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Patient Participation Group (PPG)

Our Patient Participation Group (PPG) meet every 2 months to provide a forum for discussion about the practice.

About our Patient Participation Group

The PPG meet 2 monthly and hold an Annual General Meeting, which normally occurs in May. Membership is for three years renewable. The Chair is currently Sue Lake who has many years’ experience working within the NHS.

The group comprises the Practice Manager and patients with a broad range of life and work experiences, reflecting many of the diverse needs of the Practice. We aim to develop a positive and constructive relationship between patients, the Practice and the community it serves.

By developing and improving communications between patients and the Practice, the Group provides an avenue for patients’ input into the way facilities and services are planned and executed and to influence those services to better support patient needs.

We provide constructive feedback on patient and community needs, concerns and interests, and support by collecting patient opinions and experiences to help the practice to evaluate its services. The Group has also organised educational events for patients and helped with surveys of patients' satisfaction.

There are no membership requirements except that members must be patients registered with the practice. PPG members should as far as possible, be representative of the practice population and include people from different genders, ages, ethnicities, disabilities and health needs. Membership of the Core Group is limited to 9.

Latest Meeting Minutes

Date: Tuesday 4 March 2025 started at 1pm ended at 2pm
Location: Norman Centre, Public Hall
Present: Chris Kitson (CK); Peter Frean (PF); Robert Harland (RH); Sue Lake (SL); Deborah Mitchell (DM); Lynette Oram (LO); Liz Plaatsman (LP); Jacqui Ruhlig (JR); Judy Wright (JW),Julia Vaughan Smith (JVS)
Absent: David Forward (DF); Mark McGlade (MM); Brian Taylor (BJT)

1. Welcome and Apologies

Apologies received from David Forward, Mark McGlade.

2. Previous Minutes

The minutes from 14 January 2025 have been circulated to all members and agreed to be a true account of proceedings.

3. Practice Update

The practice website is currently being updated and will go live on 10/03/2025. SL advised the current PPG was out of date and needed to be updated with the latest minutes and membership.

Action: DM to update the page re January 2025 minutes and members.
Action: Members to review the new PPG page and check for errors.
Action: JR will review the page going forward on a regular basis to ensure it stays up-to-date and relevant and advise DM of any changes.

Reception/administration team have undergone training on Care Navigation and have a “welcome script” when answering the telephone and a further script for when they have more complex conversations.

This has received positive feedback.

SL advised that the RDUH are building an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) which is an extension to MyCare and there will be more information to follow. It does not have the ability to integrate with the practice medical records.

4. Cardiology Public Information Event

11th February 2025 at 6pm in the Peter Hall.

SL thanked everyone for their time and their support in making the evening a success. 29 feedback forms were completed. Overall patients were positive and pleased with the delivery of the event and the helpfulness of the team.

Exeter Nuffield have advised that feedback suggests a microphone for the speaker would be helpful as those at the back of the room struggled.

SL is currently awaiting a date for a follow-up talk in June (Dr Ben Dyer on the topic of “Giddiness and Blackouts”)

5. AGM

15th May 2025, 9am to 10am, Norman Centre

Dr Taylor will attend and if absent, Dr Bailey will attend in his place. SL has asked if Dr Taylor could talk on the current status of the Woodbury, Exmouth and Budleigh PCN at the AGM.

All members bar 2 are due for re-election and are happy to stand for a further term, if elected. LP and JVS are the 2 members not due for re-election. In addition, there are two potential vacancies for the team as it stands.

It has been agreed there is no change in the constitution for this coming year.

6. PPG Members Feedback:

LP advised that a neighbour had received a statin letter recently which she has found “quite scary”. DM advised that statin letters are generic and sent out by the secretary on the request of the doctor. The name of the patient has been shared and DM who will review the letter and follow this up at the practice clinical meeting.

7. Spring Newsletter

DM will arrange for this to be completed by Monday 7 April 2025. Agreed to include:

Health heart talk update
Summer skin guidance
Pharmacy first information
Practice activity statistics

8. Any other business

SL has advised that Chime’s audiology service will cease on 31/03/2025 and a new provider has been agreed. SL will share further information once a new provider has been announced.

Requests for Clarepharm to attend the July 2025 meeting for an update. DM will contact the area manager.

A question came up at the Healthy heart talk asking if it would it be helpful if Seachange were able to offer information about regular exercises which could easily be undertaken during daily activities, such as bends, stretches etc.? SL will ask Marc Jobson.

9. Next meeting:

AGM, Thursday 15th May 2025, 9am to 10am, Norman Centre. Please note the change of meeting timing.

Further Information

Latest Newsletter

See our latest newsletter

Committee Members

Chair Person

Sue Lake

Vice Chair Person

David Forward

Members

Peter Frean
Robert Harland
Chris Kitson
Mark McGlade
Deborah Mitchell (Secretary, Practice Manager)
Lynette Oram
Liz Plaatsman
Jacqui Ruhlig
Julia Vaughan-Smith
Judy Wright

Contact the PPG

Patient Participation Group
Budleigh Salterton Medical Centre
1 The Lawn
Budleigh Salterton
Devon
EX9 6LS

Patient Group post-box in the Medical Centre.

Constitution

Name: Budleigh Salterton Medical Centre Patient Group
Association: The Group will maintain regular communications with both local and national organisations as appropriate.

Objectives of the Patient Group

1. Communication

Members of The Group should act as a two-way communication channel between the Practice and the community in order to help patients use facilities to the best advantage and the Practice to implement policies influenced by representative patient views. The Group is not a complaints processing organisation.

The Group may from time to time conduct surveys in conjunction with the Practice.
The Group will produce a regular newsletter to keep patients informed and made aware of health news concerning patients and the Practice
The Group will encourage patients to put ideas and questions to the Practice and for the Practice to respond in a reasonable manner

2. Community 'Needs'

The Group will have a role in assisting in any assessment of community ‘needs’ to help the Practice improve its service.
The Group will develop and promote ways for patients to help one another in times of medical need and to develop a community spirit amongst patients.
The Group will actively assist the Practice and the Woodbury, Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton (WEB) locality commissioning group to assess patient needs in the community so as to ensure that appropriate resources may be applied locally to changing needs and requirements.
The Group will be informed of the general practice policies relating to the Locality Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to which the Practice belongs. The Group will express opinions on these policies on behalf of the patients. The Practice will give appropriate consideration to these opinions within their CCG.

3. Health Education

The Group will work with the Practice to encourage health education needs in the community in order for the Practice to provide appropriate and useful community health education meetings.
The Group will help patients become more informed and educated about their health and healthcare, by providing means for the effective dissemination of health and care information of all kinds.

4. Membership

Membership and election to the group shall be open and free to all patients and staff of the Practice.

5. Annual General Meeting (AGM)

A meeting open to all patients shall be held annually. Notice of the day, time and place will be given via notice boards and Practice Newsletter. At least fourteen days’ notice of the meeting and venue will be given.
The Committee chair or his/her appropriate substitute shall present at each AGM a report on the activities of the Group and its own proceedings during the previous year with a statement of accounts (if applicable) and proposed future plans and developments and will conduct an election to fill the vacancies on the Group’s committee. If there are more than three nominations a paper ballot will be held for Practice patients in attendance.

Constitution and conduct of the committee

The business of the Group will be conducted by a committee of elected and co-opted members and non-voting representatives of the practice including whenever possible a partnership doctor.
The committee will comprise nine members who shall be patients of the practice, at least two of whom shall be non-residents of Budleigh Salterton and shall be appointed by nomination to and election by the patients present at the annual meeting of the patients of the practice. In the event that not all nine members are appointed at the AGM, the Committee may co-opt additional members at the earliest convenience.
An elected member shall serve for three years and to ensure the continuity of the committee three of the members will be elected each year to the vacancies caused by the time limit.
The committee may co-opt additional members for specific purposes or to fill a vacancy.
A quorum for decisions at a meeting shall consist of four voting members plus one of the officers.
The Committee shall meet at least four times a year and be responsible for organising and calling the AGM of patients.
At the first meeting of the Committee after the patients’ AGM they may appoint a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman and a Secretary for the ensuing year. The Secretary may or may not be an elected member of the committee.