PPG Terms of Reference

Whiteparish Surgery Patient Participation Group

The Patient Participation Group is open to all patients, registered at the practice
There is no limit to the size of the group, nor is there a maximum term that members can serve
Other members of staff of the practice and third parties may also be invited to attend
New members can join at any time by contacting the chair
There is no interview process required to join the group
The PPG will endeavour to make sure that members reflect the diversity of the practice population.
The patients that sign up to be part of the PPG must be committed to representing all patients of the practice and not their individual needs
Membership will be automatically terminated in the event of that member ceasing to be a patient

The group will agree and elect a:
- Chair
- Secretary
- Treasurer
These officers will be re-elected every year at the annual meeting
At meetings five members including an officer will constitute a quorum
The group will only discuss issues and information that is normally in the public domain and will not discuss any issue that may be regarded as confidential

The PPG will aim to:

Represent the patients of Whiteparish Surgery and act as an advisory group providing perspectives and concerns from patients that can influence how services operate, how accessible they are and how suitable they are for the patients.
Promote co-operation between the practice and the patients to the benefit of both
Discuss topics of mutual interest, that will benefit patients
Advise the practice on how to improve communications with patients in the most beneficial way.
Act as a ‘critical friend’ by providing the patients' perspective, ensuring the service, plans & activities of the surgery respond to patient’s needs & priorities
Provide peer support to other patients
Encourage health education, promote health lifestyle choices, self-care activities & understanding of long term conditions within the practice population
Provide volunteers to help with specific practice activities
Act as a representative group that can be called upon to influence the local provision of Health and Social Care
Review the results of patient surveys and suggest changes where appropriate
Co-ordinate fund raising activities as requested

The PPG will hold an Annual General Meeting
The PPG will meet every quarter and the dates and times of the se meetings will be set in advance and advertised as widely as possible to the practice population, at times to best suit the needs of the members
A ‘virtual’’ PPG membership will also provide feedback which will be incorporated in the group’s views
Minutes of the meeting will be sent to all members of the PPG within 2 weeks of the meeting
Minutes and notices will be shown on the Practice website, to ensure maximum patient contact, so that all patients are kept informed
The PPG will review, evaluate & report on its effectiveness at least once per annum

All members are equally important & all views & opinions will be both heard & respected
Members of the group will have open, honest communications and courteous exchanges with each other
Discussions should be constructive and objective
Membership of the group does not confer any priority claims on the practice nor any right to preferential treatment.
The PPG is neither a forum for individual complaints nor individual’s medical issues
The group will demonstrate a commitment to deliver results as a group
Members understand that silence indicates agreement
Members will ensure that there are no phone or other disruptions
Members will understand that items raised at a meeting without notice, may need to be deferred to allow time for a response to be prepared

Whiteparish Surgery representatives will commit to attending of the PPG Meetings: The Practice Manager will endeavour to attend all meetings and a GP will attend where practical, to present news of developments within the practice and to respond to issues raised by the PPG
Whiteparish Surgery will take forward issues and recommendations from the PPG and supply the responses of actions taken as a result.
Whiteparish Surgery will keep the PPG informed of service developments.

Members must declare any interest that may conflict with their role in the group. If any member is unclear about conflicting interest, they should declare it and seek further guidance.

Members of the group must not claim to represent Whiteparish Surgery to the public or the media.

November 2018