Bridge Surgery Patient Participation Group

Bridge Surgery Patient Participation Group

Constitution

1 Name

The name of the group shall be Bridge Surgery Patient Participation Group (Group).

2 Aims and Objectives

The Group's aim is to ensure liaison between the Practice and its patients, as represented by the Group, with a view to enhancing the services provided by the Practice to its patients and the local community, to help the Practice where necessary to fulfil its obligations to patients and the local community, to foster the highest possible standard of primary medical care through the medium of patient participation, and to provide feedback as patient representatives on the needs, concerns and interests of patients and to constructively challenge the practice if necessary.

The Group’s objectives are to promote health by fostering the highest possible standard of primary healthcare through the medium of patient participation, and by fostering, through patient involvement, the highest possible standards of healthcare delivered by the publicly funded and publicly accountable National Health Service.

In order to achieve the aims and objectives, the Group will liaise with the doctors and other staff of the Practice and other persons or organisations concerned with healthcare, and will consult on service development and provisions and contribute to Practice decision making when requested by the Practice. The Group will work with the Practice staff to ensure continuous improvement of services and quality of care, provide representative voice in the organisation of patient care and will provide support and help implement change, including providing assistance where requested to undertake patient surveys and, where appropriate, analyse the results and provide feedback to the Practice and their patients. The Group will endeavour to promote the benefit of the Practice's patients while paying heed to a policy of non-discrimination in terms of race, colour, gender, disability or political or religious opinions, and will at all times respect diversity and be committed to the principles contained within the Equality Act. The Group may affiliate with other groups such as the District Patient Group or the National Association of Patient Participation Groups and the like if the members of the Group consider such affiliations would be beneficial to both Practice and patients.

The Practice will not be bound by any decisions made by the Group.

3 Membership

Membership shall be open to all Patients of Bridge Surgery (Practice or Surgery) provided they are aged 16 or over and remain a Patient of the Surgery. Other than that, Membership will be available without discrimination to anyone who applies to become a Member provided the application does not increase the Group's numbers to more than 10. At the time of creation of the Constitution, the number of available places was limited due to the physical limitations of the meeting room. This limit may be amended in accordance with the Constitution at future date/s. If at the time of the adoption of the Constitution there are more than the stated 10 Members, the Membership shall be reduced as and when Members resign until the stated number is achieved. The Secretary shall record details on a waiting list of people who would like to join the Group. Previous Members may reapply to join the Group.

Members may resign at any time by notifying the Chair, Secretary or the Surgery's Practice Manager. Any member who fails to attend and does not send apologies to three consecutive meetings or who makes no attendance in one calendar year shall be deemed to have resigned and must reapply for Membership if they require to continue. If the Chair or Secretary resigns part way through the year, a quorum of the Group shall at the next meeting elect a replacement Chair or Secretary to remain in office until the AGM.

4 Officers and Elections

The Group shall have two Officers, namely a Chair and a Secretary, both of whom shall resign at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), resignations to take effect at the end of calendar year. At the AGM, the Group may elect new Officers who will commence their duties on January 1st of the following year. Existing Officers may stand for re-election. If there is more than one volunteer for either post, an election shall be held at the AGM by secret ballot. In the event of a tie, the Chair of that meeting shall have the casting vote. If there are no volunteers for one or either of the posts, the Group may appoint from amongst their numbers a temporary Chair and/or Secretary.

5 Meetings

Meetings will be held on the premises of, in the full knowledge of, and with the approval of the Surgery. The Group shall endeavour to meet at least four times a year and shall endeavour to decide on the date and time of the next meeting at each meeting. Formal notice of each meeting, together with a copy of the minutes of the previous meeting and an agenda, will where possible be distributed to Members within at least a week of the date of the next meeting. Items to be included in the Agenda should be submitted to the Chair, Secretary or the Surgery's Practice Manager at least two weeks before the date of the meeting. The Chair and Secretary will agree the Agenda before each meeting. Representatives of the Surgery's medical and administrative teams will be invited to each meeting. The Practice may request through the Chair for additional Practice Staff to attend any meetings. Each meeting will be chaired by the Chair or, in his/her absence, by a Member present who is elected as temporary Chair for the duration of the meeting. Each meeting must be attended by a quorum of at least 5 (five) Members and changes to the Constitution must be voted on and approved by a quorate meeting. Decisions will be made by simple majority vote of those Group Members present. In the event of a tie, the Chair of that meeting shall have the casting vote.

6 Minutes

The Secretary will enter a record of the proceedings, resolutions and suggestions of the meeting and shall write up the minutes as soon as practical after the meeting. The Chair will have first draft of the minutes for approval and, once approved, the Surgery's Practice Manager will forward them to Members.

7 Annual General Meeting

An Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be held once a year, at the final planned meeting of the calendar year. The meeting will proceed as would a normal meeting, but one of the agenda items will be Changes to the Constitution, and another will be Election of Officers. In the event of a tied vote on any issue, the Chair of that meeting shall have a casting vote. Details of proposed changes to the Constitution shall be sent out with the previous Minutes and the Agenda.

8 Extraordinary General Meeting

An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) may be held if three or more Members request it in writing, stating their reasons to the Chair or Secretary. If there are less than three Members remaining, an EGM may be called by one of the remaining Members. The meeting must then take place within 28 days of said request, but unless there is a valid reason for less notice, Members must be given 14 days' notice of the date, time and venue of such a meeting and the reason for it being called. Inter alia examples of a valid reason for an EGM being called are urgent changes to the Constitution, to the Practice, or the dissolution of the Group.

9 Dissolution of the Group

The Group may be dissolved by resolution at an Extraordinary General Meeting provided two thirds of the attending Members agree the motion. If the Group is dissolved, the Chair and Secretary of the Group must retain any records, including those of the final EGM, for a minimum of two years, and the same records must be lodged with the Practice.