Join our Patient Participation Group (PPG)

Non-urgent advice:

Great Barr Medical Centre is in the process of establishing a Patient Participation Group (PPG) to gain the views of our registered patients and ensure they are involved in decisions about the range and quality of the services provided by our practice.

If you are interested in becoming a PPG member, please submit your details using the form below. Providing this information will help us to ensure that the PPG is as representative as possible of our practice population as a whole. The information you supply will be used lawfully, in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

Patient participation refers to patients, such as you, who are taking active interest in healthcare. The group discuss services and gives feedback and suggestions on how improvements can be made for benefit of patients and the practice.

What is the Patient Participation Group or PPG?

A Patient Participation Group (PPG) is a group of people who are patients of the surgery and want to help it work as well as it can for patients, doctors and staff. The NHS requires every practice to have a PPG.

Why should I join?

You have been to the surgery as a patient, parent, carer or friend.

Your experiences matter and you can bring different ideas to the surgery to help us treat patients better or to improve what we do in some way.

You will also gain a better understanding of the NHS, and gather feedback from other patients.

How often does the Patient Participation Group meet?

We meet, but not too often, led by a committee voted for by the patients. If you can’t make meetings then don’t worry – you can still be part of our virtual group.

The group meets with representatives of the practice every 3 months on a Wednesday between 5.00 to 6.00pm.

Who manages the mailing list for the PPG? 

The mailing list will be held by the GP surgery and any emails sent so that individual’s emails are not shared with others.

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.

Assist with patient surveys.

Who can join the PPG?

You can! Anyone of any age or background who is a patient registered at Great Barr Medical Centre.

Experience is not necessary.

New members are welcome to join.

A virtual group is a group of patients who would like to be part of the Patient Participation Group but prefer not to attend meetings. They get involved by email instead. Information such as practice newsletters, minutes of the Patient Participation Group meetings and surveys will be shared electronically. It means that if you can’t make face-to-face meetings, are caring for someone and unable to leave them, or are working, you can still be kept informed, give your views and participate.

Your views are important and will be listened to. It may not be possible to act on every suggestion, but all feedback is very valuable. Working in a spirit of mutual respect, openness and trust, all patients’ views will be discussed and, where appropriate, we will work together on solutions. If you are interested in learning more about our Patient Participation Group, please complete the below online form. Alternatively, you can ask us about it when you next visit the practice.