Patient Group Constitution

April 2023

1. Aims

• To promote an understanding of the Practice and the conditions under which it operates amongst the wider patient population.  
• To engage in activities which support the Practice.
• To promote effective communication between patients, medical and administrative staff of Woodlands Medical Centre and Blewbury branch surgery.
• To ensure that the aims and work of the Patient Group is inclusive and reaches as wide an audience as possible
• To provide a mechanism to encourage patients’ suggestions and constructive criticism about the Practice and its organisation and to provide feedback to the Practice about patients’ expectations and concerns.
• To facilitate discussion and communication on topics of general health interest, including the promotion of good health, the prevention of disease and the development of voluntary support for patients with particular needs.

2. Membership

• Membership is free, voluntary, unpaid and open to all patients of the Woodlands Medical Centre.

3. Committee

• The business of the Patient Group will be conducted by a Committee consisting of a Practice Partner, a Practice Manager, and up to 10 patients who have expressed an interest in becoming more involved and joining the committee to support the work of the Practice and the Patient Group.  
• Where applicants exceed the recommended 10 patients, consideration will be given to length of service, availability and first come first saved basis.
• Other members of staff, patients and outside organizations may be co-opted when appropriate due to specific topics or projects.
• Administration of the Group and the PG Committee will be provided by a lay: Chairman, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer, who will be elected by the committee, from its elected lay-members.
• Committee members will be asked to declare any interests that they may have in any commercial enterprise which is health or care related and will be asked to refrain from any promotion of this work when carrying out PPG business.  
• Much of the work of the PG committee is conducted via email.  Anyone who is not able to use email should declare this in order that alternative communication mechanisms can be put in place to ensure inclusivity for that committee member.   
• Membership of the committee is based on the regular attendance and commitment to attend committee meetings which will usually take place during the working day.  Persistent non-attendance at committee meetings may result in the member being asked to vacate their position in order to enable another interested patient to take their place.  
• New members will be asked to attend a short interview prior to joining the committee formally to discuss the role and their contribution and to clarify any queries about the workings of the committee and the wider PPG.

4. Meetings

• Meetings of the Committee shall be open meetings held at the discretion of the Committee and shall be minuted.  The minutes will be displayed on the Practice website and will be available separately on request.  
• The quorum for a Committee meeting shall be at least one of: a Practice Partner, or the Practice Manager; together with at least 3 of the Patient representative committee members, one of whom should be the committee Chair or Vice Chair or, in their absence, their delegated representative. The Practice Partner and Practice Manager may appoint alternates if they are unable to attend.
• Either the Chairman or the Practice Partner may request a meeting with the other at a suitable time to discuss matters of common concern.  
• An Annual General Meeting will be held before the end of May in each year.  Advance notice will be provided to members of the patient group at least 4 weeks prior to the AGM.  The meeting will also be publicised in the practice and on the website.  
• An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) may be held at the discretion of the Committee or at the written request of 10 patients.  Advance notice will be provided to members of the patient group at least 2 weeks prior to the EGM.  

5. Wider Patient group membership management

• Membership of the patient group will be indicated by a code on the patient record to enable easy communication via text message which may include links to key information that may interest members on the practice website.  
• New members of the Patient Group will be invited to join via the Practice website.

6. Financial Management

• The patient group holds a small discretionary fund for the purpose of funding activities that support the aims of the Patient Group and fosters improved education and understanding of key health topics for patients of Woodlands Medical Centre.
• Funds are administered by the practice in partnership with the patient group and decisions on how funds will be used must be made and agreed by the PPG Committee.