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Pennine GP Alliance Patient Panel

Pennine GP Alliance
Patient Panel

PGPA establishes new Patient Panel to help shape local primary care services

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.

Get Involved

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 Tamsin Woodhead – Quality & Engagement Lead, VAC

E-mail: Tamsin.Woodhead@cvac.org.uk

Tel: 01422 348777

VAC + Membership

What's included?

You will receive a VAC Member welcome pack with useful information on getting the most out of your membership and a few extra treats!

Every member of VAC will be invited to our Annual General Meeting (AGM) and has voting rights for resolutions and proposals either in person or by proxy.

When you sign up to be a VAC Member, you will be assigned a Go-To Contact from the VAC team.

They will be your main point of contact for your membership, helping to answer questions and signposting you to the right place within VAC and/or our partnerships.

We want the VAC membership offer to be responsive to the needs of our members.  Member check ins keep us up to date on your organisation’s news and developments but also on any challenges or support gaps that may be affecting the VCSE sector.

The information we receive during our member check ins will highlight trends and challenges that we can then explore support and solutions for via our membership offer and partnerships with local providers and authorities.

To support VAC members to feel connected and informed, we have created a unique Member Area on the VAC Website.

The online dashboard will keep you and your colleagues up to date on the latest member opportunities, training and news.

The Member Area also has a forum function, allowing VAC Member organisations to interact and support each other.

A quarterly newsletter to keep our members up to date on not only VAC Membership updates and opportunities but also specifically created content on topics of interest to the local voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. 

The Bimonthly Member Network is for VAC Members to connect with other VAC Members!

A perfect opportunity to support one another, find out about other local services and explore new collaborative opportunities and partnerships with fellow VAC members.

40% Discount on VAC Room Hire – We offer a range of flexible rooms for hire located in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Our rooms include a fully equipped, large training room with SMART board and flipchart facilities seating up to 25 theatre style, two smaller meeting rooms seating up to 12 and a small office with computer facilities suitable for one-to-one meetings or rent-a-desk.

25% Discount on Virtual Office – Perfect for start ups or smaller organisations, our Virtual Office service offers a postal address, pigeonhole and reception facilities.

25% Discount on ID Badge Printing – Competitively priced to accommodate for smaller orders, our in-house ID Badge service supports both design and printing.

Based on feedback and insight we gain from our members, our training and events offer will complement local infrastructure support training programmes.

All sessions are cost effective and VCSE sector driven.  As a VAC + Member, you will receive a considerable discount on all VAC Training and Events.

VAC Membership

What's included?

You will receive a VAC Member welcome pack with useful information on getting the most out of your membership and a few extra treats!

Every member of VAC will be invited to our Annual General Meeting (AGM) and has voting rights for resolutions and proposals either in person or by proxy.

When you sign up to be a VAC Member, you will be assigned a Go-To Contact from the VAC team.

They will be your main point of contact for your membership, helping to answer questions and signposting you to the right place within VAC and/or our partnerships.

We want the VAC membership offer to be responsive to the needs of our members.  Member check ins keep us up to date on your organisation’s news and developments but also on any challenges or support gaps that may be affecting the VCSE sector. 

The information we receive during our member check ins will highlight trends and challenges that we can then explore support and solutions for via our membership offer and partnerships with local providers and authorities.

To support VAC members to feel connected and informed, we have created a unique Member Area on the VAC Website.

The online dashboard will keep you and your colleagues up to date on the latest member opportunities, training and news.

The Member Area also has a forum function, allowing VAC Member organisations to interact and support each other.

A quarterly newsletter to keep our members up to date on not only VAC Membership updates and opportunities but also specifically created content on topics of interest to the local voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. 

The Bimonthly Member Network is for VAC Members to connect with other VAC Members!

A perfect opportunity to support one another, find out about other local services and explore new collaborative opportunities and partnerships with fellow VAC members.

20% Discount on VAC Room Hire – We offer a range of flexible rooms for hire located in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Our rooms include a fully equipped, large training room with SMART board and flipchart facilities seating up to 25 theatre style, two smaller meeting rooms seating up to 12 and a small office with computer facilities suitable for one-to-one meetings or rent-a-desk.

Competitive rate on ID Badge Printing – Competitively priced to accommodate for smaller orders, our in-house ID Badge service supports both design and printing.

Based on feedback and insight we gain from our members, our training and events offer will complement local infrastructure support training programmes.

All sessions are cost effective and VCSE sector driven.