Patient Participation Group

Welcome to the Stamford Surgery PPG

To act as a liaison between patients, doctors, staff and other health-related organisations
to encourage self help
to promote patients' needs and interests
to support the Practice.

Stamford Surgery PPG is an independent group of volunteers who are all patients.

Stamford Surgery PPG will hope to achieve and expand on those activities to better support the Surgery in the future.

We are currently recruiting for new members, and are keen to attract younger members with children and anyone from any minority group, if you would like to be a member please get in touch using our secure online form and you will receive a response as soon as possible.

PPG Group Members

Stamford Surgery PPG is chaired by John Morphy-Godber and the team meets every two months. The group liaises regularly with practice managers in order to raise and understand any issues on behalf of patients.

PPG Committee Members

Alison Warwick
Claire Culpin
Helen Western
Ishobel MacNab
John Morphy Godber (Chair)
Joan Richardson
Judith Juniper
Keith Spurr
Mark Davies
Paddy Jellen
Pamela Todd

Terms of Reference

1. Definitions

Lakeside Healthcare Stamford GP Practice: Referred to as the Practice
Patient(s): Patient(s) registered with Lakeside Healthcare Stamford
PPG: Patient Participation Group – a management committee comprising some of the Patients.
The terms PPG, management committee, and committee all mean the PPG.
Annual General Meeting (AGM): An annual meeting of the Patients and the Practice

2. Background
The PPG has been set up as a result of the requirements for patient participation as set out in the NHS England Standard General Medical Services Contract.

An extract from Section 5.2 is shown in Appendix 1. The primary role of the PPG is to follow the general principles set out in Section 5.2 of the contract.

3. Aims of the PPG

To work with the Practice to provide practical support, to obtain and provide feedback from Patients to the Practice and to provide strategic input and advice.
To encourage cooperation between the Practice and Patients.
To facilitate regular meetings between Patients and the PPG, where the Practice can be invited, providing feedback to the Practice.

4. Purpose of the PPG

To give the Practice and Patients the opportunity to discuss topics of mutual interest in their Practice.
A forum for Patients and the Practice to improve and develop services within the Practice by co-production.
To provide an opportunity for Patients to make positive and constructive suggestions/ideas about the Practice and specific medical conditions.
To encourage health education activities within the Practice.
To strive to engage all Patients.
To involve patient participation in future commissioning of Health Provision.
To ensure Patients know how to contact the PPG by e-mail.

5. What the PPG does

The PPG is both a communication channel between the Practice and the Patients and a practical group of hands-on volunteers to bring about continuous improvement. Ensuring Patients are aware of how to contact the PPG via e-mail and forward e-mails to the PPG.
The PPG facilitates effective relationships between the Practice and Patients by communicating patient experience, feedback and suggestions for improvements. It also validates initiatives from the Practice around proposed procedures and new developments.
The PPG works collaboratively and positively with the Practice to actively improve services and facilities for Patients and to act as a sounding board for the Practice on issues affecting Patients.
The PPG builds two-way communication and co-operation between the Practice and Patients, other individuals and organisations in healthcare, and the wider community.
The PPG acts as a representative group to support the Practice and influence local provision of health and social care.
The PPG works with the Practice, in accordance with clauses 5.2.4 and 5.2.5 of the Standard General Medical Services Contract (2019) to ensure reasonable efforts are made to implement improvements which have been agreed between the Practice and the PPG.

6. Online Members Group

The PPG may set up and operate an Online Members Group. Patients who would be interested in participating may register their interest and email address via the Practice.
The Online Members may be contacted by the PPG periodically to disseminate news items, and to be asked to respond to questions or surveys in order to obtain views on specific matters.

7. PPG Structure and Membership

The PPG shall normally not exceed 15 members. The PPG shall appoint individual members when needed, always ensuring that the PPG is as representative of the Patient community as is practicable.
Any adult Patient, aged 18 or over, may apply to join the PPG and will become eligible to join as and when vacancies occur, or they may nominate themselves (or are nominated) at each AGM. Removal of a Patient from the Patient list means that he/she ceases to be a member of the PPG.
The carer of a Patient is eligible to be a member of the PPG even if the carer is not a patient at the Practice.
The PPG will normally meet at least quarterly. In the absence of any apologies or available explanation, any member not attending three consecutive quarterly meetings will be deemed to have retired from the PPG. Meetings are subject to a quorum of one more than half of the members of the PPG. The PPG will extend an invitation to the Practice to attend its meetings. The PPG will also extend an invitation to Patients and carers to attend meetings quarterly to give Patients sufficient opportunity to express issues and concerns with the Practice [and to benefit from presentations given by clinic and wellbeing experts].
Minutes of meetings of the PPG will normally be circulated, once accepted as a true record, to the PPG members, the Online Members Group, the Practice website and displayed at the Practice surgeries. Confidential information shall be omitted from the minutes.
Members of the PPG shall respect the confidentiality of any information provided that is not in the public domain.
Members of the PPG must not use the PPG as a forum for pursuing individual personal complaints or agendas. Members of the PPG must not breach patient confidentiality which is of the utmost importance. Members of the PPG must treat everyone on the PPG fairly, equally and with respect.

8. Annual General Meeting and PPG Officers

The Chair of the PPG shall convene the Annual General Meeting of the Patients which shall be open to all Patients and carers. The AGM will be held each year, normally in January, at which PPG members and officers may be elected by the Patients attending the. The date, venue and time shall be published at least one month prior to the meeting by means of a notice in the local media, in the surgery waiting rooms by text message, sent from the practice and on the Practice website. Agenda, previous AGM minutes and any other documents required for the AGM will be available on the Practice website for Patients to access and/or download prior to the AGM, to allow appropriate time for reading and compiling any requested additions, amendments or nominations.
Officers of the PPG may include Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and if needed, an Education Lead and a Treasurer. Other posts may be created at the AGM on a proposal from the PPG.
All PPG member and officer posts will be up for nominations and election at each AGM and the maximum terms for officers will be three years.
Nominations for Officer posts which are vacant or where the Officer is no longer eligible for re-election shall be made and seconded in writing to the Chair or Secretary not less than 14 days before the AGM. Members and officers will be elected by an open vote at the AGM
Alterations to these Terms of Reference must be proposed in writing to the Chair or Secretary not less than 14 days before the AGM and must be approved at the AGM. You may contact the PPG Chair or Secretary using our secure online form

National Association for Patient Participation

The national body giving guidance and support to local PPGs.

Meeting Minutes

If you require a copy of older meeting minutes please contact us via our secure online form

Latest Meeting Minutes

10 September 2026

1. Present and Apologies

Ishobel MacNab, Joan Richardson, Pamela Todd, Keith Spurr, John Morphy Godber (Chair), Dr Gavin Cattigan (GP Partner), Emma Wilson (Patient Services Manager).

Apologies: Judith Juniper, Claire Culpin, Alison Warrick, Mark Davies, Paddy Jellen, Helen Western.

2. Minutes and Matters Arising

The minutes of July 21st meeting were agreed.

2.1. Patient Engagement Groups

Emma reported that things were progressing and that Mel from the 4 counties PCN was looking at a date for a Dementia drop in. The surgery’s Diabetic nurse was also planning a session. Emma said she would like to liaise with Joan about having one on Cancer. As soon as dates are confirmed there will be publicity and Emma will look to the PPG committee members for support and spreading the word.

2.2. St Mary’s

Dr Cattigan reported that all the relevant contractors had now visited and work was beginning as a priority on the roof. This is made of Colliyweston Slate which does make things more complex. Once this is underway there will be work on the windows and then the other internal areas, which need to be fixed.

2.3. Anima Continuing Issues

Emma reported that, unfortunately, Kerry, the surgery’s Digital Champion, had left but she was currently training two replacements and that once this was complete the drop-in sessions would start again.

Pamela asked about the process for reviewing the responses to the text message questionnaire, which is sent to patients after appointments. Dr Cattigan said that one of the admin staff collated them and they were passed to him for review. He also said that any resulting Google reviews would be considered by both him and Emma and that they were now beginning to respond to them.

2.4. Car Parking

Dr Cattigan said that a new company had started, in the previous week, and, as a consequence, things had improved. Patients have 45 minutes, by default, but if they got delayed, they could ask reception to extend the time. He also said the surgery was monitoring the number of instances of patients having to stay longer than 45 minutes, so that if necessary the default time allocation could be reviewed later.

No patient with an appointment at the surgery should ever face a car parking fine. However, if anyone does get one then reception can verify that there was a legitimate appointment and this information can be given by the patient to the parking company.

2.5. Local Support Groups

Emma reported that there are two local services notice boards at Sheep Market and another one at St Marys, with a wide variety of information about services available beyond the Surgery. Joan has provided leaflets on Cancer and Keith will supply some for Diabetes.

2.6. Phone Message

Emma said that this had been updated and was now much shorter.

3. Issues From Drop-ins and Emails

3.1. Responding to Text Messages

Some patients had said they were unable to respond to text messages or phone calls from the surgery, during working hours, as they were not able to use their phones.

Dr Cattigan said that in the case of a text message being sent to someone the case would remain open for the next 24 hours, from the time of submission of the initial request, so the patient could respond. If, however, it’s a telephone call, then the surgery would make two attempts to contact the patient and leave a message. If the patient could get in touch, while the relevant clinician was still in the building, then another Anima would not need to be submitted.

if the telephone call from the surgery was, actually, a scheduled appointment and it wasn’t possible to contact the patient, the case would be closed, and a new appointment would have to be made.

Dr Cattigan said it is possible for a patient to specify that they would be unable to respond to the surgery at particular times, or on specific days. However, he said that the patient would need to repeat this information on every occasion.

3.2. Amount of Time Spent on Triage

Some patients had expressed concern that the amount of time spent by clinicians on triage could be reducing the time available for actual patient consultation. Dr Cattigan said that, since the change of NHS contracts from the first of October last year, the surgery, like all surgeries in England, has to maintain an online platform between 8:00 am and 6:30 pm. On a Monday this means there has to be three clinicians coping with incoming anima requests. A small number of people were submitting multiple Anima requests, maybe in the hope of getting a better chance of a response But, as each one has to be read and assessed, this creates an unnecessary workload. He said he and his colleagues would love to spend more time with patients rather than on screens.

The committee then discussed two instances of patients who had reported that they felt either ignored or belittled and not given helpful information by a GP. Dr Cattigan said that, if a patient did raise a complaint about how they were treated, he would speak to the clinician concerned and try to identify what may have gone wrong and, he hoped, improve future responses.

Dr Cattigan said that the Surgery was very aware of the frustration caused to some patients. They had been in contact with the makers of Anima to see what might be done to highlight the existence of other appointments, while triaging an Anima request. In the meantime, the surgery is doing its best to try to ensure continuity of care and two new GPs would be starting shortly, which would give more scope for patients to see the same clinician.

3.3. Subject Access Requests

A patient had asked whether there was a policy or protocol about redacting information from material sent as a result of a subject access request which is when a patient asks for copy of the records held about them by the surgery. Dr Cattigan said that there is a clear policy, in line with NHS guidance, and any redactions, which would be very rare, should be applied consistently. The situation is more sensitive when the request is made on behalf of a child.

3.4. Multiple Contacts for Children

A question had come in, asking if the practice could hold multiple contact details, where parents live separately, but share responsibility for a child. Dr Cattigan said that, although the patient template had only provision for one email and one physical address, multiple telephone numbers could be recorded. Additionally extra notes could be included to indicate that there is an alternative email and physical address. However, it would not be practical to routinely change the registered physical address.

Other items relating to feedback from children and parents would be deferred to the November meeting

4. Balanced Scorecard

Our local MP, Alicia Kearns, had made comments, on social media, about concerns that the government had asked surgeries to reduce the number of referrals made to Specialists. Dr Cattigan confirmed that no such policy was being implemented by our practice. The sole criterion for doing a referral was, simply, and always would be, medical need.

He said that occasionally the surgery receive an advisory letter from a specialist provider, questioning the need for a referral. In such instances the surgery would respond confirming that they had asked for a referral, because they believe the patient needs one and would ask for the referral to be undertaken.

5. “Rationing” of Specialist Referrals

6. Personalisation Update

There was a short discussion on the nature of Personalisation in health and welfare, as a concept. A fairly massive cultural change is needed across the NHS and social welfare organisations, in order to make sure that the individual is truly the focus of all efforts, in a coordinated way, rather than practitioners focusing on specific aspects of somebody’s life and working in “silo” fashion.

Emma reported that there will be a week of awareness from the 28th, led by the Social Prescribers, and she will liaise with them to find out if there are any ways in which PPG committee members could help.

7. Surgery Update

GP numbers will be increased by two from mid October. There is also a new mental health practitioner, Laura Mills, covering Stamford and Bourne.

Emma asked for PPG volunteers to support the ‘flu’ clinics on Saturdays in October and John said he would give her a list as soon as possible.

8. Dates For 2027

Emma and Dr Cattigan said they would be happy to commit to continuing the current pattern of bi-monthly committee meetings. The AGM would be an additional meeting likely to be in February. Keith asked about meetings with just the PPG committee and John said there was one due on October 13 at which we could discuss what we might do in 2027. John also asked for support to arrange the AGM. Dr Cattigan said that inviting speakers on specific topics had gone well and Keith said that somebody focusing on mental health could be good.

The meeting ended at 6:13 pm

John James Morphy Godber
September 2026

Latest AGM Meeting Minutes

2024

Welcome by PPG Chair, John James Morphy Godber (3 mins)
Minutes of AGM 2024 (5 mins)
Review of 2024 by PPG Chair (15 mins)
Presentation by Stamford Surgery and Lakeside Group (20 mins)
Questions from the audience (15 mins)
Councillor Richard Cleaver - Observations on Health Services (10 mins)
Presentation by the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB)
Questions from the audience (20 mins).
PPG Committee: (5 mins)

To ratify new committee members who have joined since the 2024 AGM

To approve Committee Officers.

Meeting to close by 8pm

1. Welcome by PPG Chair - John James Morphy Godber

Introduction to the meeting, housekeeping. (3 mins)

2. Minutes of AGM 2024

To agree as correct and take any matters arising. (5 mins)

3. Review of 2024 by PPG Chair (15 mins)

To include outlining the key priorities for 2025 based on our compilation of performance data for the local surgery where issues around appointments and communications have been found to be below acceptable levels.

4. Presentation by Stamford Surgery and Lakeside Group

To include addressing the PPGs priority issues; reporting on achievements and progress (20 mins)

The Questions sent to the surgery by the PPG for this meeting are:

What is the nature of the contractual relationship between the Stamford surgery and the Lakeside group? What is decided and managed locally and in which areas does Stamford rely on Lakeside decision-making? Who makes the decisions both locally and in Lakeside?
We have identified the areas of greatest concern to the PPG committee. We would like the monitoring and improvement of these to be the main focus of the committee’s work to support the surgery in 2025. We would greatly appreciate your thoughts and input at the AGM. The biggest issue seems to be the availability of appointments and the surgery’s capacity to meet demand from patients.

Our questions arising:

Phone service:

How is the practice monitoring the phone service?
What is the practice doing to improve the phone service?
How can we learn from other practices in the Lakeside Group such as Bourne and Yaxley where 53 and 79% of patients find it easy to get in contact by phone?
Can we learn anything from other local surgeries such as Empingham and Wansford, who also have extremely good phone communications (68% and 88% respectively of patients find it easy to contact these surgeries by phone)?

Online Services:

How is the practice monitoring the on-line services?
What is being done to improve things?

What is the actual Lakeside Stamford GP capacity? - i.e. number of FTE GPs and potential appointments per month?

What is the actual demand for appointments in Stamford?
Does the practice think it has a capacity problem? How is practice monitoring this and what steps are/have been taken?
How can the PPG help?

5. Questions from the Audience (15 mins)

6. Councillor Richard Cleaver Observations on Health Services (10 mins)

7. Presentation by the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB)

To include What is the ICB and how does it relate to health services in Stamford.
Update on the ICB’s engagement on the future of Stamford services in the light of the likely significant increase in our population. (20 mins)

8. Questions from the Audience (20 mins).

9. PPG Committee

To ratify new committee members who have joined since the 2024 AGM
To approve Committee Officers. (5 mins)

Meeting to Close by 8pm.

PPG Contact

We now have an email group which you can join to hear from us and make comments on the services our surgery offers. We won't drown you in emails but will try to keep you up to date with news relevant to health in Stamford. To get email updates please contact the patient group using this form below.

Contact the PPG

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