Terms of Reference and Code of Conduct

Overriding Aims and Principles

  • The PPG is not separate from the Claypath and University Medical Group but is a panel of patient volunteers who wish to work with the practice to provide practical support and to contribute to the continuous improvement of practice services, patient accessibility and the quality of care.
  • To promote patient perspectives and encourage the spirit of self-help amongst patients to improve their health and wellbeing e.g. practice initiative weeks.
  • To foster improved communication between the practice and its patients.
  • To actively promote the PPG with the aim of increasing Group membership and patient participation within the practice’s population groups.

1.         Meetings

1.1       Meetings will take place every two months (excluding July and August). Practice General Manager and PPG representative to agree agenda for meetings involving practice representatives.   Agendas to be circulated by the practice 7 days prior to each meeting, together with relevant papers and minutes of the previous meeting. PPG representatives to agree agenda for meetings involving only PPG representatives.

1.2       Practice representation e.g. General Manager, Deputy Manager, Practice Doctor, to attend alternate meetings only.

1.3       Other staff may be asked to attend as appropriate. Any patients or staff, who wish to attend can do so at any time and are always welcome.

1.4       All meetings will usually be of approximately one and a half hours duration and held at a mutually convenient time to the majority of attendees. In the case of the meeting with practice representation, this is likely to be early evening for members with daytime work commitments and to ensure doctors’ surgeries are not disrupted.

1.5       Meetings with practice representatives to be held at the University Health Centre at 6.00 p.m. as staff available to lock-up the building.

1.6       Meetings involving patient representatives to be held off practice premises or at the Claypath Medical Centre between 5.00 and 6.30 p.m. when practice cleaning staff available to lock-up the building.

2.         Objectives

2.1       To review with the practice representatives the format of the practice’s annual patient questionnaires, to analyse the results, and incorporate solutions and improvements into an Action Plan to be monitored by the PPG.

2.2.      To advise the practice team on the most appropriate ways to raise patient awareness and knowledge of existing services, new service development and other changes provided directly by the practice or in the community through the practice website or other media including flyers or notice boards.

2.3       To discuss ways the practice can directly promote public health issues e.g. obesity, diabetes, smoking, by positive signposting of services, health promoting sessions or self-sustaining groups etc.

2.4       To review and update a welcome pack for new patients and students.

2.5       To review regularly patient access to services provided by the practice, those provided by the NHS as statutory services, those provided by the Local Authority and other voluntary organisations in the community.

2.6       To be apprised of the current Practice Business & Strategy Plan, Annual Report and Our Outstanding Care documents and identify ways the PPG can assist in Patient Engagement & Experience.

2.7       To be made aware of and review local and national initiatives which may impact on the Claypath Medical Practice and its patients, to include a verbal report on the Central Durham Confederation and Durham Constituency

2.8      To work with North Durham Patient Reference Group by providing representatives, receiving information on developments at regional level and taking note of best practice in other GP practices which may be adopted by ourselves.

3.      Code of Conduct

  • The minutes of meetings to be displayed in practice waiting areas.
  • Agenda items and group discussion will be on issues generally relevant to the organisation of practice services and facilities for patients. The group should not use meetings to raise individual patient health concerns or issues or to lobby on subjects not associated with the general running of the practice.
  • Members to respect patient confidentiality at all times. If any comments are inadvertently made relating to individual patients these will be identified as inappropriate and the issue anonymised in the meeting record.
  • The meetings are not for complaints which will be managed in line with practice policy.