a PPG could give feedback to help staff make the appointments system work better. A PPG can also help provide information on what services are available to patients, and it can organise health promotion events and social activities.
Who can join a PPG?
Anyone over the age of 16 who is registered at the practice can join.
We currently have a full core group which is representative of our patient population and will meet on a regular basis. If you are interested in becoming a member of this group, please get in touch and we will add your name to our list to contact in future as and when a space becomes available.
We do offer a Virtual PPG Group which would consist of you providing us with your email address, and we would get in touch to get your thoughts and opinions on issues raised at PPG meeting, to be fed back to the group at the next meeting. If you would be interested in this, please contact us.