From 1 April 2015, it will be a contractual requirement for all English practices to form a patient participation group (PPG) during the year ahead and to make reasonable efforts for this to be representative of the practice population. Having a PPG is already the norm for most practices and is expected for CQC inspection. The practice must engage with the PPG including obtaining patient feedback and, where the practice and PPG agree, will act on suggestions for improvement. Practices will be required to confirm through the e-declaration that they have fulfilled these requirements. The change will reduce practices’ PPG workload as reporting requirements (set out in the previous optional “enhanced service” clauses) will be withdrawn.
The practice PPG will need to enable the involvement of carers of registered patients but who themselves are not registered patients.
Since April 2011, having a PPG has been an enhanced service i.e. an optional clause in the GP contract which attracted extra funding – currently 35p per registered patient. This will cease on 31 March 2015 and the associated funding will be reinvested in “global sum” i.e. the standard contract. This change follows feedback from practices that excessive monitoring and reporting required for the enhanced service has detracted from the purpose of patient participation.
* The GMS (General Medical Services) contract is negotiated annually by the trade union of the medical profession, the British Medical Association (BMA), and NHS Employers, which is the Human Resources / workforce arm of the NHS. It sets out the terms for the vast majority of general practices which are independent contractors to the NHS, and determines what services the practices must deliver, the targets to be reached and the funds which will follow from meeting these. Some practices also employ salaried GPs.
(*The contracts for England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales have differing priorities)