EPEG

What is EPEG?

EPEG is our engagement and patient experience group that brings us together with patient representatives and key partners from across health and care in Sefton.

It helps us ensure that the views and experiences of our residents about their local health and care services are heard and taken into consideration. This feedback is important to us, as it helps us to improve and develop the quality of the services we commission, so they are ‘patient centred’ and better focused around the needs of our residents.

This feedback also supports us in the development of our commissioning priorities and contributes to the wider integrated commissioning plans across Sefton.

Watch the short video below about EPEG:

Membership of the group

As a Sefton wide group, EPEG supports the work of NHS South Sefton and NHS Southport and Formby CCGs. It is jointly chaired by the governing body lay representatives for patient and public involvement from both organisations.

You can see membership of the group below:

What EPEG does:

These are the main functions of EPEG: 

Assurance and statutory duties

EPEG provides us with ongoing assurance and advice about our statutory responsibilities around engagement and consultation, including equality and diversity requirements. This is of particular importance to our commissioning staff who require ongoing advice and support as they develop and plan for changes to local health services. 

Planning our involvement

Through its expertise and links with local networks, the group provides valuable advice and support as we plan engagement and consultation projects and activities across Sefton. This helps to ensure that as many local people as possible have the opportunity to get involved in our work, particularly those minority groups who are traditionally harder to reach, such as homeless residents. It also helps to reduce duplication.

Coordinating communication and engagement networks

The group supports the development and coordination of  effective communications and engagement networks between partners, local groups and Sefton residents. This underpins and strengthens the work that the group does to encourage local people to get involved in our work.

Monitoring involvement and patient experience in commissioned services

The group examines patient experience data from our provider organisations, such as hospitals and community services. This can then be compared with feedback collected by Healthwatch Sefton and our other partners who make up the group. This helps us to spot trends and issues early, so they can be escalated and addressed by our Quality Committee who the group reports to. It also review the engagement and consultation activities of our providers and partners where their plans affect our local residents. 

Reporting

EPEG is accountable to our Governing Body via our Quality Committee, which receives an update report at each meeting of all key issues discussed and raised at EPEG. The report summarises key areas of EPEG’s work and highlights any health service issues the group has identified from the reports and feedback it

How EPEG has supported our work

Below are some examples of the engagement projects that EPEG has recently been involved in and supported:

Click on the links above to find out more about these projects.