Portland Medical Practice Patient Participation Group
What is the role of the PPG?
- Patient participation refers to patients, such as you, who are taking active interest in healthcare.
- The group meets with representatives of the practice every 3 months on a Wednesday between 5.00 - 6.00pm.
- The group discuss services and gives feedback and suggestions on how improvements can be made for benefit of patients and the practice.
What do PPG members do?
- Attend the regular meeting.
- Discuss new developments affecting the practice and give feedback.
- Spend an occasional session in the waiting room informing patients about new services and maintaining the display board.
- Helping with health promotion events.
- Assis with patient surveys.
Who can join the PPG?
- You can! Anyone of any age or background who is a patient registered at Portland Medical Practice.
- Experience is not necessary.
- New members are welcome to join.
- Ask for joining details at the reception desk.
PPG Inivte Flyer - PPG Invite Flyer January 2023 (DOCX, 44KB)
PPG Terms of Reference - PPG Terms of Reference January 2023.docx
Q and As with Practice Pharmacist - Q&As with the pharmacist on 25.10.23 (DOCX, 17KB)
Survey
Patinet Survey 2024 - Results with comments (DOCX, 589KB)
Agendas and Minutes
Identifying the right pathway for patients 31.7.2024.docx
PPG Minutes 31.07.24.docx
PPG Meeting Minutes 31.04.2024 (DOCX, 32KB)
PPG Minutes 31.1.2024 (DOCX, 32KB)
PPG Minutes 25.10.2023 (DOCX, 16KB)
PPG Minutes 26.7.2023 (DOCX, 29KB)
PPG Agenda 26.7.2023 (DOCX, 28KB)
PPG Minutes 26.04.2023 (DOCX, 34KB)
PPG Meeting Minutes 1.2.2023 (DOCX, 32KB)
PPG Agenda 1.2.2023 (DOCX, 28KB)
PPG Minutes 18.1.2023 (DOCX, 28KB)
PPG Minutes 19.10.22 (DOCX, 22KB)
PPG Agenda 19.10.2022 (DOCX, 14KB)
PPG Minutes 06.04.2022 (DOCX, 22KB)
PPG Meeting Minutes 18.08.21 (DOCX, 23KB)
PPG minutes 04.03.20 (DOCX, 18KB)
PPG Meeting 4th December 2019 (DOCX, 18KB)
PPG Meeting Minutes September 2019 (DOCX, 18KB)
PPG minutes 06.06.2019 (DOCX, 17KB)
PPG Minutes of Meeting March 6th 2019 (DOCX, 17KB)
PPG meeting minutes 05 09 18 (DOCX, 22KB)
PPG Minutes 06 06 2018 (DOCX, 19KB)
PPG Minutes 07 03 18 (DOCX, 16KB)
PPG Agenda 06.09.17 (DOCX, 14KB)
PPG Meeting Minutes 05.07.17 (DOCX, 17KB)
PPG Meeting Agenda 3.5.17 (DOCX, 14KB)
PPG Minutes 1.3.17 (DOCX, 17KB)
PPG Newsletter May 2016 (DOCX, 30KB)
Previous Minutes - archived (DOCX, 15KB)
Introduction
Portland Medical Practice formed its Patient Reference Group (PRG) in 2011 with the inaugural meeting taking place on 17th August 2011.
The aim of the PRG is to gain the views of registered patients enabling the practice to obtain feedback from a cross-section of the practice population that is as representative as possible.
PRG Profile and Membership
The PRG has an elected Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary who are all patients of the practice.
The PRG has, to date, been attended by 25-30 patients at each meeting representing both male and female and patients with various long terms conditions as well as those who are generally in good health.
The PRG meetings are advertised in the surgery, on the surgery website and in the local Neighbourhood Watch magazine. Leaflets concerning the PRG are also being made available for patients to take from the reception desk.
Whilst the practice has a higher than average number of patients in the retired age bracket, we are actively seeking to involve some younger people in the life of the practice and to this end held a successful ‘Teenage Health Fayre’ in October 2011 when information concerning the PRG was made available. The website ‘News and Notices’ section is also being used to actively encourage younger patients and patients from an ethnic minority to join the PRG.
Prioritising of Issues and Preparation of Practice Survey (November 2011)
The PRG met on 28th September to discuss the cfep Improving Practice Questionnaire’ that has been nationally accredited for use within General Practice and was proposed to be used by the practice to survey patient’s views. The members of the PRG considered that this was a suitable survey.
The PRG also suggested 5 additional questions to identify local priorities that they considered important as follows:
- How easy do you find it to ask for a male or female Doctor when making an appointment?
- How satisfied are you with the times offered for Doctor and Nurse clinics?
- How do you rate information regarding services available e.g. Pharmacy First, Audiology Referrals, Physiotherapy etc?
- How do you rate the helpfulness of Reception Staff in non-urgent situations?
- Do you feel you know which Clinician you need to see if you have a particular health problem?
The Practice representatives and the PRG members agreed that these were good questions to ask, giving us meaningful information upon which we could act if a patient priority was identified.
The survey was conducted in late November/early December with patients randomly being selected by reception staff to complete a survey in addition to any patients who requested to do so. The fact that a survey was being undertaken was publicised within the surgery and on the practice website.
The PRG members also suggested that we should consider obtaining the views of patients who did not routinely attend the surgery and hence 10% of the surveys were sent out by post to patients who had had a home visit consultation within the last 3 months.
Discussion of Survey Contents and Action Plan Formulation
Completed surveys were received anonymously from 254 patients and these were sent to cfep UK Surveys for analysis and reporting.
The results from the survey were sent out to members of the PRG for review in advance of the next PRG meeting on 25th January 2012 and discussed at this meeting when the PRG, Dr J Harrison, Alison Swinnerton and Christopher Blunt agreed to three actions listed in the attached document entitled ‘Survey Actions February 2012’ which can be accessed here (DOC, 47KB).
Also attached is the ‘Improving Practice Questionnaire’ statistical report which benchmarks the survey results for this practice against practices of a patient list size between 8001- 10000 patients (our current list size is 8436). Please access this here (PDF, 73KB)
The results for the ‘Bespoke’ local survey (entitled ‘Portland Medical Practice Patient Survey’) that was undertaken are also attached here (PDF, 688KB)
Practice Opening Hours (including extended hours)
It is interesting to note that the survey revealed that patients are very happy with the opening hours of the practice as follows:
| IPQ Survey question 1 |
Opening Hours Satisfaction |
| Practice Mean Score |
National Mean Score |
| 69% |
65% |
This places the practice in the upper quartile nationally for opening hours satisfaction
Practice Bespoke Survey question 2
‘How satisfied are you with the times offered for Doctor and Nurse clinics?’
96% were satisfied or very satisfied
There have also been comments of appreciation received for the extended hours service that the practice provides which is as follows:
Tuesday Evening Extended Hours Surgery
One GP has appointments available at 15 minute intervals from 6.30pm to 8.30pm
One Nurse has appointments available at 15 minute intervals from 6.30pm to 8.15pm
In addition to the requirements of the Extended Hours Local Enhanced Service, One HCA offers appointments once a month from 6.30pm to 8.00pm at 15 minute intervals.
Practice services can be accessed during core practice hours via the following methods:
- Face to face visit to the practice
- Telephone
- Nurse telephone triage
- By speaking to a GP on the telephone (where appropriate)
- Appointments booked via the practice website
- Prescriptions ordering via the practice website
- Information concerning general health conditions via the practice website
- Information concerning general health conditions via posters and leaflets in the practice