Constitution | Queen Edith S Patien

The Queen Edith Patient Group

Constitution

Name

The name of the Group shall be The Queen Edith Patient Group (PPG)

Association

The PPG is affiliated to the National Association for Patient Participation (NAPP).

Aims and Objectives

To support and build a two-way relationship between patients and the practice.
To liaise with the Practice on matters of Local, Regional or National concern that affect both Practice and Patients.
To advise and where appropriate, assist with the development of and continual improvement of the practice.
To seek out and listen to the views of patients, carers and staff, especially those individuals and groups whose voices are not usually heard.
To raise issues for consideration, which are evidence based and which demonstrate that they are a matter of wider concern.
To ensure that patient information and advice are readily available and clearly presented.
The Group will represent patients at the Practice in seeking to influence local provision of health and social care.

Whilst these are the initial aims and objectives of the PPG they are open to change and discussion by the PPG and the Practice to ensure continued development and improvement.

NOTE: The PPG is not intended for the airing of an individual member’s personal problems. These must be addressed to the Practice Manager at the surgery for non-medical matters and to a Doctor/Nurse for medical matters.

Membership

The PPG will consist of no more than thirty persons. Its members shall be voted into membership by those present at the AGM (see below) and eligible to vote.
A Committee of PPG members will be formed to support the full PPG. Members of the PPG shall, at the AGM, propose and vote Members into Committee positions, which will include a Chair, a Secretary, and a maximum of six other persons. The Committee itself shall allocate responsibilities as it sees fit.
The Chair will be elected for a three year term initially and two yearly after that. The Secretary and two other persons will be elected to serve on the Committee for a term of two years and may stand again for further two year terms. Four other persons will be elected to serve for an initial term of one year but will be eligible to stand the following year for a term of two years (this structure avoids all Committee members having to retire at the same time and avoids the Chair and Secretary always having to resign/be appointed at the same time). In the event of a Committee Member leaving, for whatever reason, the remaining members of the Committee shall have the power to appoint a replacement from the PPG who shall serve until the next AGM and then be eligible to stand for election for a full term of two years.
The role of the Committee will include: advising the PPG, making proposals regarding future plans and developments, planning activities, liaising with Practice staff and implementing agreed actions.
PPG members will undertake to use their best efforts to attend a majority of the anticipated six meetings per year. At such meetings (with a quorum of eight) the members present shall have full authority to discuss, plan, select, adopt/approve and implement appropriate plans and projects.
The Chair and Secretary will prepare an agenda for each meeting for circulation (normally) seven days in advance and the Secretary shall prepare Minutes (normally) in the 14 days after each meeting for circulation to the PPG.
Registered patients may attend PPG meetings as observers but shall not be entitled to vote.
The PPG may co-opt patients for specific tasks, as the need arises. Such co-opted members shall have voting rights at PPG meetings at the discretion of the Chair.
The PPG may, at its discretion, fill any vacancy occurring amongst its members for the period until the next AGM.
Decisions at PPG meetings will be taken by a simple majority vote among PPG members in which the Chair will be entitled to vote. In the event of a tie the Chair will have a casting vote.
Membership of the PPG shall be terminated in the event of a member ceasing to be a registered patient of the Practice. Members of the PPG, including Members of the Committee, bringing the PPG into disrepute may also have their membership terminated after consideration by the PPG.
There should be at least one representative of the staff of the Practice present at each AGM/SGM and at each Meeting of the PPG. Normally, this will be the Practice Manager who may not vote. Partners, GPs and other staff members will also have the right to attend but not to vote.
Membership of any part of the PPG does not confer any prior claims on the Practice or any right for preferential treatment.

Annual General Meeting

An AGM will be held annually. All registered patients of QEMP are entitled to attend and those of 16 years and older may vote. 28 days’ notice of the day, time and place will be given on the Practice website, on a notice board in the Surgery and via e-mail to all patients whose e-mail address is registered with the Practice. Any item for the agenda should be sent to the Secretary no later than 21 days prior to the date of the AGM.

At each AGM the PPG will present a report of the activities of the PPG during the previous year.

All PPG members may offer themselves for re-election at the AGM (Committee members elected for a term of two/three year do not require re-election until completion of that term). If more than one nomination is received for a Committee position then a vote by PPG members present must take place. In the event of a tie, the Chair will have the casting vote.

Special General Meeting

A Special General Meeting (SGM) shall be held if not less than 67% of PPG members (or 20% of all registered patients) request it in writing, stating the reasons, to the Chair or Secretary. 28 days’ notice of the date and place of the meeting shall be advertised no later than 7 days after the written request is received. Motions at an SGM will be passed on a vote in favour of at least 67% of those present and eligible to vote.

Availability of Constitution

This Constitution shall be posted on the Practice website and can be requested from the Practice Manager.

Alteration of Constitution

This Constitution will be subject to amendment at an AGM or SGM if a request in writing (signed by a minimum of ten PPG members) is received by the Secretary at least 14 days in advance of the meeting and voted for at the meeting by 67%, or more, of those present and eligible to vote.

Finance

The PPG does not hold funds. Any funds raised by PPG projects shall be held by the Practice. A budget shall periodically be agreed between the Practice and the Chair to cover incidental expenses on behalf of the PPG to be re-claimed from the Practice. Annual associate membership of NAPP shall be paid to NAPP by the Practice.

Confidentiality

Any patient registered with the Practice who wishes to receive PPG information via e-mail needs to register their e-mail address at the surgery in person and with two forms of ID, of which at least one should be photographic (passport or driving license for example). Members of the PPG (including the Committee) have no access to any of these e-mail addresses unless a PPG Member agrees in writing that the Practice Manager may make it available to the Chair, the Secretary and the Editor of the Newsletter to facilitate communications to PPG Members. No other information about any registered patient can be released by the Practice to any PPG Member. General profiling (age, gender, ethnicity) of the entire patient population for the purposes of comparing QEMP with other practices and regional or national data may be necessary occasionally but will not allow the identification of any individual patient.

Members may of course make private arrangements (one to one) to exchange contact details and shall not pass such information to other members without explicit consent being given. Abuses regarding the contact details of other members will be considered as bringing the PPG into disrepute and the person concerned may be subject to termination of membership.

NOTE: This Constitution has been derived from three model constitutions proposed by the National Association for Patient Participation (NAPP); these are available from NAPP.