Our Patient Participation Group (PPG) and Practice focus on working together for better patient services. We are increasingly involving our patients in our decision making and the delivery of services. For this we rely upon the volunteer patients from our practice, the PPG. Whilst always encouraging new members we are currently highlighting the volunteer roles that are desperately needed to help maintain the excellent supportive role that the PPG provides. See if there is a role that you might be able to help with.

The PPG now produce our Newsletter and so we would welcome volunteers to help put them together. Most of the content comes from DMP Facebook Posts, supplemented by other specific topics such as ‘meet the staff’ that would be sent to you. Time commitment is currently about 6 hrs over each 2/3 month period.

The PPG, with the support of the Practice, are using an online platform to capture patient views on DMP proposals. This has proven very successful in gaining a much wider patient view than previously. We would love more volunteers who could draft up content and layouts to be sent to NHS administrators to sustain and expand its use. Visit the platform at https://bit.ly/Eng_platform.

The PPG also plan to improve their Facebook communications so skills in communication, and possibly the use of FB, would be very welcome. This is a new initiative with time commitment foreseen as being about 4hrs per month largely at times to suit you.

In order to keep our website at its best, volunteers who could, at their leisure, browse the DMP website for errors, broken URLs or wording that is difficult to understand / follow, are needed. The PPG helps manage the website content and can authorise changes to much of the content in conjunction with the Practice Manager. Your observations and suggestions will help make the website more effective. Time commitment is entirely down to you as and when you have time to browse!

For all the above roles apart from the Website ‘Mystery Shoppers’, you would need to register as a PPG member. Click on the image text ‘Join our Patient Practice Group’ logo text to complete the simple form. You need to be either a registered patient or their carer.

Please note, these roles are also very much orientated to those who are happy using on-line technologies. Other roles that do not rely on access to technologies are also planned. More generally, the PPG helps the Practice with practical roles such as upkeep of the notice board content and attending staff training sessions. There are numerous ways you can volunteer to help the NHS at a time when its resources are so stretched. These voluntary roles are a way to help at a very local level largely from the comfort of your own home at times to suit you.

To find out more about these volunteer roles you can email the PPG Chair at dmp.ppg@gmail.com.

To find out more about the role of the PPG, view the PPG page here or read the Terms of Reference here.