Patient Participation Group

The Aims of the Patient Participation Group

The Patient Participation Group (PPG) was first formed at Cambridge Avenue Medical Centre in 2001 as an 'ad hoc' group, mainly due to the hard work of the late Sheila Heseltine and other willing patients registered at the Practice. At this time the main objectives of the group were defined as:-

To raise funds (mainly by raffles) to help provide medical equipment and support services that the Practice would not normally have available.
To provide a link and interface between staff at the practice, both Medical and Admin, and the patients registered at the Practice.
Finally to help the Practice to improve the comfort and service it offers to the patients.

In the early days Jenny Lynaugh did much of the hard work in organising the raffles to raise money for the Practice. She was also instrumental in obtaining grants for equipment for the Practice from the Co-operative Society. Over the years the PPG has contributed to the purchase of several items which have greatly enhanced the services provided to patients such as two defibrillators, a doppler machine, and a portable hearing loop, along with a contribution of £4000 for the automatic doors which were installed in 2010 and many other items which are all of benefit to patients. In addition to this Jenny and her husband provide and maintain the beautiful flower displays around the surgery, and they continue to do so to this day.

However on 1 April 2015 it became a contractual requirement of all GP Practices to form a PPG, and this has had the effect of causing PPGs to become a more 'formal' body in that there are certain expectations of them today, which are:

To assist in obtaining views of the patients about the services provided to them via surveys from time to time.
Members of the PPG should, whenever possible, be representational of all patients registered at the Practice.
The PPG to form its own Constitution which lays down rules concerning membership, working practice and objectives, and should determine the number of meetings per annum, and who should attend such meetings
Review patient feedback with staff and agree improvements, and identify prioities to be made in an effort to better the services provided at the Practice – culminating in an agreed action plan. The PPG should then be kept up to date on the progress of these issues.

In short the main aim of the PPG is to be a “Critical Friend” to the Practice to ensure that the best service possible is provided to patients in both terms of medical care and their general comfort and wellbeing. The PPG acts as the 'voice' of patients and carers to ensure that they are involved in the decisions about the shape range and quality of services delivered at our surgeries. They are the interface between staff and patients.

Chairman's Annual Report April 2022

CAMBRIDGE AVENUE MEDICAL CENTRE – PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP (PPG)

The Patient Participation Group has continued to be a valuable way of the Practice interacting with its patients and to provide a useful channel for constructive feedback and information between the two parties. This year I am pleased to say we have been able to welcome new members to the group who have been able to attend face to face meetings and on a virtual basis.

This year has also seen the introduction of the new Integrated Care Board (ICB), PPG Chairs and Public Network forum meetings. These have been held virtually due to the geographical area the new ICB covers. PPG Chairs and members have been able to join these meetings and in the coming year it is hoped that these meetings will grow from the introductory stage to more detailed bespoke informative sessions.

There have been continued staff changes within Cambridge Avenue Practice and the PPG have been kept well informed of these at each meeting. At the beginning of December 2023 it was decided to open the Messingham Surgery full time to provide equity for patients. I am sure this is an improvement that many patients are feeling the benefit of and is an example of how the surgery is continually trying to improve access for all patients. This year has also seen the introduction of the total triage which again should provide easier access for all patients at all times within the surgery opening hours. In addition, the surgery phone lines have been updated and enhanced to provide an improved facility for those patients making contact by phone. As a group we have been kept informed of these changes at each meeting and provided constructive feedback from the view of the patient. As all new systems experience, there have been tweaks required here and there but the Practice staff are always willing to listen to the patient experience.

I am pleased to say in the last year the Practice has trialled some aspects of recycling and this continues to be explored. It is clearly something that patients are keen to do and we are working together to look at ways this can be done with no extra costs to the surgery.

Finally, I would like to thank all of the PPG Members for their invaluable support over the last year. The views given by all members at the meetings are most important for us to continue the work of the PPG. I would also like to thank the Cambridge Avenue Medical Centre staff as they provide us with a friendly, informative environment to express our views at our quarterly meetings.

Kay Dawson

PPG Chairperson