Coppice Surgery and Angmering Medical Centre PPG
Ros Carpenter, liaison officer and founding member of Coppice Surgery and Angmering Medical Centre Patient Participation Group, talks about their efforts to make patients’ lives easier.
Ros was invited by her medical practice to set up the Coppice Surgery and Angmering Medical Centre PPG in 2004, after she and a friend helped raise £1,400 to buy a piece of equipment. Ros had just recovered from her second bout of cancer and was very grateful for the support her medical practice had provided during her treatment, and so was keen to give something back.
Ros is currently liaison officer for the group and thoroughly enjoys talking to people about the good work being done. Twice yearly, she meets with other PPG groups in the area to share ideas, experiences and best practice.
One of the group’s most notable achievements has been helping facilitate the annual flu jab clinic. In the past, members of the PPG have been on site for the duration of the clinic to help things run smoothly and efficiently and to help speed up the process for the patients. Ros says that the presence of fellow patients helps ease the nerves of some of the more elderly patients, making the whole experience less traumatic for them.
The group also helps evaluate and feedback to the surgery the findings of the annual patient survey and makes recommendations aimed at improving the patient experience. For example, the group has helped introduce a private reception desk for those who require a little more privacy when making and attending appointments.
While the prime aim of the PPG is to help the practice run smoothly, fund raising is also a large part of what it does. Every year, the group organises raffles, charity events and sells books in the waiting rooms to help raise money to pay for specialist equipment in the hope that it will help reduce the need for patients to make trips to the local hospital.
Most recently, they have bought a dermatascope, a specialist treatment couch and a state of the art digital ECG machine. One of the doctors and a member of the administration staff recently took part in a local sponsored run to help raise funds for the PPG and to demonstrate support for the group.
Ros thoroughly enjoys being part of the group and says that it is very rewarding and lots of fun. She says: ‘Being involved with my PPG has helped me to recover from cancer and provides me, and other members of the group, with valuable social interaction and a sense of purpose.’