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campaigns. Areas of priority should be agreed with short, medium and long-term objectives – a few worthwhile short-term objectives can provide ‘quick wins’ and help boost confidence. Patient views can be collected through surveys on various topics and the results should be publi- cised alongside any achievements and actions taken.


GIVING PURPOSE PPGs can be used for various purposes: offering sugges- tions on improving disabled access to the surgery, ap- pointment systems, consultation times, buying new toys for the waiting room or maintaining plants. They can help obtain patient views, for example where two practices are merging, and can also highlight the need for patient sup- port in terms of bereavement counselling, a carers group, hospital visiting or befriending of housebound patients. Last year Wilsden Medical Practice in Bradford won the NAPP’s PPG of the year award. Formed in 2010, the 10-strong group are aged between 40 and 80 and include wheelchair users, minority ethnic groups and parents with young children. They meet monthly and have provided feedback on issues such as telephone appointments and extended opening hours as well as offering an insight into the general ‘patient experience’ at both Wilsden and the practice’s other site, Cullingworth Medical Practice. Practice manager Susan Crowther says the PPG has made it easier for patients to share comments and con- cerns and has even lightened the practice workload. She says: “The group attended an open flu clinic


recently and helped recruit 50 patients who were willing to be seen by our trainee doctors. On another occasion, we used the group to carry out a survey on our telephone service which helped us discover if there were key times where staffing levels affected service delivery. “It’s often the case that the group will do work that


would normally be done by me or the other practice staff, so it’s saving us time.” Susan says the key to success is communication. She and a GP partner meet with the PPG to set objectives for the following 12 months. The practice is now setting up a virtual PPG where more than 100 patients have agreed to offer comments and suggestions by email. Susan adds: “The virtual PPG is a great way for the


practice to communicate with patients, especially those who are not often in the practice. With 10,000 patients you need different ways of promoting what you do, other than just posters and flyers.”


PATIENT VOICE Amblecote Dental Care in the West Midlands set up its group in 2011 which meets every two to three months. PPG liaison and receptionist Jayne Vallance says the


group plays an important role. “We keep them informed with changes like staffing and new equipment, and they give us valuable feedback,” she says. “Recently, there were concerns one of the patient letters was unclear so we asked the PPG to review it and then re-worded it based on their suggestions.” Following another of the group’s suggestions, an


Amblecote dentist gave a talk about oral health at local schools. The PPG has also helped the practice carry out customer satisfaction surveys. Jayne adds: “We like to think they are the patient voice


and they are asking questions for the wider benefit, not just for themselves.” Nairn Healthcare Group in the Scottish Highlands set up Nairn Patients Group in April 2012 following a practice merger, with updates publicised on their new web (www. nairnpatientsgroup.org.uk) and Facebook pages (www. facebook.com/NairnPatientsGroup). Practice manager Barbara Graham says the process has been a learning curve. “It has been very stressful setting up the PPG and with hindsight I would’ve done some things differently,” she says. “I firmly believe it’s an invalu- able resource but I failed to make clear from the start exactly what the practice expected from the group and also that it’s not a forum for personal grievances. “Things are improving and now the PPG operates the


Facebook and web pages which are a phenomenally use- ful way to communicate with patients, particularly when, for example, our phone lines went down recently. There are so many great resources out there, like the NAPP and RCGP websites, and it’s vital to seek advice before starting a PPG.”


KEY POINTS Remember: keep communication lines between the practice and PPG open, set ground rules and stick to them, ensure the group maintains focus and direction (plan ahead if possible), and source a varied group of active and interested volunteers. Get support from the doctors/den- tists and practice staff and consider enlisting help from key members of the community (local councillors, school headteachers) who can help raise the group’s profile and widen its focus.


LINKS • National Association for Patient Participation www.napp.org.uk


•


Scottish Health Council www.scottishhealthcouncil.org


Joanne Curran is associate editor of publications at MDDUS


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