Patient Partnership Group
The College has an active Patient Partnership Group (PPG)
through which it maintains its links with patients and their
concerns. The College thus ensures that the views of patients are
taken into account in the development of general practice. The
Group, which comprises general practitioners and lay members
advises the College on a range of medical issues and has produced
several documents giving guidance.
Its terms of reference are:
- to communicate to the College and its Council areas of patient
concern with a view to influencing College policy at all
levels;
- to consider how best a consistent, equitable and
patient-centred quality of care for all can be achieved;
- to encourage and support the role of the College in involving
patients in their own care;
- to encourage the involvement of patients in their own
care;
- to encourage the inclusion of patients in the development of
health care services at all levels;
- to foster relations between patients and their medical advisers
on the basis of openness, equity, honesty and individual
integrity;
- to encourage College faculties to involve patients in all
aspects of their activities;
- to review regularly the best way for PPG to link with other
patient groups within the College;
- to review regularly whether or not these terms of reference are
being fulfilled and remain relevant
The RCGP Patient Partnership Group (PPG) was first established
in 1983. It was the first College to set up a PPG; most other Royal
Medical Colleges now have similar groups.
Patient Partnership
Groups
The Patient Partnership Group is made up of a group of
individuals representing patient issues in general practice. This
differs from patient participation groups which are groups of
patients, usually within a practice, which aim to develop self help
and improve their own primary care. These Groups often help to
benefit patient care within a practice, for example by arranging
transport for elderly or disabled patients for medical appointments
or by running self help groups, for example weight watcher
sessions.
The PPG has links with other patient organisations, including
the National Association of Patient Participation (N.A.P.P), which
has an information pack on how to set up a patient partnership
group. For further information visit the
NAPP website.
Patient Participation
Award
The College has a Patient Participation Award aimed at
encouraging the development of patient participation in general
practice within the United Kingdom. This award is to be used to
benefit the patients of a practice or to further patient
participation. The College is grateful to the late Nancy
Dennis, a former PPG Chairman, who donated the fund to establish
this award. Please use link for further details of the
award.