Patient Participation Group

Blandford Group Practice Patient Group Aims and Objectives

The group shall be called the Blandford Group Practice Patient Group  

Aims 

• To act as a conduit between patients and the Practice.

• To offer suggestions from patients to improve its provision for healthcare.

• To strengthen the relationship between it and its patients by ensuring that patients are routinely informed of its decision making. 
• It is not a forum for complaints.  These should be dealt with via the existing Group Practice patient complaint process.
  
  

Objectives 

• To provide a range of ways in which patients may give feedback and their comments about the Practice.

• Use information gathered from patients to discuss general or specific issues and to recommend/contribute to the implementation of improvements within the Practice.

• Provide information and feedback to the Practice that supports local clinical commissioning decisions.

• Provide feedback and suggestions on change and communication.

• Represent the patient voice within and beyond the Practice. 

• Encourage communication of positive public health messages.

• Assist in promoting health and wellbeing in the community and help consolidate links between the Practice and local groups, organisations and services. 

• Further information about Patient Groups (also known as PPGs) can be found on the NHS Dorset website:  PPG – NHS Dorset

For more information or to find out how to join the Patient Group, please email gaynor.burden@dorsetgp.nhs.uk

Blandford Group Practice Patient Group Membership Guidance

Membership

Membership is restricted to patients registered at the Blandford Group Practice. 

The Patient Group shall normally consist of no more than 15 patients of the Practice, and this should aim to be reflective of the patient demographic if possible.

The Patient Group has a Young Person’s Patient Group; membership being made up from students at The Blandford School with a member of the Patient Group acting as Chair and attended by the Young Person’s Care Co-Ordinator from the Practice. 

A quorum for full meetings will be 7 members and official ones must include, in addition, at least one member of the Practice staff.

Other people from interested groups may be invited to meetings in the interest of ensuring that the group is as representative and inclusive as possible: e.g. representatives of relevant local community groups.  They shall not be deemed to be members of the Patient Group.

The group will elect a Chairperson and a Vice Chairperson at a Periodic General Meeting.  These persons will serve for up to three years, 

Ad hoc committees may be set up with the agreement of the group to undertake specific tasks. 

Patient Group members will normally maintain contact by WhatsApp and email. When using email all members of the group should be included.

Role of Chair and Vice Chair 

The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson will be responsible for: 

• Ensuring regular and effective communication between the Patient Group and the Practice. 

• Acting as designated spokespersons for the Patient Group as and where appropriate.

• Planning for and delivery of each Patient Group meeting.

• Having the casting a vote in the event of any unresolved decision-making process. 

Meetings 

• Meetings of the Patient Group will take place at an agreed venue on a regular basis. To be agreed by the current members of the group.

• Interim meetings may be held with only members of the Patient Group.

• The dates of meetings with the Practice will be mutually agreed by the Patient Group and the Practice Partners. 

• The Practice Manager or their representative will attend Patient Group meetings and the Practice will provide admin support.

• GP presence and other members of the practice, if possible, is welcomed. 

• The Chairperson or Vice Chairperson will ensure that meetings are started and finished on time. Where the Agenda is ‘full’, items will be allocated times.  The Chairperson may use their discretion to defer items to future meetings if necessary. 

• Wherever possible raise issues for the Agenda before the meeting, thus giving the Practice and members sufficient notice to prepare responses.

• Stick to the Agenda. 

• Ensure that there are no phone or other disruptions. 

• Understand that items raised without notice at a meeting will normally be deferred to the next meeting to allow time for a response to be prepared.

• Understand that silence indicates agreement – speak up but always go through the Chairperson.

• Listen to all views expressed at the meeting.

• Declare to the Chairperson any personal or professional interests which may compromise impartiality as a member of the Patient Group.  The Chairperson should declare any such interest to the whole group. 

• Any confidential or personal matters raised within the group or at its meetings MUST NOT be discussed with anyone else outside of the group.

• Minutes of every meeting shall be approved by the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson and distributed to those who attended the meeting for approval. Once approved they will be sent to the full committee.

Members will: 

• Provide apologies/ confirm attendance for all meetings

• Not use the meetings as a forum for personal complaints.

• Be committed to open, respectful and constructive discussion and courteous exchanges at all times.

• Demonstrate a commitment to delivering results through being an active committee, not a talking shop! 

Subgroups

• In order to further the objectives of the Patient Group, it may be necessary from time to time to form temporary, working sub committees to address a specific issue or carry out a project agreed by the Patient Group

• Membership of such working committees will be formed from volunteers from the Patient Group and may have members from the wider patient group

Review

• This guidance will be reviewed, when necessary, by the patient Group. 

PPM

• Periodic Public Meetings will be held if the membership drops to nine or less or when felt necessary by the Chairperson.

• Notice of the meeting will be made no later than 6 weeks before the date of the meeting. 

• The Periodic Public Meeting is open to all patients of the Blandford Group Practice.

• Notice of the PPM will be given on the website, notices in the Surgery buildings, the local press, village websites and newsletters and social media.

• The Agenda will be circulated at the same time with 4 weeks to propose additional items or amendments. 

• At the meeting all discussion will be through the retiring Chairperson.