In June 2010, the NAPP Chief Executive, Graham Box, and Chairman, Danny Daniels, undertook a tour of PPGs right across England.  This was an opportunity to generate some publicity for the areas visited and for the PPG model.  

Graham cycled 300 miles of the journey which started in Stockton on Tees and ended in Wincanton.  The itinerary was as follows;

7th June: Riverside Surgery PPG, Stockton on Tees and then Saddleworth PPG, Oldham

8th June: Eric Moore Partnership PPG and then Market Drayton PPG

9th June: NHS Nottinghamshire County and then Milton Keynes LINk PPG network

10th June: Ridgeway Surgery PPG and then Lime Tree Surgery PPG, Worthing

11th June: Wilson Surgery PPG and then Wincanton PPG

You can follow the preparations, and then the tour itself, on ipadio by clicking here.

Or you can read on for more details...

The tour started at the Riverside Medical Practice PPG in Stockton on Tees.  NAPP filmed the PPG some years ago and was pleased to returned to visit the new building that the PPG was campaigning for at the time, with success as it turned out.  I still remember the comment from one of their PPG members that "you can only change something if you are part of it..."  

Next stop was Saddleworth Medical Practice PPG, near Oldham.  Formed in 2006, the PPG meets monthly with representatives from the practice and is affiliated to the National Association for Patient Participation.  The PPG has:

• Been involved in discussions with NHS Oldham on the development of future Health Service provision in the Saddleworth area (currently the Chair, Kath Edwards, is visiting each Community group in Saddleworth to further this discussion)
• Initiated and run a group for those with memory problems at the Catholic Church in Uppermill on a monthly basis for the past 12 months
• Produced a quarterly newsletter for patients now distributed largely through the 4 pharmacists in the area
• Been responsible for the erection of a 'privacy screen' at the Uppermill surgery
• Updated the practice's website
• Had a stall at the Saddleworth Show to further the aims of the group
• With the Parish Council had involvement in the strategy to look at the fuel poverty in the area
• Been responsible for modifications to the car park at Uppermill and trying to stop irresponsible parking by non-patients who have used the 'private' car park
• Held an M.O.T. Health Check evening for patients at the Uppermill surgery
• Provided a comments' box for patients to make observations about the quality of care etc. provided by the practice
• Been involved in the Volunteers' Showcase run by the Parish Council in Uppermill Civic Hall
• Helped patients familiarise themselves with the electronic check-in
• Had its own notice board in the Uppermill waiting room to inform patients of current issues
• With the practice been involved in trying to cut down the number of patients who fail to attend appointments
• Initiated new signage in the Uppermill surgery showing all services available
• Discussed better telephone access with G.P.s

Tuesday morning took us to the Patient group of the Eric Moore Partnership which is geographically placed in one of the most significantly deprived areas in Cheshire.  It is fully supported by the practice and was one of the very first such groups to be established formally in Warrington.  It has an equitable representation of patients from all walks of life and works in close partnership with the surgery.  The PPG conducts surveys, participates in future planning of health services locally and has made several valuable contributions to the practice and the service being delivered.  It has been instrumental in persuading the practice to re-open its Orford Branch surgery and also in developing plans for the proposed new build on the existing site.  The event also brought together other PPGs and practices in the area and saw the unveiling of the new practice that will open by the end of 2011.

Market Drayton PPG in Shropshire was pleasantly close to Warrington but Graham was still comprehensively soaked.  NAPP has been active in Shropshire over the past couple of years, together with Shropshire County PCT and a steering group including PPG, and other, volunteers.  Great progress has been made in the quantity, and I suspect the quality, of the PPGs.  It was great to be welcomed by Kate Ansell, the Market Drayton Patient Group chairman who has been an active and influential patient advocate at local, regional and national levels for many years.  She is a champion of local self-care directories, among many other things.  Her team organised an extravaganza around the theme of cycling and healthy living.  For more information on the practice and its PPG, please visit http://www.draytonmedicalpractice.nhs.uk/

Graham has thoroughly enjoyed visiting NHS Nottinghamshire County at least a dozen times over the past 2 or 3 years.  The area is pioneering patient and public involvement in practice based commissioning, through the work of Principia (see www.nottinghamprincipia.nhs.uk). Across the county, they are steadily growing the number of PPGs with some fantastic volunteers and interesting projects, such as capturing real time feedback from patients visiting GP surgeries and they are at early stages in a falls prevention initiative.  Our visit coincided with the morning session of a county-wide networking event. 

The Local Involvement Network in Milton Keynes, known as LINk:MK is actively supporting the establishment of PPGs.  These have grown in the last couple of years from a handful to the current figure of 28, meaning that every practice now has a PPG.  The LINk has built upon the work of partner organisations (NHS Milton Keynes, Quality:MK and Health:MK - the latter is a collaborative covering all 28 GP practices) to develop a network of PPGs that will allow practice and experience to be shared.  Note that Health:MK produced has also produced 4 short videos to promote PPGs and to encourage practices to get started.  They can be found at: 

www.healthmk.org/patient_participation_group_videos_p3465.html?a=0

The Ridgeway Surgery Patient Group in Harrow has been formally in existence since the autumn of 2006 - they arranged a breakfast meeting for local practices and PPGs and with the PCT in attendance. RSPG is a group of patients (now elected annually at an AGM) who meet regularly with  a designated Doctor and practice administrator with the aim of communicating patient views to the Practice and encouraging  patients to use all possible avenues to help with the management of their own health.  The meeting agendas always include Patient Issues and Practice Update.

In addition to communication directly with practice staff, their key activities focus on health promotion and communication with the practice population (currently approximately 11,000 patients). They invite patients to ‘sign up’ to the group – RSPG – and currently have 1067 patients on their records.  RSPG produces a newsletter three times a year which is available on the Practice website www.ridgeway-surgery.co.uk, in the surgery for patients to collect and is delivered to a number of patients at home.   A taped version of the newsletter is available for the visually impaired.

The Group organises a number of events in the practice each year which respond to issues of interest identified by patients and practice staff, with an annual ‘Healthy Living’ day incorporating information and activities for adults and children on healthy eating, dental and foot health, the value of exercise - including walking and swimming and alcohol awareness. They have had a number of information evenings and the Irritable Bowel Syndrome group which was established long before the patient group is an integral part of RSPG and Practice. 

Lime Tree Surgery Patients’ Group (Findon Valley, Worthing) celebrates its 20th Anniversary in 2010, following two decades of activity including fundraising, donations, and health talks. Lime Tree has long been a member of NAPP, whose newsletters and conferences they see as an important source of information, advice and networking. Lime Tree are founder members of ‘Worthing Area Patient Groups’ Forum’, a very useful half-yearly local get-together to compare notes and best practice. The local PCT, West Sussex NHS, are NAPP members and committed to growing the number of PPGs within the county, with Lime Tree’s chair involved by giving talks at a number of practices who are considering setting up a PPG.  Graham cycled the 40 miles or so to the practice across the South Downs with the PPG chair, Lance Allen.

Last day of the tour started at the Wilson Practice in Alton, Hampshire (www.thewilsonpractice.co.uk).  They have a longstanding PPG that has shared its expertise with others.  Their activities include a mens weight loss and fitness group led by an experienced personal fitness trainer.  This was created following their 2005 success in winning the PPG of the year award from the Royal College of General Practitioners.  They also run a very successful annual health fayre.

And finally (phew!)...The Somerset town of Wincanton faces a dilemma which is by no means unique. The town will expand over the next few years with more than four hundred new homes. The current health centre is struggling to cope already in its 30 year old premises. Supermarkets and trading estates establish themselves on the outskirts whilst small traders and town centre residents feel neglected.  The only site that fills all the criteria for the new health centre is also away from the town centre and near proposed new housing development. Does the practice have an obligation to help the very heart of the town survive? Are older and less mobile patients being considered? The Wincanton Patient Participation Group, already active in health information events, has a valuable role to play in the next twelve months addressing patients’ questions and concerns. It will also have the opportunity to make its own contribution to the design and range of services offered by the new building.

Our thanks go to all of the PPGs and other organisations that are making this tour possible.