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All about Patient Participation Groups (PPGs)

Interested in finding out how your GP practice works and about the health services it delivers? Your practice patient participation group (PPG) could be for you.


Kent and Medway have a diverse range of GP practices working in our urban and rural communities. Patient participation groups work in partnership with their GP practice and are vital in ensuring that the patient voice is heard. Groups work in different ways, some meet in person, others communicate with their practice online – all are keen to welcome and involve new members.


A patient participation group is a group of patients, carers and GP practice staff who meet to discuss practice issues and patient experience to help improve the service. Since April 2015, it has been a contractual requirement of NHS England for all GP practices to have a PPG and to make reasonable efforts for this to be representative of the practice population.


There are many benefits to becoming an active member within your patient participation group, not only helping your practice but also the local NHS.


PPGs can potentially benefit Practices by:

  • Commenting and feeding back on the results from in-house and external surveys.
  • Suggesting changes to the way the surgery is operated.
  • Acting as a sounding board for changes proposed by the Practice.
  • Managing a suggestions box.
  • Organising health talks for patients on specific subjects requested by patients or the Practice.
  • Fund raising.


PPGs can potentially benefit communities by:

  • Supporting other patients in need – the “expert patient” concept.
  • Representing the patient view in local health care.
  • Improving communication with practice staff.
  • Making links with other community initiatives – a type of community empowerment / social prescribing.


Your views and opinions within this are fundamentally important. It will require patients and wider public to be directly involved in the decision making processes where changes occur, including your influence on what, where and how health services are provided locally.


If you are interested in finding out more about your own PPG, talk to your practice reception team.

Interested in finding out how your GP practice works and about the health services it delivers? Your practice patient participation group (PPG) could be for you.


Kent and Medway have a diverse range of GP practices working in our urban and rural communities. Patient participation groups work in partnership with their GP practice and are vital in ensuring that the patient voice is heard. Groups work in different ways, some meet in person, others communicate with their practice online – all are keen to welcome and involve new members.


A patient participation group is a group of patients, carers and GP practice staff who meet to discuss practice issues and patient experience to help improve the service. Since April 2015, it has been a contractual requirement of NHS England for all GP practices to have a PPG and to make reasonable efforts for this to be representative of the practice population.


There are many benefits to becoming an active member within your patient participation group, not only helping your practice but also the local NHS.


PPGs can potentially benefit Practices by:

  • Commenting and feeding back on the results from in-house and external surveys.
  • Suggesting changes to the way the surgery is operated.
  • Acting as a sounding board for changes proposed by the Practice.
  • Managing a suggestions box.
  • Organising health talks for patients on specific subjects requested by patients or the Practice.
  • Fund raising.


PPGs can potentially benefit communities by:

  • Supporting other patients in need – the “expert patient” concept.
  • Representing the patient view in local health care.
  • Improving communication with practice staff.
  • Making links with other community initiatives – a type of community empowerment / social prescribing.


Your views and opinions within this are fundamentally important. It will require patients and wider public to be directly involved in the decision making processes where changes occur, including your influence on what, where and how health services are provided locally.


If you are interested in finding out more about your own PPG, talk to your practice reception team.