So, what is patient participation and why do you need a group? Patient participation can benefit both patients and practices. Having a patient participation group (PPG) creates a connection between the “us” in the practice and you as our patients; allowing open, constructive discussion and analysis of service provision, and offering an alternative perspective on many of the topics relevant to give us more direction in general practice.
OK, that’s the jargon, what does it really mean? We feel that we should involve you in telling us what you as a community require. A PPG is a mechanism which at different times can represent the patient population to the practice, and the practice to the wider community.
What are the real benefits to patients likely to be? Patient participation groups (PPGs) allow interested patients to be actively involved in the running of their practice. This not only helps them to understand the healthcare service, but lets them voice their opinions, and those of the wider patient community, on topics such as service provision and local community matters. Benefits may include the suggestion and introduction of new services and improvements to the practice.
OK, you told us the bits about what is good for us, what’s in it for you? Surprisingly quite a lot of hard work, but we feel that it is worthwhile as it allows our patients to become more involved in the management of the practice.
I’m interested, who exactly are you looking for? We are more than happy for anyone to join! Married, single, working, retired, single parent, non-British—we are happy to be involved with anyone: the key criteria is that you have to be registered at the practice and have a desire to be involved in the planning of primary healthcare within the community.
What would we be involved in? That’s really over to you, but a good place to start might be posted under 4 key areas, fairness (are we being fair to everyone) access (this is not just about parking! It could be opening times, flexibility etc) equity (how can we balance the needs of say working people, school-children, working partners etc) assessing impact (how we treat people0. In essence, if you volunteered, you would be the voice of the patients in the practice.
Do you have meetings; would you take up much of my time; how often do we meet; do I have to attend every meeting; how influential will this group be; is this just to satisfy a government desire…..? We have monthly meetings, which typically last 90 minutes. They are usually attended by the Practice Manager and a Partner when requested. You can ask any questions that you like and you can formulate the answers yourself—we want you to have an equal say on how we proceed.
