At Mark’s Medical Centre and Nightingale Surgery is committed to ensuring that patients are involved in decisions about the range and quality of services provided by our practice. We routinely ask for and act on the views of our registered patients. This includes involving our patients in decisions that lead to changes to the services we provide, either directly or in our capacity as gatekeeper to other services.

We engage patients through the use of Patient Reference Groups (PRGs) and seek views from wider groups of practice patients through regular local practice surveys. The outcomes of the engagement and the views of our patients are routinely published on this website.

Establishing such a group helps:

• To develop a partnership with patients.
• To discover what a range of patients think about services and to establish their priorities.
• To provide a platform to test and modify ideas and plans.

Greater patient involvement in personal healthcare needs and also in the development of local and national healthcare provision is an important part of the future development of effective healthcare services in the NHS. Patient participation should be seen as a very positive process but requires enthusiasm and commitment in order to achieve all the potential benefits. Good recruitment is essential. The right choice of facilitator and the right mix of members in the group are the most important factors in the success of the group.

National Patient Survey

People registered at general practices across England were asked how easy or difficult it is for patients to see or speak to a doctor at their practice. Visit www.nhs.uk/services/gp-surgery/st-marks-pms to view the results of our GP Patient Survey.

If you are interested in becoming a member of our Patient Reference Group and helping to shape the nature of health services provided in your local community then please contact the practice for more information via [email protected]. Alternatively, complete the Patient Reference Group Registration form. Please note you have to be a patient of this practice to join.