click here for Patients' Forum Constitution 2012

What we do……

• The group has existed in Gnosall since the late 1990’s

• Patients’ Forum meets once a month on the 4th Wednesday of the month apart from August and December.
• It is held in the evening at 7.00pm finishing at 8.30pm
• All meetings held on these days are open to anyone who is patient of the surgery – no need to contact anyone you can just turn up on the evening of the meeting and join in.
• From time to time extra meetings are held to discuss a particular topic, these usually involve a smaller working group, e.g. producing a newsletter
• The forum liases with the surgery on patient issues that is to say it acts as an interface between the patient population and the practice
• Its aim is to support high standards in primary health care and provides feedback on local and national policy from a patient perspective
• The group aims to improve communication between the practice and patients
• It does not handle individual complaints about the surgery, though it will inform a patient how to do so. It will respond to broader issues involving patients, such as waiting lists, patient confidentiality and hospital care
• If there is an issue involving patients that is affecting patients such as telephone access then it will pass on that information to the surgery
• It is independent organisation with its own committee and constitution
• It does not fundraise for the surgery
• Resources are sought from a variety of sources e.g. local parish councils
• Speakers are invited to attend meetings, such as PCT representatives
• The forum aims to keep patients informed about all aspects of health care
• From time to time it holds its own survey to find out what patients are looking for
• The forum has worked with Staffordshire University as a focus group for research into health related topics