Minutes Patient Participation Group (PPG) meeting
Tuesday 6th December 2011

Present:  3 Lay members 

Practice representatives: GP partner. Practice Manager.  Assistant Practice Manager. Head Receptionist at Dudley.  Head receptionist at Wideopen. 
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Apologies:  2 lay members.

Agenda

Welcome and Introductions – The group introduced themselves and explained what their expectations where of the PPG.  One lay member has a special interest in the North Tyneside Older Peoples Forum and felt there should be more male input into the PPG. As a carer one lay member will also be representing the views of her husband.  Another of our members runs a walking group in the local Dudley area where most of the members are on the practice list.  It was felt this would be beneficial in being proactive in targeting groups of people not represented on the PPG.

The practice staff felt that the PPG was a way forward of improving communication between the practice and patients.  Collectively the group believed that the PPG would help to understand the patient perspective of services that are provided by the practice.

Aims and Objectives – The aim of the group is to review a service or a system or indeed explore options for new systems to help towards improving the day-to-day services on offer.  Once an area has been identified the group will be expected to collect the views of the patients using a survey to collate and report the responses.  Based on the findings the PPG will feedback to the practice representatives their findings, from which the practice will, where reasonable take forward suggestions/changes.
Action – The assistant practice manage will look into using the department of health recommended survey company called Surveymonkey to create and evaluate the patient survey.

What we don’t want from the PPG –  The assistant practice manager emphasised that the PPG was not a forum for individual complaints or for single issue campaigns.  The correct procedure for dealing with these is by using the practice complaints system.

Next step – All members of the PPG where happy with discussions so far and the next meeting would be to appoint a chair, secretary and agree an area for the patient survey. 

AOB 
One of the lay members enquired if the practice knew of any hydrotherapy services in the locality, also what our prescribing guidance is for specialist cancer drugs and if we where involved in stem cell treatment/research.  The lay member was also interested in the demise of the PCT and who would be accountable for the practice budget.

Currently we do not refer into any hydrotherapy services in our locality but the practice manager will make enquiries at the PCT.  The GP partner explained that cancer drugs and stem cell treatments/research are not the remit of primary care but fall into secondary care, hospitals and specialist clinical areas.  The practice budget will be held by the PCT until they cease to exist in 2013.  Commissioning groups will then make decisions as to what services will be provided by practices, overtime the PPG will ensure that patients views are heard about the range and quality of services provided and commissioned by the practice.        

Next meeting Tuesday 10th January 2012
5.30pm – 6.30pm at Wideopen