The Ivers Practice Patient Participation Group

What are Patient Participation Groups (PPGs)?

A PPG is a group of people who meet to discuss their GP surgery and they usually consist of patient volunteers and practice staff. PPGs provide a forum for two-way communication between the practice and group members, giving patients the opportunity to influence decision making and support planning and delivery of practice initiatives. In order to be valuable, PPGs should provide ideas, constructive feedback, avoid prejudice and negativity, and help to enable a service or function to develop positively. PPGs should act as representatives of their patient population.

What can PPGs do?

PPGs can:

  • escalate practice issues. The PPG can help share issues with practice staff and can highlight recurrent themes.
  • help to escalate wider commissioning issues. Commissioning is about commissioners becoming much closer
    to patients. PPGs should fit into a wider structure that allows experiences, views or concerns to reach the right people at the centre of the communities.
  • share learning with patients and practices. Feedback on outcomes and liaise with other practices
    regarding relevant issues within the South Bucks PCN.
  • help with fundraising. There are examples of PPGs helping practices with events that help with fund raising or support events (i.e. open days).
  • improve communication. The PPG can be used as a conduit for improving communication between
    patients, the practice and the role of commissioners.
  • help the practice deliver change. Where changes are required in the practice, either as a result of
    the local survey or some other initiative, the PPG can help staff communicate the idea to patients.
  • become a hub for social networking. The group could be more than something that just meet to
    discuss the practice.
  • promote education and self-help. If practices promote campaigns or self-help initiatives the PPG
    could help support it and improve take up. They could also help the practice understand what areas
    are of particular interest for patients or link in with other organisations who need volunteers (such as bereavement services). These can be recruited from the practice population.

What PPGs are not

PPGs are not a forum to discuss personal complaints but we do welcome constructive criticism and ideas. Personal complaints should be dealt with through complaints process.

Join our patient participation group

We would like our patients to be involved in shaping and improving the services we offer. There are two levels of involvement:

  • Virtual PPG (email participation)
  • Full Involvement PPG (including meetings)

To join, please email [email protected] and include:

  • First name and last name
  • Address and postcode
  • Main telephone number / mobile phone number
  • Email address
  • Whether you want to join the Virtual PPG or Full Involvement PPG
  • Your gender
  • Your age range
  • Your ethnicity (and subgroup where relevant)
  • How often you visit the practice (regularly, occasionally, or very rarely)
  • Confirmation that you consent to the practice collecting and storing your data for PPG contact

You can choose “Would prefer not to say” for gender, age range, or ethnicity if you wish.

PPG meetings

Meetings usually take place over Face to Face and are by-monthly.

Members

  • Practice Manager – Hayley Smith
  • GP Representative – Dr Ghodasara
  • PPG members
Contacting our PPG

Patient Participation Group (PPG) Contact Update

We are pleased to let you know that you can now contact members of the Surgery’s Patient Participation Group (PPG) via post and email.

By post: Patient Participation Group at The Ivers Practice, High Street, Iver, Bucks, SL0 9NU

By email: [email protected]

Please note that this email service is not for medical enquiries, prescription requests, or complaints. It is intended for general feedback, suggestions, or to find out more about the role and activities of the PPG.

If you have any clinical or urgent issues, please continue to contact the surgery directly.

 

 

 

How we use patient feedback for practice improvement

We use feedback from patients to improve our service, including from the friends and family test and other patient surveys, see under

We share and discuss this information with our patient participation group and consider ways we can improve.  For practice changes see under

Local public consultations, surveys and engagement activities

A patient participation group can also influence wider consultations occurring in the local area which go beyond the practice. A collective opinion from a patient participation group can help influence local changes. You can also have your say individually.

Have your say on health services across Buckinghamshire

There is an explanation and links to how you can give your view on present health services and future plans on health across Buckinghamshire, see under