User involvement in primary care: a case study examining the work of one patient participation group attached to a primary care practice in North London

The involvement of patients and the public in the planning of health care is high on the political agenda. However, user involvement in health care remains under-researched and there are few models on which to draw. This case study examined a Patient Participation Group attached to one primary care practice in North London at a time when the transition was being made to Primary Care Groups and Trusts. A combined approach using both quantitative and qualitative research was used to evaluate the work of the
group. The usual problems with representativeness were identified, together with the difficulty of attracting
new members to the group. The Patient Participation Group members felt that they functioned better when the practice was fund-holding and had difficulty identifying with the concept of the Primary Care Group with its wider remit.