Pennine GP Alliance (PGPA) has established a new Patient Panel to ensure the views and experiences of local people are considered from the early stages of developing new PGPA projects, programmes and campaigns.
The panel will bring together a diverse group of patients from across Calderdale to share their experiences, ideas and perspectives, helping PGPA to understand what matters to people and ensure the services and communications it develops are accessible, relevant and responsive to local communities.
The Patient Panel will be hosted by VAC, a charity supporting the Calderdale Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise Sector (VCSE), which PGPA is commissioning to recruit panel members and provide the administration and coordination needed to support the panel.
The panel will meet several times a year, with the topics discussed changing depending on the projects and programmes PGPA is working on. This could include providing feedback on a new service, helping to shape a campaign, reviewing patient communications or exploring how a proposed service could work better for the people who will use it.
Involving patients from the start
Patient involvement is particularly valuable when it happens early in the development of a project – before decisions have been finalised.
The Patient Panel will give PGPA an established group of people it can work with when it wants to test ideas, understand different experiences and identify potential barriers or opportunities from a patient perspective.
Depending on the project, panel members may be asked to:
- Share feedback and experiences of new or existing services
- Contribute ideas to improve patient experience
- Review and help shape patient communications, including leaflets, posters and website content
- Take part in discussions, surveys or workshops
- Help PGPA explore and develop ideas at an earlier stage through co-production
The level of involvement will vary from project to project. Sometimes the panel may be asked to provide feedback on a specific proposal or piece of communication. For other projects, members may be involved much earlier, helping to shape the approach alongside PGPA.
Making sure people’s voices are heard
PGPA believes that involving patients in the development of services helps us make better-informed decisions.
The Patient Panel will provide an opportunity to hear directly from people who use primary care services, helping us understand experiences that may not always be captured through other forms of engagement.
It also supports PGPA’s wider commitment to working with communities and partners across Calderdale to develop primary care services that reflect the needs of the neighbourhoods they serve.
We welcome people from all backgrounds, communities and experiences to join the Patient Panel. Whether you have regular contact with local health services or very little, your perspective matters and can help make a real difference. By becoming a member of the Pennine GP Alliance Patient Panel, you can play an important role in shaping the future of local primary care services. If you would like to get involved and become a member of the Pennine GP Alliance Patient Panel, we would love to hear from you. Please get in touch with VAC to find out more -Tamsin Woodhead (Tamsin.Woodhead@cvac.org.uk, 01422 348777).
