MANSFIELD PARK PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP CONSTITUTION

This Constitution is based on confirmed practices and procedures of Patient Participation Groups at other medical surgeries and on guidance from the National Association for Patient Participation, to which the Group is affiliated.

Aim

The aim of the Patient Participation Group (the Group) is to support the work of Mansfield Park Surgery (the Practice) in coproducing continuous long-term improvement in the quality of patient care.

Operation

The Group will undertake the following roles:

1. To be a conduit for receiving and processing the comments and suggestions by patients on the service, positive or negative, which the Practice provides. These shall specifically exclude any concerned with individual patient/GP relations.
2. To create opportunities for patients to understand more about their own healthcare through talks by medical professionals on subjects of topical interest relating to health education, prevention of disease and the management of chronic conditions to which all patients are welcome.
3. To assist the Practice, wherever possible, in identifying the community's needs for local health and social care.
4. To raise funds, through grants or other means, where these are needed to further the Group's activities. These funds will not be used for the purchase of medical equipment for the Practice.
5. Contact with the Practice will be through the Practice Management Team.

Organisation

All patients of the Practice are entitled automatically to be members of the Group. Participation in the Group's activities is voluntary.

The Group has no executive authority or powers over any aspect of the Practice administration. It operates wholly by consent among its leadership volunteers and is guided in all its work by its collective judgement of what, in any particular circumstances, is in the best interest of the Practice and patients.

Communication with patients will be by a dedicated email account to those who have given the Group their email address. Other means will be a notice board in the Practice, and notices on public notice boards and in the local press, such as Four Marks News and Medstead Times.

A Steering Committee, headed by the Chair, will be formed by volunteers to manage the operation of the Group. Other appointments will be made as required. Any patient who wishes to take part in the work of the Steering Committee is invited to contact the Chairman.

Meetings of the Group will be held as required to which all patients may attend. Members of the Practice may also attend these meetings. A written record will be made of the decisions and actions arising from every meeting.