A NEW group set up to look out for the welfare of patients hopes to improve transport links to two Exmouth practices.

The Rolle Medical Partnership has launched a patient participation group – to give people the opportunity to take responsibility for the services provided at their practice.

It plans to set up a befriending service, give more information to patients, particularly those with a chronic disease and, in a joint venture with Claremont, improve transport links.

Because the group is relatively new, they are also appealing for help from patients at Rolle Medical Partnership to join their team in helping to work on issues of benefit to the practice.

Linda Kay, practice manager, said: “In other places where I’ve worked, and in other practices in Exmouth, the patient participation has been much more active and at our health centre it’s something we’ve decided we would really like to take forward.”

A patient participation group is one where health professionals, patients and the public work together to address issues that affect health and health services in their community.

The groups usually function in primary care and in conjunction with a GP practice.

Linda said: “One of the big problems we have here is transport in that there is no bus route up to the health centre, taxis are expensive and we live with an ageing population who find it very difficult to get here.”

She said they were also looking at a befriending service and perhaps more information for sufferers of a chronic disease.

“Those are the three essential things we think we would start with – but the biggie is the transport aspect.

“I have also spoken to the Claremont practice who is also keen to get involved with any transport scheme we set up.”