IslipVirtual Patient Participation Group
If you are a registered patient at Islip Medical Practice, we would like to invite you to join our Virtual Patient Participation Group (VPPG). The aim of our group is to develop a dialogue between group member and the practice in order to work together to improve our services and provide the best possible care to our patients. To make it possible for members to be a part of this group and to fit in with peoples’ busy lives the group is conducted by email. You will periodically receive an email asking you to take part in anonymous surveys about some aspects of services that we provide together with the facilities we offer. The results will be published online with our annual PPG report and we will meet face to face annually.
Membership of the VPPG is open to all patients aged 16 and above. We are keen to get as broad a representation of our patients as possible and are therefore keen to attract patients from all age ranges.
To join the Patient Participation Group please complete and submit our online form.
Islip Medical Practice formed its Patient Participation Group in 2005. Initially people with particular interests were invited to attend. The group began with 12 members and our numbers have tended to fluctuate over the years. Meetings have been held twice yearly and were chaired in rotation by each partner in the practice. In 2011 we decided to re-launch the group and offer a virtual patient reference group. A text message was sent to all patients who have provided us with a mobile telephone number inviting them to join an online patient reference group (VRG). The initial response was very encouraging and around 230 patients expressed an interest to participate (including those who had responded via leaflet/letter).
In an effort ensure fair representation we randomly selected a further 50 patients across all categories who were not otherwise included and wrote inviting them to participate.
Furthermore, we produced a poster in reception to advertise together with invitation leaflets which were distributed through reception. We continue to use our practice newsletter to keep patients informed and invite them to join. If you would like to contact our patient representatives, please let us know and we will inform them.
We are always delighted to welcome new members to the group and you can find contact information and the answers to some frequently asked questions here:
Common questions and answers
- Q. Why are you asking people for their contact details?
- A. We would like to be able to contact people occasionally to ask them questions about the surgery and how well we are doing to identify areas for improvement.
- Q. Will my doctor see this information?
- A. The questions will be about the surgery and how well we are doing. If your doctor is involved in the changes they may see general feedback from patients.
- Q. Will the questions you ask me be medical or personal?
- A. We will only ask general questions about the practice.
- Q. Who else will be able to access my contact details?
- A. Your contact details will be kept safely and securely. They will not be shared with anyone else.
- Q. What if I no longer wish to be on the contact list or I leave the surgery?
- A. We will ask you to let us know by email if you do not wish to receive further messages