The main reason for Brent Patient Voice coming in to being when it did was the decision of Brent CCG last December to abolish its EDEN Committee. EDEN included all 5 elected Chairs of the Locality Patient Participation Groups (LPPGs) and 8 representatives of the community who were concerned with particular area such as long term conditions, carers, younger people, the elderly and mental health.
To implement this decision meant that the CCG had to amend its constitution and get the changes approved by NHS England. It took until May 2015 for the approval to come through. The revised constitution can now be found on the CCG website (http://brentccg.nhs.uk/en/publications/cat_view/1-publications/14-constitution).
The CCG Chair, Dr Ethie Kong, and Lay Member for Engagement, Nicholas Young issued a letter on 11 June to confirm this outcome and to say that support for the Locality PPGs would cease at the end of July. The key passage reads:
“Under the new constitution, the work previously undertaken by the EDEn Committee is being taken forward by the Integrated Governance Committee and the Strategy Development and Delivery Group sub- committee. The EDEn Committee is now disbanded. The last meeting took place in April 2015.
Under the new constitution, LPPGs no longer have affiliation to the CCG, and remain independently constituted groups. They will be regarded as patient representative groups, like any other in the borough. CCG staff will also no longer be required to attend LPPG meetings.”
BPV responded on 19 June regretting once more the steps taken by the CCG, asking when the CCG Implementation Group would be reporting on a new approach to patient involvement and for comment on an indication by the Chair of that Group that the plan was to set up a fund to which patient groups might apply for modest support.
The response to this enquiry was that the Group would report in September but there was no comment on the plans for a fund.
Currently the Locality PPGs are planning to continue and are trying to raise funds to hire meeting rooms or find spaces where there is no charge.
Robin Sharp August 2015