Patient Engagement

The Patient Participation Group works together with the practice to develop mutually supportive networks for patients and the practice voice in decision making, ensuring that all communities registered with the practice are represented.

The decision for successful applicants to the group will be based around age, ethnicity, disabilities and disease. This is because we need our group to be able to represent as many groups as possible within our list.

If you have any further queries you need addressing, please contact our Patient engagement lead, Uzma Irum. She is available in the practice Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings

What is Patient Participation?

Patients working with a practice to:

  • Contribute to the continuous improvement of services;
  • Foster improved communication between the practice and its patients;
  • Help patients to take more responsibility for their health, and provide practical support and help to implement change.
Providing feedback from patients, for example on appointment systems, triage consultations, consultation times or repeat prescription systems.

Monitoring the accessibility of practice communications, eg developing the practices on line presence and updating our practice website.

Use of the Call boards in the waiting areas.

Carrying out surveys on a whole variety of subjects, eg measuring patient satisfaction, health needs, awareness and expectations.

Offering practical help, for example the flu clinics in practice – making sure that the patients are comfortable.

Improving practice facilities, books and magazines for the waiting room.

Promoting services and initiatives and making sure patients are aware of the services currently offered, for example extended opening hours for practices, specialist clinics, benefits advice, physiotherapy, evening and weekend nurse clinics.

Exploring the changing needs of patients.
Developing a Carers’ support group.

Hospital visiting.

Coffee mornings, knit and natter groups, talking and walking groups.

Healthy eating and living sessions.

Promoting self-care.
Organising health events for example an event for diabetic patients and their families. This could be around the importance of medication, who does the cooking and shopping, what to buy, what not to buy, what to cook, what not to cook.

Offering handouts and support on special days, eg national No Smoking Day.

Producing patient newsletters.

Ensuring that patient information and advice is as user friendly as possible.

Representing the practice locally and nationally when patient voices are needed.

Arranging special health events or displays.
Increasing awareness of screening services, for example breast, cervical & bowel screening.

Increasing awareness among particular cultural groups of issues that relate to them, eg the higher risk of coronary heart disease and diabetes in people from the south Asian population
Acting as a representative group that can be called on to influence the local provision of health and social care.

Join our PPG

If you are able to commit some time and energy to helping the practice improve its services for everybody in our community, perhaps you would consider joining our active and dedicated Patient Participation Group.

For more details, including how to join, please email our Patient Engagement and Public Relations Officer.