Leeds Road Practice and Heart of Harrogate Primary Care Network PPG
The practice previously had a long standing group of volunteers that have formed our Patient participation Group. Over the years they have met with key members of the practice team to discuss services and access to care to enable our patients to have a better understanding and equally for the practice to meet the patients needs where possible within its resources. Our appointment systems were redesigned in light of these discussions as were the provision of our extended hours services we provide outside of Core hours. This communication has been based on feedback either from national or locally designed and targeted surveys or via direct questioning in practice and meeting and discussing patients.
The PPG have played in important role in designing our services and access and equally been involved at locality level when services across our community are being redesigned.
The shape of Primary care is once again changing and we are being directed to work in groups of practices to understand our population health needs, how services could be designed to improve the long term health outcomes of our population and understand what services need to be delivered and where and on the health information we hold. In line with this we are looking to develop our PPG to work alongside and together with our local GP Partners at Kingswood Surgery, Moss Healthcare and Church Avenue Surgery as a Primary Care Network. This network covers a population of approximately 52,000 patients and we have named ourselves the Heart of Harrogate Primary Care Network.
This is not about all practices becoming one but it is designing services to ensure where possible we can attempt to meet the health needs of our local population.
Further information about our Patient Participation Group
The Aims of the Patient Participation Group
“To work with their practice and wider community to provide practical support, to help patients take more responsibility for their own health and to provide strategic input and advice. PPGs are based on cooperation between the practice staff and patients”.
Purpose of a PPG
- To give practice staff and patients the opportunity to discuss topics of mutual interest in their own practice/community.
- A forum for patients and staff to improve and develop services within the practice/community by co-production.
- To provide an opportunity for patients to make positive and constructive suggestions/ideas about the practice and specific medical conditions as an ‘expert’ or ‘experienced patient’.
- To encourage health education activities within the practice and local community
- To involve further patients from the wider population.
- To involve patient participation in future Commissioning of Health Provision.
Benefits for the patient:
- Patients will be more responsible for their own health.
- Patients will have a better understanding and knowledge of the practice and its staff.
This allows up to date information to be given to patients and will inform what decisions can be influenced and what cannot. It will also allow the practice staff to gain an understanding from the patient’s perspective. It may also be useful for the chair to have meetings with the Business Manager on a regular basis or attend management meetings of the practice. This ensures that two way communications are achieved.
- Patients will have a forum to suggest positive ideas and voice concerns
- Patients will benefit from improved communications between patients and staff
Benefits for the practice:
- GPs, Clinicians and staff will be able to plan services jointly with patients in order to increase their effectiveness.
- They will be able to get help from patients in meeting targets and objectives.
- They will have a forum to voice concerns, ideas and suggestions to patients.
- They will get closer to the community for whom they care.
Being Representative
A common criticism of many PPGs is that they are not representative of the practice population. It is always going to be difficult to get a group that exactly reflects the demographics of our practice, and volunteer roles tend to attract those that have a certain level of confidence and free time, and have flexibility about working and earning money. However, a PPG is there to make sure that the patient voice is listened to and not necessarily always to be the voice itself. Therefore if you wish to volunteer please see the link further down the page to sign up
Ground Rules
These are important as a point of reference for behaviour for when the group meets, and were agreed at the first couple of meetings. We agreed that the group should not be a forum for pursuing individual personal complaints or agendas, that patient confidentiality is of the utmost importance and that everyone on the PPG should be treated fairly, equally and with respect.
- This meeting is not a forum for individual complaints and single issues
- Open and honest communication – and challenge between individuals
- Be flexible, listen, ask for help and support each other
- Demonstrate a commitment to delivering results, as a group
- Silence indicates agreement
- All views are valid and will be listened to
- Start and finish on time, stick to the agenda.
Communication
We aim to make the group as transparent as possible. We will publish minutes of every meeting on this website. At the members’ request their names have been removed and replaced with their initials but other than that the minutes are a true and accurate reflection of what was discussed and agreed.
We are striving to have a mix of the following people:
- Active volunteers – people with time and commitments to action decisions
- Interested professionals – the doctors and administrative staff who work within and know the system and can be co-opted onto the group as required
- Key supporters – people with influence within your locality, e.g. local councillors, community workers or business people who help raise the profile of the group, and improve the chances of your group finding financial or other forms of support
- Young people and people with long-standing health conditions
- We would like to group to represent the diversity of our local population
Leeds Road Practice PPG
Our practice has a diverse patient population with patients of different ages and a wide variety of different needs. Our PPG members comprise of male, female, employed, unemployed, retired, disabled and carers. However, to be truly representative we would also welcome more volunteers particularly from any under-represented groups.
Leeds Road Practice Patient Participation Group was established in 2000 to provide an independent overview of services and facilities and continues to work in the best interests of patients to have a good relationship.
The Group meets quarterly to discuss various aspects to improve practice services dates and times will be publicised to all.
We are always happy to accept new members. Expressions of interest in joining PPG Committee are always invited at the practice. During the opening hours of the practice all patients attending the surgery were asked if they would be interested to join the Patient Participation Group.
Structure at Leeds Road Practice
The Committee was comprised of up to 12 volunteer practice patients. Although the group is small for our practice population of 14,700, it has been in place now for many years and the practice continue to encourage patients to join the group. They represent the patient population of the whole practice and voice concerns at our quarterly meeting. The group however has worked well with the practice to achieve many changes.
Practice always:
- Encourage PPG membership and promote this opportunistically and at new patient registration.
- Consider the representation priorities for the group and promote awareness of this requirement. (E.g. Ethnic representation etc.)
- Promote the group via posters, leaflets and hand outs and social media
- Ensure that every group member receives a regular contact
- Agree the initial priorities for the practice with the PPG, and identify these under the following headings
- Patient priorities and issues
- Practice priorities and issues
- Common themes from complaints
- Practice development plans
- CQC issues
- National GP patient Survey results and matters arising
Other issues may include:
- Patient surgery facilities
- Standards of care
- Access
- Reception / administration issues
- Referral to secondary services
- Alternative pathways and treatments
Join our Patient Participation Group
If you wish to participate please contact the Practice or complete the online form by clicking on the button shown below.
OR: if you prefer, you can download the sign-up form below, print it out, fill it in, and post it to the Practice, put it through the letterbox, or hand it to a Receptionist.
Download the pdf version of our sign up form
We aim to acknowledge your request within a few days.
Please note that the PPG cannot become involved in matters of a specifically medical or clinical nature.
Non-urgent advice: Date of next Patient Participation Group meeting
Date(s) to be announced
The National Association of Patient Participation
The national association for patient participation aims to promote the role and benefits of PPGs to patients, the public and health professionals, to create more understanding of the value of true patient participation also to promote the support available from N.A.P.P.
The information you supply us will be used lawfully, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. The Data Protection Act 2018 gives you the right to know what information is held about you and sets out rules to make sure that this information is handled properly.