Patient Participation Group

The Aims of the Patient Participation Group

The Patient Participation Group (PPG) was first formed at Cambridge Avenue Medical Centre in 2001 as an 'ad hoc' group, mainly due to the hard work of the late Sheila Heseltine and other willing patients registered at the Practice. At this time the main objectives of the group were defined as:-

To raise funds (mainly by raffles) to help provide medical equipment and support services that the Practice would not normally have available.
To provide a link and interface between staff at the practice, both Medical and Admin, and the patients registered at the Practice.
Finally to help the Practice to improve the comfort and service it offers to the patients.

In the early days Jenny Lynaugh did much of the hard work in organising the raffles to raise money for the Practice. She was also instrumental in obtaining grants for equipment for the Practice from the Co-operative Society. Over the years the PPG has contributed to the purchase of several items which have greatly enhanced the services provided to patients such as two defibrillators, a doppler machine, and a portable hearing loop, along with a contribution of £4000 for the automatic doors which were installed in 2010 and many other items which are all of benefit to patients. In addition to this Jenny and her husband provide and maintain the beautiful flower displays around the surgery, and they continue to do so to this day.

However on 1 April 2015 it became a contractual requirement of all GP Practices to form a PPG, and this has had the effect of causing PPGs to become a more 'formal' body in that there are certain expectations of them today, which are:

To assist in obtaining views of the patients about the services provided to them via surveys from time to time.
Members of the PPG should, whenever possible, be representational of all patients registered at the Practice.
The PPG to form its own Constitution which lays down rules concerning membership, working practice and objectives, and should determine the number of meetings per annum, and who should attend such meetings
Review patient feedback with staff and agree improvements, and identify prioities to be made in an effort to better the services provided at the Practice – culminating in an agreed action plan. The PPG should then be kept up to date on the progress of these issues.

In short the main aim of the PPG is to be a “Critical Friend” to the Practice to ensure that the best service possible is provided to patients in both terms of medical care and their general comfort and wellbeing. The PPG acts as the 'voice' of patients and carers to ensure that they are involved in the decisions about the shape range and quality of services delivered at our surgeries. They are the interface between staff and patients.

Chairman's Annual Report April 2025

PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP – CAMBRIDGE AVENUE AND MESSINGHAM SURGERY

CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT 2024/25

Another year has flown by and as I write this we find ourselves finally enjoying some spring sunshine.

In the last year we have seen changes at the practice within the management team. Familiar faces in the management team have moved on to pastures new and moved into well deserved retirement after many years of service. New managers have been welcomed and they have arrived with fresh ideas for continuous improvement. At our regular PPG meetings we have all had a chance to listen to their new ideas and give our input as patients who use the practice on a regular basis.

Since last summer, the practice has enhanced its social media pages and now has a dedicated staff member to oversee all of these aspects. The use of the online triage form has also been encouraged and general access to the surgery has improved. The PPG have provided feedback and constructive criticism where needed. I would like to thank everyone involved, both PPG members and staff alike, without which this process would not have been such a success.

The Messingham surgery building has recently had a much needed renovation. I am sure both patients and staff have noticed the difference in its modernisation. Thank you to all patients who may have experienced some disruption during the works. Also, thank you to the staff involved in the planning of the work and keeping the disruption to a minimum. I am sure everyone will feel the benefit of both sites being available for appointments again.

Finally, the PPG has welcomed new members over the year and I wish to thank everyone for their valuable contribution. Please continue the good work and I am looking forward to seeing you all at future meetings.

Kay Dawson

PPG Chairperson

April 2025