What is a patient reference group?
The Patient Reference Group (PRG) is an online group of volunteer patients working with the practice, giving a patient’s perspective. They give constructive feedback; help engage with the community and work with the practice on the development of services.
The group is based virtually, mainly over email (although arrangements can be made if you do not use email), and there is no obligation to participate on every occasion.
This group can also link into the local and influential ‘HealthWatch’ , to help shape other healthcare services in our local area.
The group is not a forum for complaints, personal issues; nor is it a doctor’s fan club.
How often does the PRG get involved?
When the practice wants to develop a new or existing service. We may contact members of the PRG to provide feedback and perspective on the changes we plan to make.
There is no set frequency for this type of feedback, and not every member will be contacted each time. We try to tailor each contact to PRG members that might use those services.
What’s the difference between a Patient reference group and Patient Participation Group?
A Patient Participation Group (PPG) and a Patient Reference Group (PRG) are both designed to involve patients in helping make decisions in healthcare. A PPG is typically a smaller, more actively involved group that meets regularly with the practice to discuss and contribute to service development, while a PRG is a larger, virtual group that provides feedback on specific issues through surveys or questionnaires.
What information do I need to give when becoming a member?
When you become a member of the PRG, we will ask for your contact details, as well as asking for your preferences on the types of contact we may have with you. During the application process, we may review your electronic clinical records of care, so that we can tailor the content we send to you to be relevant to your circumstances.
What if I no longer want to be part of the Patient Reference Group?
If you decide you do not want to be involved in the PRG, simply contact the practice and let us know.
Why are you asking people for their contact details?
We would like to be able to contact people occasionally to ask them questions about the Surgery and how well we are doing to identify areas for improvement
Will the Doctor see this information?
This information is purely to contact Patients to ask them questions about the Surgery, how we are doing and ensure that changes that are made are Patient focused. If the Doctor is responsible for making some of the changes in the surgery they might see general feedback from patients. Your engagement with the PRG will have no affect on your access to our services.
Will the questions you ask be medical or personal?
The questions and feedback we ask for will only be general questions about the practice, such as short questionnaires on access to our services. We will not ask you questions about your personal circumstances.