The idea to start a group can come from:

• A practice manager or other member of practice staff
• A patient or a group of patients

What to do next:

• Approach the practice manager/partners
• Talk to other PPG Groups
• Talk to the Integrated Care Board
• Start recruiting members to your first meeting

To start off with the PPG might consist of just a few patients and a member of the practice staff. Members of the clinical team can attend the meetings, either as a regular attender or as and when requested.  The PPG should meet at least 4 times a year.

There are two main ways of recruiting members to your group:

• Open groups can be launched from open meetings, which any patient can attend. You will need to advertise widely giving plenty of notice. It may also help to offer an incentive to come along, such as tea and coffee or a talk on an issue people may be interested in
• Invited groups are formed by contacting individual patients directly who are known to the practice and staff. Practice staff and doctors may be able to help to identify patients who might be interested in joining a PPG

Try to ensure that the membership of the PPG is representative of the practice’s patient population.

It is a common view that PPGs are not always representative of the practice population.  As you will be aware, some people do not have the time to attend meetings. There are, however, ways you can ensure that there is a wider patient voice, some tips include:

1. Being proactive & seeking the wider voice in your local community
2. Targeting community groups that you know may be under represented in you PPG meetings
3. Being prepared that not everyone will be able to attend all meetings, and inviting some representatives to attend for a certain purpose, or as a one off.

It is possible to have a group which is a mix of open and invited representatives. You can use the invited approach to get things started, and then do some open recruiting as well.

Appendix 2 has a suggested flyer/poster for recruitment to the PPG.

Appendix 8 has a suggested template for a PPG Confidentiality and Data Protection Agreement that you can ask members to sign.

• The first meeting should help people decide if this is something that they wish to commit to
• Be clear about the why the group is formed and what the expectations of members are, establish Ground Rules
• Set an agenda for the meeting to keep you on track
• Establish what everyone would like to get from their PPG
• Decide how you would like your PPG meetings to run and how often
• Discuss ideas and talk about skills that members can bring to the group
• In the first couple of meetings PPG members should elect a Patient Chair; this will empower the group to share their views and will encourage co-production between the patients and the practice
• Agree how the meetings will be documented
• Agree a date, time and venue for the second meeting, and try to make this within 4 weeks - it’s important to keep the momentum going.

Appendix 3 has a suggested template for a first meeting agenda.

Appendix 4 has a suggested template for notes template. Someone will need to volunteer to take some notes or action points from the meetings, or members could take this in turns.

Appendix 5 is a template for PPG Chairperson Role Personal skills and qualities.

Appendix 6 has a suggested template for Meeting Etiquette & Ground Rules.

The checklist below should help as a guide:

• Set an agenda for the meeting to keep you on track
• Establish who will act as Chair and Deputy Chair
• Identify a Secretary responsible for taking minutes, or use a rota system
• You will need a Treasurer if you are going to fundraise (Please note: you don’t need to do this and not all groups do)
• Terms of reference need to be developed and agreed over the first few meetings. These should be agreed with the practice and set out what the group exists to do and how it will run, allowing participants to get a clear understanding of what the PPG would like to achieve
• Decide on the timing, frequency and venue of meetings
• Make plans to review these arrangements
• Consider establishing a virtual group - not all people can or want to attend formal meetings

Appendix 7 has a suggested template for Terms of reference.

• Planning ahead for your group can be a challenging task but it is important to keep members focused if the group is to be successful
• Have a work plan that sets out what projects you want to undertake over the coming year – this may be surveys, awareness raising or something else
• Make sure that work is shared amongst the group
• Make your group open to a wide range of viewpoints
• Keep the practice manager and the practice staff involved
• Refresh the group and recruit new members when you can, think of recruiting people that represent your practice population.
• Organise training where you can for those undertaking specific roles such as chairing or minute taking
• Talk to other PPGs to find out what they are doing and share ideas and what has worked well for your PPG
• Share information that the ICB’s engagement team send to you to keep members informed of wider healthcare projects
• Inform the ICB of the work the PPG are doing and what Patients are saying about local services
• Get involved in campaigns and projects by attending the ICB County Wide Patient Council and finding out how you can support this work. To find out more email Claire Hornsby, Primary Care Engagement Manager - c.hornsby1@nhs.net

Appendix 9 includes examples of what/who can be included within a PPG meeting

• Keep people informed of the work the group is undertaking – this includes the practice staff, patients, the ICB and Healtwatch.
• Consider setting up a PPG noticeboard in the waiting room
• A newsletter can be produced to keep people informed about what you are doing
• If the practice has a website you can talk to the practice manager about a PPG page
• Talk to the ICB’s engagement team to get help publicising your activities – email Claire Hornsby, Primary Care Engagement Manager -c.hornsby1@nhs.net