The Patient Forum was set up over 15 years ago and meets in the Tutbury Village Hall every two months. The group has grown from 4 people, managed by the practice, into an autonomous group, with a membership of approximately, 100 members, inclusive of the virtual group, of which up to 20 attending the meetings. The meetings are also attended by representatives from the practice and the issues that they and the patients may face. In addition, we also sometimes have representatives from the local Pharmacies.

Although the group represents all the Tutbury Practice Patients it is conscious that it should be investigating all the ways of obtaining a wider range of patient views and suggestions to assist us when we have our meetings.

We appreciate that patients may be unable to attend the meetings due to home and work commitments and therefore a few years ago we introduced a 'virtual' group membership where patients can contact, and be contacted by the elected officers of the forum. The objective will be to send out the agenda and relevant papers, prior to each Forum meeting being held, so that any person who is registered with the group can raise any practice related matter that they wish discussed at the meeting with the Forum Secretary.

The Forum membership currently has representatives that sit on the East Staffordshire District Patient Engagement Group and other Health Bodies. This enables all the membership to be kept updated on other wider NHS, and Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Integrated Care Systems/ Board decisions that could have an impact on the practice and/or its patients.