Use our toolkit to set up your PPG

We want to ensure that patients, their families and carers are represented and heard from at all stages of their treatment.

Generally made up of a group of volunteer patients, the practice manager and one or more of the GPs from the practice, patient participation groups meet on a regular basis to discuss the services on offer, and how improvements can be made for the benefit of patients and the practice.

The beauty of PPGs is that there is no set way in which they work - the aims and work of each group entirely depends on local needs - but they all have the aim of making sure that their practice puts the patient, and improving health, at the heart of everything it does.

We have developed a model of working with NHS Trusts, GP practices and other health and social care organisations, including universities and colleges to assist with patient involvement.

Download our PPG Toolkit, updated in May 2021.

Watch the video version of our PPG Toolkit

Head of Programmes at the Patients Association, Shivani Shah, and the Head of Patient Partnership, Sarah Tilsed, have recorded five short videos based on the toolkit all about setting up and running a PPG. Watch and share them. And let us know what you think of them - email your comments to [email protected]. We'd also love to hear about what your PPG is doing. Get in touch and share your group's projects.

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Supporting patient engagement and revitalising Patient Participation Groups

We have completed an exciting initiative in partnership with the Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) to support patient engagement and revitalise Patient Participation Groups post pandemic.
New project focuses on improving health equity

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Supporting patient engagement and revitalising Patient Participation Groups

We have completed an exciting initiative in partnership with the Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) to support patient engagement and revitalise Patient Participation Groups post pandemic.
Health views of young people

More from our project with patient groups in Hertfordshire and West Essex. We met with the local integrated care board's Youth Council to hear what matters to children and young people when it comes to health services.
Developing GP practice patient groups

We've been working with patient participation groups in Hertfordshire and West Essex for more than a year now. In this workshop, the team review progress to date.
Getting PPGs involved in research

The latest resource from our project with Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB is a workshop looking at why PPGs should think about supporting clinical research.
Communicating with the wider patient population

As part of our project with Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board this workshop explores how GP practice patient groups and staff can use different methods of communication to communicate more effectively.
How Patient Participation Groups can support interventions to tackle healthcare inequalities

As part of our project with Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB, patient groups explored how they can support local efforts to tackle health inequalities.
Supporting volunteer members of PPGs

This video from our project with Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB explores the benefits of a diverse volunteer membership of Patient Partnership Groups, what support volunteers need and also a case study from an active volunteer.
Recruitment, social media, and increasing diversity

In these video, the panel talk about how to recruit and increase engagement in PPGs, as well as social media.
Effectively working together in partnership

This video from our project with Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB is about how patients and practices can work well together for the benefit of both groups.
Reasons for a patient group and what’s in it for the GP practice and patients

This video and accompanying slides shares insights from members of PPGs and a transformation manager from a primary care network. They talk about what makes a good patient group and why the benefit practices and networks.

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