Patient Participation Group

The NHS requires every GP Practice to have a Patient Participation Group, or PPG. 

What is the purpose of Patient Participation?

  • giving patients a voice in what the Practice does and how it does it
  • enabling patients to exchange experiences, questions, and suggestions for improvement, sharing them with the Practice
  • speaking up for patient interests when there are changes in the way that things are done, or in local services
  • helping the Practice to communicate with patients
  • bringing together patients who are willing to offer time to help the Practice. 

Why is your PPG important?

Changes are happening in local health services, many of which affect services provided by GPs and Primary Health Care. It is important that patients can influence what happens at our Practice, and more widely. The energy and interest of an active PPG can help the Practice through the process of change to ensure the best outcome for everyone. 

Read the PPG Mission Statement

How does the PPG work in our Practice?

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The Virtual Group

If you like the sound of what we do, and feel that you have something to offer but don’t want to commit to regular meetings, you can be involved by joining the Virtual Group.

  • You will receive agendas, minutes and updates from the Steering Group meetings
  • You can ask the Steering Group to discuss something of concern to you
  • You can ask to attend a Steering Group meeting when an item of special interest to you is on the agenda.

We use email for communications from and to the Virtual Group. Our email address is myrtleppg@gmail.com. 

The Steering Group

This core group of volunteers manages the work of the PPG, meeting once a month. For the Steering Group to work most effectively its members are asked to make a commitment to this monthly meeting as far as possible.

At alternate meetings the Steering Group is joined by one of the Practice Managers and by a GP so that members can discuss directly with Practice staff.

  • The Steering Group gathers information from patients and liaises with the Practice
  • It helps ensure that patients’ views and interests are considered and addressed
  • It promotes the idea of patient participation within the local community.

You can read the record of the most recent Steering Group meeting here. For earlier meetings, click on this minutes archive link. 

What else does the Steering Group do?

  • we maintain contact with the Primary Care Network and Healthwatch teams
  • we attend local health related seminars and events
  • we have conducted annual Patient Surveys in partnership with the Practice
  • we have produced information booklets on local sources of support for patients and their carers
  • we are always ready to respond to ideas from patients or from the Practice. Activities are organised by ad hoc task groups. 

Keeping in touch with the Steering Group

You may:

  • tell the Steering Group of your experiences with Practice services – paying a compliment or indicating a problem
  • share suggestions about those services
  • offer particular knowledge, experience, or skills that will be helpful
  • like to volunteer to join the Virtual Group or Steering Group
  • have ideas about areas of interest and health awareness that you would like the PPG to promote. 

To contact us, you can:

  • send an email to myrtleppg@gmail.com
  • drop a pre-printed card into the Contact-the-PPG box in your surgery’s reception area. This secure box is exclusively for the use of the PPG, and is checked regularly by a Steering Group member.

Please give your email address and / or phone number so that we can respond.

Both the PPG email address and the box are exclusively for the use of the PPG; your personal information will not be shared with the Practice unless there is an overriding safety concern. 

We would like to hear from you

The effectiveness of your PPG depends on hearing from you with any questions, difficulties, and ideas. But please note that a PPG cannot help you to resolve an individual issue that you may have with your treatment or experience with Practice staff. For this you must approach the Practice Manager directly, following the Practice complaints procedure. 

To keep in touch with you, the Steering Group will:

issue a regular PPG newsletter, available online, with printed copies in the reception area of each surgery. The Practice will notify patients by email when a fresh newsletter is available

maintain a regularly-updated noticeboard in each surgery

keep information in this PPG part of the Practice website as up-to-date as we can. 

Latest Newsletter

Future meetings

July: 22nd, 2.30 pm (with GP/Manager)

August: no meeting

Sept: 23rd, 2.30 pm (with GP/Manager)

Oct: 20th, 4.00 pm (Steering Group only)

Nov: 19th, 2.30 pm (with GP/Manager)

Dec: no meeting