You may have heard the term Patient Participation Group, or 'PPG', mentioned by your GP practice. But what exactly is a PPG and what does it actually do?
Primary Care Collaborative North Cumbria recently launched a week-long campaign to explore those questions and help more people understand what Patient Participation Groups are all about, across our social media channels.
The aim wasn't simply to encourage people to join a PPG. It was about opening up the conversation and explaining what PPGs are, what they can do, and why the experiences and perspectives of patients can be valuable to general practice.
Visit the full campaign pages here.
This also includes links to all the GP Practice PPG pages.
So, what is a PPG?
Every GP practice in England is required to have a Patient Participation Group. PPGs provide a way for patients and practice teams to work together, sharing experiences, ideas and perspectives to help improve services and the patient experience.
But there isn't one standard way for a PPG to work.
Some may meet regularly with members of the practice team, while others might use surveys, emails, online meetings, events or other ways of hearing from patients. Depending on the practice, PPGs might get involved in improving patient information, supporting health awareness activities, discussing patient experiences and feedback, or helping the practice better understand its local community.
And that's important because patients don't all experience healthcare in the same way.
