Patient Participation Group

Join our Patient Participation Group

Latest minutes September 8th 2025

Contact the PPG

Getting Your View

The group would like to contact patients on occasion by email and/or text so that they can obtain the views of the widest group of patients possible. We would like to obtain your email address and mobile phone number to do this. Please complete the Patient Contact Form to provide your consent for this.

If you would prefer to submit a written membership request or suggestion to the group, you can do this by handing it in to our reception team at either of our surgeries. 

For information on the group's current projects, select the button to the left to view all up to date minutes from previous meetings.

Mission Statement

OUR PURPOSE

To capture the views and perspectives of patients in order to represent and empower them through closer engagement with their health needs and with the practice.

 

OUR VALUES

  • We are committed to working inclusively, and with integrity, with all stakeholders (patients, the Practice, other agencies)
  • We will be transparent in our actions. 
  • We will foster respect in order to collectively maximise patient engagement and participation.

 

HOW WE WILL WORK

We will act as ‘critical friends’: identify priorities to support, investigate and examine – and draw on research to further inform our work – to include focus groups and surveys.

 

WHAT SUCCESS WILL LOOK LIKE

  • Improved communication
  • Effective use of baseline data
  • Help revise processes
  • Generate positive patient outcomes
You said, We did

 

You said We did
The telephone welcome message is too long when calling the surgery Shortened this message to 17 seconds
The Patient Participation Group wanted to hold consultation events with patients to discuss their experiences with the surgery  Helped to oragnise dates and funded venues to faciliate meetings held in March and April 2024
The Patient Participation Group wanted to help ensure the surgery website is informative and empowering for patients Used feedback from the Patient Participation Group to inform changes made to the website design and content
The Patient Participation Group wanted to ensure the practice is supporting Veterans effectively Advertised being an accredited Armed Forces Veteran friendly GP Practice, meaning we have a dedicated Veterans lead ensuring Veterans receive appropriate care and advice
The Patient Participation Group wanted to ensure the practice is coding Veterans effectively to ensure they are signposted to available support Ensure the registration form asks if the person registering is a veteran and that this is coded accordingly. This has led to a 31% increase in recorded Veterans
PPG specific notice boards in each surgery to allow the PPG to advertise themselves, the work that they are doing and any events they may hold Provided a PPG noticeboard on the ground floor of each surgeries waiting room, on each floor of Woolpack House and provided keys to PPG representatives to populate them
The PPG wanted to work to identify carers in practice to offer extra help and support Nominated a Carers Champion in practice who has been proactively contacting the patient population to ascertain if they are carers and provide extra resources to those identified
The PPG wanted to help re-establish the York & District Diabetes meetings for local support Provided support, including Sarah Eaton attending and holding informative talks on Diabetes and its treatments
The PPG wanted to introduce extra support for those with Diabetes Linked with Sarah Eaton to write and distribute a patient questionnaire to establish current patient needs 
The PPG heard from Patients that they struggled to find the toilets in surgeries Updated signage in each waiting room to make this clearer
The PPG wanted to ensure that their work was being shared across the surgery and wider Healthcare services in York The PPG was invited to present at our Primary Care Network training event March 2024, sharing their work with Jorvik Gillygate, Dalton Terrace, ICB representatives and other York Healthcare providers
The PPG wanted to help patients digital literacy to enable them to use the NHS App effectively We helped facilitate a training session for patients to attend for any queries, supported by the practices IT team.
The PPG thought patients would benefit from more adverts regarding the NHS app and its use Put up more posters in the waiting rooms, shared advertisements on the practices Facebook page, encourage our Care Navigators and Medical staff to signpost to the app for their test results and prescription ordering
Feedback suggested that patients were frustrated at being unable to book follow-up appointments We have asked our GP's to book follow-up appointments during consultations to make this process easier
Feedback suggested that patients were frustrated with telephone waiting times New Care Navigation rota's have been put into place which match the pattern of demand to reduce call waiting times. 
Feedback suggested that patients were having difficulties obtaining appointments We carry out monthly audits to track how many appointment requests we are unable to fulfil by either offering an appointment within the practice or signposting to other organisations. This audits shows we are unable to help  ___% of calls and ensure these are followed up. 
The PPG felt that more work could be done to identify Carers Our Cares Champion has been texting and sending letters to patients to identify current carers and code them appropriately
The PPG asked for an internal Carers Champion to be appointed to work with the PPG Carers subgroup Our Carers Champions have volunteered to work with the Carers subgroup on their ongoing work
More information should be provided about diabetes care. Notices are now in place in in surgeries, and there is information on the website specifically about diabetes. The Diabetes UK website is flagged up on the practice website as a valuable resource for pre-diabetes patients.
Diabetes type 2 refresher courses should be available. The practice intends to signpost the Good to Go course to all newly diagnosed pre-diabetic and diabetic patients. Text messages about courses are being sent to relevant diabetes patients.
Clarity is needed about periodic diabetes reviews, and what the reviews should include. The practice has undertaken an internal review, and agreed a new protocol. The practice is now offering reviews to relevant patients. Six month reviews are not appropriate in every case.
A leaflet for diabetes patients with standardised information would be useful. Also, information should be added to the practice website indicating what the annual diabetes review cycle should include. The practice has decided not to issue leaflets. It is easier to keep the website up to date. The practice will concentrate on having information on the website, backed up by text messages to relevant patients with links to content on the website
A greater visibility is needed concerning personal diabetes care plans. The personal care plan should show a patient’s post review status. The practice has looked at this, and has decided to promote the use of the NHS App by patients to cover access to personal care plans.
Can the process of having to collect a paper form from a surgery in order to present this form to a blood test venue be streamlined and / or automated? Due to current technical constraints, initial text invites for blood tests mean that patients need to collect their personal blood forms from the practice, before taking these to a blood test venue. Work is in progress to avoid use of paper forms, but the completion of this work is some way off.
Information about diabetes should be provided to all newly diagnosed diabetes patients. The practice is to set up a process for sending texts to newly diagnosed patients, with links to appropriate content on the website. Links have been added on the practice website to Diabetes UK and their online forum, and also to York and District Diabetes Group (Y&DDG).

 

Core Members

Murray

Murray, PPG Chairperson

I first moved to York in 1976. I am married to my wife Jill and have two grown up daughters. I was a Headteacher in York until 2001, when I became an Assistant Director of Education. Later, I was appointed as a Director of Children’s Services and then as Director of Commissioning for Health and Social Care services.

Since retiring I have been a voluntary fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Society. I also have a regular vintage music programme on a local radio station.

I hope that the experiences I have had and the training that I have been given will help me to contribute to improving the experiences of patients registered with the practice.

Kathy

Kathy, PPG Secretary

After retiring as a Headteacher, in primary schools in Scotland, my husband and I moved to York just over a year ago and I have been teaching in York schools as a supply teacher, teaching tai chi on a voluntary basis and volunteering in my grandson’s school. 

I am experienced, and passionate in supporting and encouraging individuals and groups…… to speak out, be brave, take an active part, to feel valued, to feel included.

I am honoured to be a member of the PPG at Jorvik Gillygate Practice to share the views of patients, to be solution focused and to work together to make a difference.

Page last reviewed: 19 January 2026
Page created: 27 April 2023