AGM of the Patient Panel

Last Thursday night I was a guest at the first Patient Panel AGM. The patient panel is largely made up of representatives from patient participation groups from the GP surgeries of West Berkshire, but also representatives of voluntary sector organisations with an interest in primary healthcare.

The Patient Panel is an invaluable resource for the local Berkshire West NHS Primary Care Trust, because they are an ideal way to consult their consumers, and there have been a constant stream of consultations since it was set up in 2001. For the patients, the panel has helped resolved some inequalities in healthcare provision in the district over the years. A current issue is the long waiting times for blood testing at the Community Hospital, and the need for improved services within GP surgeries.

Judy MCulloch the Patient Public Involvement Manager takes much of the credit for having set up a useful and successful Patient Panel - the newly expanded NHS region includes Reading and Wokingham, who currently have no such facility, and are keen to develop one.