Enfield Patient Participation Network (PPG) #2

Enfield Patient Participation Group (PPG) Network is a group of volunteer patients, carers and GP practice staff who meet regularly to discuss and support the running of their GP practice. Enfield PPG looks at the services the practices offer, patient experience and how improvements can be made for the benefit of patients and the practice.

The network's primary goal is to make sure that the GP practice puts the patient, and improving health, at the heart of everything it does. Enfield PPG has a number of key aims and purposes that shape their work, summarised below:

• Foster cooperation: The network's primary aim is to bring together and foster cooperation between patients and GP practices whilst sharing best practice between the PPGs.
• Patient involvement: Enfield PPG advocates for increased patient involvement in strategic development of services in their GP practices.
• Increase awareness: Enfield PPG aims to increase awareness of health developments, consultations, and changes within the NCL ICB and wider health community.
• Establish networks: Enfield PPG network aims to establish networks and activities for the Chairs and members of the practice PPGs to educate, inform and empower patient voice in Enfield. Enfield PPG Network aligns with the six principles of patient partnership, developed through extensive engagement with patients, as well as a network of national and local organisations and health and care leaders. The principles identified are:
• Treating patients as equals: Patients are treated as equals, with their views recognised as equally valid and having an equal say in decisions.
• Patients who are fully informed: Services and systems make sure patients are fully informed, in a way that patients can access and understand, and have patients use as much information as they wish to.
• Shared decision making and patient partnership: Shared decision making, and patient partnership approaches are used as a matter of routine.
• Recognising inequalities: Inequalities are recognised, and appropriate approaches adopted for different patient groups and communities, identifying and meeting their specific needs.
• Seeking patient input: Patient input is actively sought, genuinely valued, and meaningfully acted on.
• Joining services around patients: Services join up patients, collaborating with them to identify their needs, and responding to them in a way that makes things as easy as possible for the patient. All work conducted by Enfield PPG Network is a unique and standalone service that adheres to and incorporates these principles, to ensure effective patient engagement is followed in advocacy work and co-production with Enfield GP practices. This can be demonstrated as follows: Enfield PPG has been working closely with North Central London Integrated Care Board (NCL ICB) to align with the aims to target deprivation and health inequalities. Working in partnership with NCL ICB, Enfield PPG has developed:
• 1:1 support session with PPG Practices across Enfield
• Community outreach is targeted particularly at wards of deprivation and BAME inequalities with the aim of increasing understanding of patient experiences and improving diversity in membership of PPGs.
• Investment in supporting PPG infrastructure, including further training for members and GP Practice staff, IT and NAPP membership.
• Further administrative support for the PPG to allow further activity and support for members.
• The proposal for Enfield PPG Network's main aims and objectives were supported by Enfield system partners, including Enfield Borough Partnership Board, the GP Federation and Enfield Primary Care Network (PCN) Clinical Directors. The overarching objective was to review how we could support PPGs post-pandemic and post the system changes to the NHS brought about by the health and social care act 2022, particular to explore how Enfield PPG could work across the new healthcare system and play a key role in developing Enfield's Borough Partnership Board and local neighbourhood working in primary care to supporting Enfield PCNs. In this work, funding was aligned with the findings of Enfield PPG Network's audit/support sessions with PPGs/GP Practices. Objectives were co-produced with PPGs across Enfield, and it was agreed further funding would be allocated to spend on infrastructure. For 2025/26 Enfield PPG Network's programme of work is focused on further developing this network. Main aims and objectives are:
• To increase diversity of membership. BAME and other protected groups are often under-represented in PPGs. Aim to increase membership and outreach across all age groups and BAME groups, including developing further the existing Turkish speaking, Bulgarian and Eastern European and membership
• To offer personalised training for PPG members
• To work closely with NCL ICB on primary care projects. Please note that this contract will begin on 01/04/2025 and end 31/03/2026 with no option to extend.