The Patient Reference Group is a bi-monthly meeting where patients from practices in South Tyneside meet to discuss local NHS issues.

Patients have the opportunity to influence our work by discussing views about plans and progress.  Group members take the information they have gained from the meetings back to patient forums in their own practices to share and discuss.

Two members of the group are also patient representatives on the South Tyneside Cancer Locality Group, ensuring a patient perspective is always considered by the group.  The Cancer Locality Group meets bi-monthly.

Six members of the group have formed a sub-group working on Palliative and End of Life Care.  The group will provide public and patient perspectives on the various workstreams – Identifying the Palliative Care Patient, My Palliative Care and The Last Days of Life.  The group will meet bi-monthly with the End of Life Care Facilitator and the Continuous Improvement Facilitator from the programme.

If you would like to be involved, ask your practice manager if your practice has a representative on the group.  If you would like to find out more about the group, please contact Jane Leighton on 0191 283 1903 or email janeleighton@nhs.net.