Highcroft Patient Participation Group

We are pleased to announce we have recently formed a Patient Participation Group at Highcroft Surgery.

We held our first meeting in October 28th 2011, please take a look at the minutes of the meeting and our Terms of Reference.

We would welcome more members to the group so if you would like to come along to the next meeting, or would just like some more information then please contact in the first instance;

Mrs Paula Watts (Practice Manager)

Tel: 0115 8832330

You can also find more information on PPGs on the following web-site: www.napp.org.uk

Patient Participation Group

Highcroft Surgery

Terms of Reference

Highcroft Surgery PPG will:

1.         Contribute to practice decision-making and will consult on service development and provision;

2.         Provide feedback on patients’ needs, concerns and interests and challenge the practice constructively whenever necessary;

3.         Serve as a ‘safety valve’ for dealing with grumbles and complaints about the practice – representing patients but also helping them to understand the practice’s viewpoint;

4.         Assist the practice and its patients by arranging voluntary groups/support within the community;

5.         Communicate information about the community which may affect healthcare;

6.         Give patients a voice in the organisation of their care;

7.         Promote good health and higher levels of health literacy by encouraging and supporting activities within the practice and promoting preventive medicine;

8.         Influence the provision of secondary healthcare and social care locally;

9.         Monitor services, eg hospital discharge and support when back in the community;

10.       Give feedback to NHS trusts on consultations;

11.       Fundraise for medical equipment or other facilities to improve the practice and/or fund the activities of the PPG; and

12.       Liaise with other PPGs in the area.

Date: 3^rd October 2011

Highcroft Patient Participation Group

Minutes from Meeting 1^st December 2011

Welcome,  attended by : Dr J B McKeating, Paula Watts, Vicky Wright, Bruce Cameron, Colin Breffitt, Louise Marriott, Betty Brooks, Owen Brooks

1. Mr Bruce Cameron, new member to the group was welcomed and introductions made.

2. Minutes from previous meeting were agreed by all

3. Progress of patient survey was discussed. Has been in progress since mid-November. Interim results were discussed and it was agreed it would be useful to continue with survey until mid January. This should give a representative sample of patient population’s views and enable results to be produced prior to next meeting in February

4. Ideas were discussed with regard to increasing size of PPG.
1. Display to be set up in waiting rooms asking for volunteers
2. GPs/nurses to identify any potential new members and ask Paula to contact direct.
3. Present members to ask friends, neighbours

5. It was agreed that a prominent PPG display will be set up in the waiting room, together with a suggestion box for patients to put forward items/issues for discussion by the group. If felt appropriate, issues then to be taken forward by the practice. PW to arrange*

6. Group discussed the lack of knowledge patients have concerning appointment system. Many were not aware appointments can be booked on-line via the website (password required initially from reception) Educating patients via the web-site and PPG noticeboard was thought to be a good idea and will be implemented.

7. Group proposed Chairman to be Bruce Cameron, which was accepted and Secretary to be Paula Watts, which was also accepted.

Next meeting arranged for Wednesday 29^th Feb at 5pm at Highcroft Surgery. Any topics for the agenda to be passed to Paula

* since the meeting, Mrs Jo Croft – Assistant Practice Manager, has kindly volunteered to arrange PPG display in the waiting room and will be attending future meetings with a view to taking over Secretarial duties.

Highcroft Patient Participation Group

Notes of Initial Meeting on Friday 28^th October 2011

Attendees:        Dr J B McKeating (BM)                      

                        Vicky Wright – Practice Liaison Manager (VW)                                 

                        Paula Watts – Practice Manager (PW)

                        Louise Marriott (LM)

                        Colin Breffitt (CB)

Betty Brooks (BB)

                        Owen Brooks (OB)

This was the first meeting of the Highcroft Patient Participation Group. It was led by VW who is the Practice Liaison Manager for NNEC Clinical Commissioning Group.

Members attending introduced themselves to the group and shared their particular backgrounds. The meeting was led by VW who covered the ground rules and explained the concept of PPGs

The ‘Terms of Reference’ were discussed and agreed.

PW gave the group a brief ‘practice update’ with respect to the new building and confirmed that building work is expected to start in December or early January 2012.

There were no immediate volunteers within the group to take on the role of chair or secretary for the group. It was agreed that at this early stage, PW will chair and take notes with a view to passing this role on to a member of the group in the future.

It was decided that although ultimately the group may meet quarterly, at this early stage it would be useful to meet monthly.

A number of members voiced concerns that they feel they may not be able to devote as much time as required to the group, due to family and work commitments. VW reassured the group that there is no pressure to attend all meetings. PW suggested it may be useful to make contact via e-mail, either between meetings if there are issues for discussion or in the event members are unable to attend meetings. This was agreed.

  Conducting a patient survey was discussed at length with various areas of interest suggested by members. PW will take all suggestions and produce a sample questionnaire to circulate to the group via e-mail. Any further suggestions by members can then be returned to PW for a final version to be produced.

Hopefully the final version will available for distribution to patients prior to groups next meeting date. This will be circulated to patients attending the surgery and will also be available electronically on the practice website ( www.highcroftsurgery.co.uk )

It was agreed that the next meeting will be held on Thursday 1^st December at 5pm, at the surgery. It was felt the later time will be more convenient for working members of the group.

In order to recruit additional members, patients will be invited to contact PW at the surgery if they are interested. This will be publicised via posters, website and on the patient survey.