Meddygfa Minafon Patient Participation Group

Following a difficult period for Meddygfa Minafon over the past 18 or so months it was decided that a patient participation group (PPG) be established to act as a forum for the views of patients to the surgery management and health board. I attended the first formal meeting of the PPG on Tuesday (24 January) in Trimsaran. There had been an initial, although informal, meeting of the group last year in Ferryside.

The PPG hopes to become a joint venture between patients, the practice and the Community Health Council (CHC) that will meet the following aims:

  • Work with the practice to give a patient perspective;
  • Communicate the ‘view on the street’ to the practice;
  • Test new ideas for services; and
  • To increase awareness of health services, share information and communicate with the community.

The PPG will not be a forum to raise individual complaints or to pursue personal vendettas. Any such complaints should, in the first instance, be directed to the practice manager. However, general concerns or thematic complaints can be brought to the PPG. On the other hand, the PPG is not supposed to be a fan club or an organisation that rubber-stamps decisions made by the surgery.

One important point raised was that some of the problems of the past had come from poor communication and that the PPG was a positive development. The point was made that patients lack of confidence in the surgery often derived from misinformation or no information.

Because it was the first meeting, some discussion was directed towards the format and the terms of reference of the PPG. It was agreed that the group will meet every six weeks initially until it is up-and-running, then it will meet quarterly, alternating between Ferryside, Kidwelly and Trimsaran. The group will elect a Chair and Secretary and will also have representatives from the surgery, health board and community councils. A draft 'terms of reference' document was circulated and will be considered fully at the next meeting.

I felt that the meeting was a positive beginning and can potentially evolve into a strong voice for Minafon patients. Others attendees also expressed their positivity with one person saying it had been more positive than expected.
The next meeting of the PPG will be held on 7 March in Kidwelly (time and location to be confirmed).


The surgery is also organising public hearing events that will be held on 21 March in Ferryside and Trimsaran and 23 March in Kidwelly.

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