We believe that the Patient Participation Group is invaluable in acting as a main interface between patients and the practice, working proactively to improve services. It can:

• Improve communications between practice and patients, to promote a clearer understanding from both sides.
• Be a forum to feedback to the practice suggestions for improvement to the services provided to the patients, to the organisation and to building and surrounds.  
• Give input to and help around developing and improving areas such as health education promotion, patient recalls etc. to make the messages promoted in posters, leaflets, letters and such be as effective as possible.
•  Encourage self-help and self-management of illnesses by helping to develop a better understanding of the telephone triage system.  
• Help to organise a volunteer network for those in need. For example helping those without transport to and from the surgery or to collect their prescriptions; helping the carers of those with long-term illnesses; helping those who have difficulty in making their views known to do so.  
• Fundraising for specific items of medical equipment or aids to patient comfort.

The group would like to contact patients on occasion by email and/or text so that they can obtain the views of the widest group of patients possible. We would like to obtain your email address and mobile phone number to do this. Please complete the Patient Contact Form to provide your consent for this.