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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 3 March 2026 at 1pm ended at 2pm
Location: Norman Centre, Public Hall
Present: David Forward (DF); Peter Frean (PF); Robert Harland (RH); Chris Kitson (CK); Sue Lake (SL); Mark McGlade (MM); Debbie Mitchell (DM); Lynette Oram (LO); Liz Plaatsman (LP); Julia Vaughan Smith (JVS); Sheila Whelan (SW); Judy Wright (JW); Brian Taylor (BJT)
Absent: Suzanne Cosgrave (SC); Jacqui Ruhlig (JR)

1. Welcome and Apologies

Apologies received from SC and JR.

2. Previous Minutes

The minutes from the previous meeting (13 January 2026) have been circulated to all members and agreed to be a true account of proceedings.

3. Practice Update

Christy Thurlow, WEB PCN Digital and Transformation Lead, joined the meeting to discuss the practices promotion of the NHS App for the first two weeks of March. The aim of the promotion is to actively increase patient update and engagement with the NHS App which is considered to be the digital front door to the NHS.

Jennie and Jacqui are our NHS Practice enablers and they will be supported by members of the PPG over the next two weeks in supporting patient registration and demonstrating how patients can use this tool to enhance their health care access.

MM asked if the practice would be offering bookable appointments through this app and if we will use AI for triaging.

Currently patients are able to book specific appointments for nurses and health care assistants through the app. GP practices are not required to make appointments directly bookable online if they require a prior triage or assessment and currently are not offering GP appointments. Our care navigators’ triage and signpost where appropriate, appointment requests either through the online patient triage or on the phone. They also have the support of the duty team if needed. AI is not being used currently for triaging.

RH asked about MyCare, NHS App and SystmOnline

MyCare is managed by the RDUH and allows the user to see information relating to secondary care

NHS App is managed by NHS England and allows you access to your GP medical records

SystmOnline is managed by the GP practice and allows you access to your GP medical records

4. PPG Constitution Review and AGM

A proposed draft was reviewed and discussed with changes agreed

5. Friends and Family test update

LP provided a 3 month summary of the FFT.

Total responses received: 420 patients

92% would recommend the Practice
3% were unsure or neither would nor would not recommend
5% would not recommend

This reflects a very positive overall picture, with the large majority of patients reporting a good experience at the Practice.

The overall feedback remains strongly positive, with 92% of respondents willing to recommend the Practice. The concerns raised provide valuable opportunities to strengthen triage for urgent cases, reinforce compassionate communication, improve clarity around results handling, and ensure patients understand how the appointment system works. The Practice values all patient feedback and remains committed to continuous improvement.

MM commented that this showed a fantastic result when the nation average for patient satisfaction is 74.4%

6. Spring Newsletter

DM will have this completed by 23/03/2026 and ready for collating by 23/03/2026.

Paper copy distribution was discussed as many view the newsletter online. LO will ask those places who receive our newsletter if they require more or less and feedback to the PPG at the July meeting.

7. PPG Member Feedback

SL feedback that a family member had been referred by the practice to the pharmacy and was seen and diagnosed with shingles within 2 hours. The pharmacist was helpful and this was a good service all round.

CK and RH have recently used the practice “ring back” service and advised it had worked effectively and they were pleased with this service.

8. Any Other Business

The following was discussed:

A discussion was had around using the acronym “PPG” and whether or not patients understand what this stood for. It was suggested that “Patient Group” could be used instead when talking with patients. To be discussed and agreed at the next meeting. Please send suggestion to SL.
DM has advised that while commonly known as a "Patient Participation Group," the specific name is not mandated by statute. The NHS contract simply requires providers to "establish and maintain a group to obtain the views of patients".

8. 2026 Meeting Dates:

January 13th
March 3rd
May 12th – AGM
July 7th
September 15th
November 3rd

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 - May 2026

Name: The name of the group shall be Budleigh Salterton Medical Centre Patient Group (The 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 information gathering 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.

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

Election to the group shall be open and free to all patients and staff of the Practice, and upon request they will be supplied with a copy of these election rules and Constitution.

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 the local press, 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 a maximum of 13 and no less than 6 members who are patients of the Medical Centre. At least two will ideally be resident outside Budleigh Salterton. Committee members shall be appointed by nomination and election by patients present at an Annual General meeting. In the event that the meeting is unable to form a committee of at least 6 then the committee has power to 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. A number of 3 members of the committee should ideally remain in post to ensure continuity of the committee
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 shall 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.