Understanding GP staff’s experiences of Patient Participation Groups (PPGs)

Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) are groups made up of patients, and members of the public. They work with the practice to improve the patients’ experience.

The involvement aimed to understand the views and experiences of GP practice staff when working with PPGs. This will help the ICB in Leeds to support practices and improve the quality of PPGs in Leeds.

Who did we speak to?

We received 62 responses from 60 different practices in Leeds. All 19 Primary Care Networks (PCNs) – groups of GP practices – in Leeds were represented.

What and how did we ask?

We asked GP practice staff to tell us about their PPG. We also asked them how effective they thought their PPG was and what support they need to improve their PPG.

We asked for people’s views using a survey. The survey was shared with all GP practices in Leeds using the GP practice bulletin.

What did people tell us?

People told us that:

• PPGs are an important part of the practice and are useful in representing the patient voice.
• PPGs help bring new ideas and points of view to practice development.
• Lack of engagement and enthusiasm from patients is a barrier to making PPGs work.
• A lack of diversity in membership is a barrier to making PPGs effective and representative.
• A lack of understanding of the role of PPGs from members can lead to the group losing focus and becoming a ‘complaints forum’.
• Practices have several ways to promote and advertise their PPGs, the most common methods being practice websites, in-practice noticeboards and Facebook.

Read the full report below:

Download the Microsoft Word version of 'Practice views and feedback on PPGs' engagement report

What are we doing with people’s feedback?

We have a range of resources to help support practices and PPGs. The feedback from this involvement work has been used to update our PPG Toolkit. We will also share the report and the learning from this engagement with relevant stakeholders in the health and care system in Leeds, including with the PPG Network. We will use this feedback to inform the future development of support for PPGs in Leeds.

How you can help.

You can get involved by joining your local PPG. Visit your practice, or its website for more information on how to contact the PPG.

To find out more information about PPGs, please visit the Patient Participation Groups page.

Get in touch

If you have any questions about this piece of work please contact Adam Stewart on [email protected] or 0113 221 7777 (Reception).

Resources

Alternative formats are available on request. Please get in touch on the contact details above.

Download the Microsoft Word version of 'Practice views and feedback on PPGs' engagement report