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Patient Participation Group
Our Patient Participation Group (PPG) meets to provide a forum for discussion about the practice.
We have a patient participation group as we are keen to get feedback from patients about every aspect of our service. The group meets regularly at the practice.
If you would like to join, or find out more, please inform one of our patient care co-ordinators, or email us using our secure online form
Terms of Reference
The PPG provides a forum for patients registered with the practice to provide a patient perspective on the services provided by the practice, to support the practice and to influence local healthcare provision.
Objectives:
- Provide a link between the staff of the practice and its registered patients
- Provide feedback on patients’ needs, concerns and interests, and constructive challenge to the practice.
- Provide a link with other community representative groups
- Share good practice and ideas aimed at improving the quality of care provided.
- Provide input to communications from the practice to ensure that they are clear and comprehensible
- Provide a sounding board for any proposals for major changes to the service.
Membership:
- The PPG will consist of up to 20 members who must be registered patients of the practice, including one or two members of the practice staff.
- The Group will nominate a chair, vice-chair and secretary annually in April.
- Members will serve for three years and may be re-elected.
- Patients who would like to serve on the Group should notify the secretary, who will submit their name to the Group for approval if there is a current vacancy. If there is no current vacancy , and if they are approved for membership, they will remain on a reserve list and will be automatically elected when the next vacancy occurs.
Meetings and Code of Conduct:
- The PPG will meet at least six times a year.
- The quorum for a meeting is five patient representatives and one practice representative
- The minutes of the PPG meetings will be posted on the practice website.
- The Chair will produce a short annual review of the work of the PPG which must be approved by the Group before it is posted on the website
- PPG members are expected to respect other members and their contributions, to participate in discussions in an open and constructive manner, to respect the confidentiality of specified topics and issues, and to declare any conflicts of interest relating to items discussed by the Group. ( If members are uncertain about potential conflicts of interest, they should declare them and seek guidance)
Please note: PPG members must not claim to represent the practice to the public or the media.
Cowley Road Medical Practice Open Evening Meeting Minutes
- Date: Tuesday 1st April 2025
- Time: 6.30pm to 8pm
- Venue: Cowley Road Medical Practice
Attendees:
- Kevin Murphy (KM) - PML Senior Practice Manager
- Alan Dunham (AD) - CRMP Practice Manager
- Liselle Naylor-Wardle (LNW) - CRMP Assistant Practice Manager
- Jenny Inness (JI - PML IT/Data/CQC Manager
- 7 patients of the Cowley Road Medical Practice
Apologies:
- Carolyn Abbisogni (PML Director)
- Neil Fisher (PML Director)
- Mark Gray (PML Clinical Lead)
- Samantha Line (CRMP Clinical Lead)
- Elizabeth Thomas (PCN Social Prescriber)
Meet and greet with tea and coffee
Staff of Principle Medical Ltd (PML) and Cowley Road Medical Practice (CRMP) welcomed attendees and offered light refreshments.
Introductions
- AD – Introduced himself as Practice Manager and gave brief background on his current role and previous experience.
- KM - Introduced himself as Senior Practice Manager at Banbury Cross Medical Practice and his role at PML. Gave brief background of his previous experience.
- LNW – Introduced herself as Assistant Practice Manager and gave brief explanation of her role and previous experiences.
- JI – Introduced herself and explained her new role within PML and CRMP.
Principle Medical Ltd Background
KM gave brief background of Principle Medical Ltd (PML).
PML is a local GP led 'not for profit' organisation, that has been supporting and overseeing the running of Cowley Road Medical Practice for the last two years. In addition to Cowley Road Medical Practice, PML runs a number of other NHS Primary Care and Community Services in Oxfordshire, including Banbury Cross Health Centre and Banbury Urgent Care Centre.
What will Change in The Care Given to CRMP Patients?
AD explained that PML formalising the support/running of CRMP will have no negative impact on the services or clinical care offered to patients at Cowley Road Medical Practice.
He gave an explanation of the new structure.
CRMP, under PML, will now be run by a non-profit organisation and salaried Clinical Lead and Management Team. This means that any profits made will be reinvested into providing clinical care to patients registered with PML run Practices across Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire. This differs from a Partnership owned model, where profits are shared out amongst the owners and not necessarily reinvested into delivering care.
AD also made attendees aware of the additional support and resources made available to CRMP from PML such as:
- Assistance with Human Resources and Recruitment.
- Financial Management Support (including budgeting and accountancy.
- access to robust Health and Safety processes, policies and protocols.
- Administration services (e.g. fulfilling Medical Secretarial tasks).
- Clinical Support (e.g. Clinical Lead and Pharmacy services).
- Guidance/advice on the day to day running of CRMP from Senior Management.
- Increased financial stability.
Recruitment of PPG Members
AD announced that CRMP will be relaunching their Patient Participant Group (PPG) and are currently re – signing previous/current PPG members as well as recruiting new members. He gave an overview of his plan for the PPG with up to 20 members fulfilling a variety of voluntary roles including:
- A Chairperson.
- A Vice Chairperson.
- A Secretary.
- Social Media Officers.
- Patient Liaison Officers.
- Fundraising Officers.
- Supporting PPG Members.
- AD invited any attendees interested in the Patient Participation Group to the next PPG meeting on Thursday 3rd April (1pm) and distributed associated literature.
Q & A Session
Q: How will PML address the issue of appointment availability and accessibility?
A: PML will embrace the Primary Care Network and utilise the resources available to maximise the additional clinical roles installed within the Practice, therefore making more appointments available.
Q: What if patients only want to see a GP and are not comfortable seeing an alternative clinician?
A: Our Reception Team and Care Coordinators are trained to sign post and book patients in with a clinician that can assist with the issue/clinical symptoms in the most efficient time frame. This may be a more specialised non-GP clinician such as a Clinical Pharmacist, Physiotherapist, Mental Health Worker or Social Prescriber.
By utilising these appointments, GP consultations will then be more readily available for matters that only a doctor can assist with.
AD pointed out that educating patients on these additional non-GP roles is key to make full use of the ARRS staff. The PPG will play an important role in helping the Practice to ease anxiety of our patients when seeing alternative clinicians.
Q: There are lots of reports in the news about GP Practices switching to online services. What if some of your patients do not want to or know how to use computers and apps on phones. How will they book appointments?
A: AD explained that the introduction of online services at CRMP (such as the NHS App and E Consult) are to assist in bringing down queuing time at the front desk and on the telephones. The more people we can encourage to use these alternative means of communication, then the more people we are freeing up from queuing on the phone. We will always offer a variety of ways to communicate with the surgery and book appointments, to ensure we are accessible to all our patients.
Q: A patient described a poor experience he had when using external services, around 15 years ago, to then be directed back to CRMP. How will PML and Current CRMP staff ensure this situation doesn’t occur again?
A: AD explained that the patient’s bads experience was a number of years ago and that there is a more robust and efficient way of working. For example, the Extended Access service in place with our Primary Care Network (PCN). The change over to PML will not in any way jeopardise our working relationship with the other GP Practices in our PCN and any additional service (e.g. Extended Access, COVID Vaccinations, Flu Vaccinations, etc.) currently offered will remain.
AOB
None discussed.
Date of Next Meeting
PPG Meeting 3.4.25 at 1pm
Meeting closed at 8.04pm
Providing NHS Services
Cowley Road Medical Practice
East Oxford Health Centre
Manzil Way
Cowley Road
Oxford
OX4 1XD
Telephone: 01865 791850