Working With Your PPG To Improve Patient Communication
Patient Participation Groups can sometimes feel like another task on an already long to do list. When engaged well, PPGs can become a powerful ally in improving patient communication and managing demand across your practice.
Why PPGs matter for communications
PPG members often hear the same frustrations and misunderstandings that reach your reception team. They see your practice from the patient side and can spot gaps in communication that are not obvious from inside the building.
By involving your PPG in communication planning, you can:
Test whether your messages make sense to patients.
Identify points where instructions are unclear or unrealistic.
Gather ideas on how to reach different groups in the community.
Show regulators that you are listening and responding to feedback.
Use the PPG as a sounding board, not a design committee
PPGs work best when they are involved at the right stage. Instead of asking them to write communications for you, ask them to react to drafts. For example, you can:
Share a new access leaflet and ask which parts are confusing.
Show a draft social media post and ask how they would interpret it.
Ask them to navigate the website and find key information within a few clicks.
Test letters or messages about changes before sending them at scale.
Their feedback can highlight phrases that cause anxiety, sections that feel unclear, or assumptions you may not realise you are making about patient knowledge.
Turn “you said” into visible action
Patients are more likely to engage constructively when they see that their feedback leads to real changes. You can use PPG input to create a simple “You said, we did” approach, for example:
“You said it was hard to understand how triage works. We added a new step by step guide on our website and a poster in the waiting room.”
“You said it was confusing when appointments run late. We now explain delays on our digital screen and at reception.”
Share these updates on your website, in newsletters and on social media. This helps build trust and shows that communication is a two way process.
Involve the PPG in campaigns and signposting
PPGs can support you during busy periods and campaigns by:
Sharing practice posts within their own networks.
Helping to explain new services or changes to friends and neighbours.
Giving feedback on which messages feel most persuasive or reassuring.
You can ahead of time involve PPGs when planning winter pressures, vaccination drives or significant access changes, so they understand the reasons behind your decisions and are more likely to support your messaging.
Set clear boundaries and expectations
For the relationship to work well, everyone needs to understand what the PPG is and is not responsible for. It can help to:
Share a simple PPG role description.
Explain how communication decisions are made within the practice.
Agree how often you will meet and what will be discussed.
Provide context on national policy or local system requirements where relevant.
When PPGs have a realistic picture of what can be changed and why certain constraints exist, discussions tend to be more constructive. Over time, this partnership can improve patient understanding, reduce complaints linked to communication and support a more collaborative practice culture.