Patient Participation Group (PPG)

As required in the GP Contract 2015/16 sections 5.2.1 to 5.2.6, the PPG will:

Make reasonable efforts during each financial year to review its membership in order to ensure that it is representative of the registered patients in the practice.

Obtain the views of patients who have attended the practice about the services delivered by the practice and obtain feedback from its registered patients about those services.

Review any feedback received about the services delivered by the practice with practice staff and relevant members of the PPG with a view to agreeing the improvements (if any) to be made to those services.

Contribute to decision-making at the practice and consult on service development and provision where appropriate, expressing opinions on these matters on behalf of patients. However, the final decisions on service delivery rest with the practice.

Act as a sounding board to provide feedback on patients’ needs, concerns and interests and challenge the practice constructively whenever necessary, also helping patients to understand the practice viewpoint.

Communicate information which may promote or assist with health or social care.

Explore overarching ideas and issues identified in patient surveys.

Maintain a PPG area in the waiting room of the surgery with up-to-date information on current activities and opportunities for patients to comment (e.g., via a suggestion box). The PPG will, where possible, regularly meet and greet and engage with patients in the waiting area.

Act as a forum for staff to raise practice issues affecting patients, or for input into any operational issues affecting staff, so that patients can have their views on practice matters taken into account.

Act as a forum for ideas on health promotion and self-care and support activities within the practice to promote healthy lifestyle choices.

Raise patient awareness of the range of services available at the surgery and help patients to access/use such services more effectively.

Membership of the PPG shall be open to all registered patients. Membership will reflect the patient profile and be widely representative and inclusive of different genders, ethnicities, ages and abilities as required in the GP contract.

All registered patients of the practice are automatically members of the Brooks Bar Medical Centre PPG. Removal of a patient from the patient list will mean that he or she will cease to be a member of the PPG.

The PPG will be non-political and non-sectarian, and will at all times respect diversity and exemplify its commitment to the principles contained within the Equality Act.

The carer of a patient registered with the practice can be a member of the PPG even if he or she is not a patient at the practice.

The Limelight Health and Well-being Hub PPG shall elect officers from among the members of the PPG and they will be known as the Limelight Health and Well-being Hub PPG committee. These will include Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary and, if needed, a Treasurer. Other posts may be created by the Annual General Meeting on a proposal from the PPG.

The PPG and the PPG committee shall both hold regular meetings. To maintain an active PPG, any PPG member who fails to attend three consecutive PPG meetings, without apology, may be deemed to have resigned. The PPG will extend an open invitation to practice staff to attend its meetings as agreed with the practice manager.

There will be three levels of communication:

1. Clinic level for patient-wide and virtual PPG. Information at this level will be communicated by the surgery, who will also run the newsletter.
2. Patients who wish to be kept informed.
3. The PPG face to face committee.

Minutes will be sent to the last two groups.

The PPG face to face committee comprises elected officers and any member of the clinic wide patient base can drop into face to face meetings. Patients who want information only are considered to be mail correspondents.

The PPG shall normally not exceed twenty members. Between the Annual General Meetings, the PPG may co-opt individual members if needed to ensure that the PPG is fully representative of the patient community.

To support the PPG and extend its reach, the PPG will establish an online group to be called the Virtual Patient Participation Group (VPPG). Any patient may volunteer to join the VPPG. The PPG will regularly contact the VPPG in order to obtain their views on specific matters. A member of the PPG will be made responsible for liaising with the VPPG and ensure that no one is excluded. There will be a standing item on the PPG agenda reporting any key themes, issues or suggestions that have been identified by any member of the VPPG to help ensure its members are engaged. Notwithstanding the above, any patient may send views and suggestions directly to the PPG.

Members of the VPPG will follow the same Code of Conduct as those in the PPG that meets face-to-face (see Appendix A: Code of Conduct). VPPG members who are able to volunteer at the practice will also sign and abide by the Confidentiality Agreement (see Section 9: PPG Information and Support Pack).

The PPG shall meet face to face no fewer than four times a year. The elected officers may meet more regularly for planning purposes and liaison with the practice staff if required.

In the absence of the Chair and Vice Chair, those members who are present shall elect a Chair from among the attendees.

Meetings are subject to a quorum of five members of the PPG. Apologies for absence should be sent to the Secretary or Chair prior to the meeting. In the absence of any apologies or available explanation, any member recorded as not attending three consecutive meetings will be deemed to have resigned from the Face-to-Face PPG. The resulting vacancy can be offered to another registered patient.

The PPG may invite relevant professionals or patients to specific meetings. Any such persons shall respect the confidentiality of the PPG. The committee can email each other with using cc but bcc should be used for a wider group.

Decisions shall be reached normally by consensus among those present. However, if a vote is required, decisions shall be made by simple majority of those present and voting. In the event of a tied outcome, the Chair may exercise a casting vote in addition to his/her deliberative vote. Consideration of the views of members of the VPPG will be taken into account. Wider patient group views will also be taken into account

The Secretary shall produce minutes of meetings to be considered and approved at the following meeting of the PPG and subsequently be sent to members of PPG and VPPG and made available to all via email or hard copies displayed in the practice.

Should it become applicable, a Treasurer shall be responsible for all income and expenditure affecting the organisation and for the presentation of accounts at the Annual General Meeting.

Membership of the Face-to-Face PPG should be for no more than three years unless re-elected at the Annual General Meeting. The same time limits shall apply to the terms of office of the officers.

The Chairman of the PPG will convene an Annual General Meeting open to all registered patients and carers before the end of the selected month each year. The date, venue and time shall be published at least one month prior to the meeting by means of a notice in the local media, in the surgery waiting room and on the surgery website.

Any specific “officer” posts of the PPG Committee will become vacant on an annual basis with the option of self /other nomination for the positions and a process of voting by other members of the wider Face-to-Face PPG and Virtual PPG.

Officers of the PPG and members of any Working Group will notify the Chair at least one month prior to the date of a convened Annual General Meeting if they intend to step down from their position. Membership and the appointment of specific roles will be agreed at the Annual General Meeting.

Any member of the PPG who wishes to nominate him/herself for an “officer“ position on the committee or working group, such as Chairman or Secretary or any other official role, should advise the incumbent Chairman of their proposed intentions at least two weeks prior to any Annual General Meeting. This should be by submission of a completed Nomination Form endorsed by two existing PPG members.

All members of the PPG (including the Face-to-Face and Virtual Groups) must be made aware of the need to maintain absolute patient confidentiality at all times. Any member whose work on behalf of the PPG includes work in the practice or consulting with other patients or members of the public should sign and return a copy of the practice’s Confidentiality agreement before undertaking any such activity.

The PPG Membership is not based on opinions or characteristics of individuals and shall be non-political and non-sectarian, at all times respecting diversity and exemplifying its commitment to the principles contained within the Equality Act.

All Members of the PPG (including the Virtual PPG) make this commitment:

1. 1. To respect practice and patient confidentiality at all times.
   2. To treat each other with mutual respect and act and contribute in a manner that is in the best interests of all patients.
   3. To be open and flexible and to listen and support each other.
   4. To abide by the seven Nolan Principles of Public Life: Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty and Leadership.
   5. Not to use the PPG as a forum for personal agendas or complaints. These should be taken forward through other appropriate channels.
   6. To accept that the ruling of the Chair or other presiding officer is final on matters relating to orderly conduct.
   7. Otherwise to abide by principles of good meeting practice, for example:
      1. Reading papers in advance
      2. Arriving on time
      3. Switching mobile phones to silent
      4. Allowing others to speak and be heard/respected