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Why Have a Patient Participation Group?

Changes to the General Medical Services' contract for 2011/12 require Practices to promote proactive engagement with patients through the use of effective Patient Reference Groups (PRGs), and to seek views from the Practice patients via patient surveys.  Though we have conducted surveys with our patients in the past, these have been fairly generalised and given us an overall view of the service we provide and any areas in need of improvement.  However, Practices will now have to develop a structure that gains the views of a group that, as far as possible, represents our patient population to:

• Agree areas of priority
• Collate patient views through surveys
• Agree an action plan with our Patient Reference Group
• Publicise the results of the surveys
• Publicise the actions we have taken and what is achieved as a result.

The Friends of Mendlesham Health Centre are willing to assist in this way, but we are keen to have a fully representative mix of people in terms of different ages, gender, race, working, retired, disabled and able-bodied.  

Our PRG will help interpret patient survey feedback, stimulate discussion and plan change as a result.  Monitoring and re-surveying of patients will establish if improvement is evident.

Key Objectives of a Patient Reference Group

The purpose of our PRG will be to ensure that patients are involved in decisions about the range and quality of services provided.  With the help of the PRG the Practice will seek the views from the Practice population through surveys.  The outcomes of these surveys will be published on our website.

For more information visit the website of the National Association of Patient Participation.

http://www.napp.org.uk/

Who can Become a PRG Member?

A number of highly committed people already volunteer their time and skills to fund-raise for the Practice - The Friends of Mendlesham Health Centre.  Although fund-raising is not the prime purpose of a PRG, the present Friends' members demonstrate a willingness to help others rather than themselves.  In developing our current Patient Group into a PRG we would be looking to add like-minded members who would represent the views of the Practice population as fully as possible.  People of different ages, gender and race; people who are working and retired; people who have sensory impairment, people who are disabled or able-bodied.

Members would need to be assertive, and willing to attend meetings, initially probably 3 or 4 times a year.

Please go to the "Contact Us" page if you would like to be considered to join our PRG.  Or telephone 01449 767722 the Practice Manager, Mrs Terri Clare.  Applicants should be ready to give a brief outline of themselves and reasons for wanting to join. 

Once you have become a PRG Member

We will send you an email asking you to log onto the website to pick up the latest survey.  

We would like to know how we can improve our service to you and how you perceive our surgery and staff.

To help us with this, we are setting up a virtual patient representation group so that you can have your say. We will ask the members of this representative group some questions from time to time, such as what you think about our opening times or the quality of the care or service you received. We will contact you via email and keep our surveys succinct so it shouldn’t take too much of your time.

We aim to gather around a hundred patients from as broad a spectrum as possible to get a truly representative sample. We need young people, workers, retirees, people with long term conditions and people from non-British ethnic groups.

If you are happy for us to contact you occasionally by email please click the link below to open the sign-up form and complete all the fields.

Complete the Patient Group Sign-up Form Online

If you prefer, you can download the sign up form as a pdf document, print it out, complete it and return it to the practice.

Download the pdf version of our sign up form

We will be in touch shortly after we receive your form. Please note that no medical information or questions will be responded to.

Many thanks for your assistance