Best Value Groups

An NPAG Best Value Group is a structured networking forum for healthcare professionals to meet, discuss current issues and receive presentations on topics that they are interested in. Its prime purpose is to support managers in the continuous improvement of their own services.

• Opportunity to share information and experience being part of an open and honest environment
• Presentations from topical speakers
• Benchmarking exercises, debate policy and identify innovation and good working practice
• Helps save your Trust money
• NPAG conferences at a discounted delegate rate
• An annual CPD certificate at the end of each year to verify attendance at BVG meetings
• Access to the NPAGNetwork - a managed question and answer service enabling members to unlock the information held by the entire network of NPAG members

Our BVG meetings are a mix of virtual meetings via MS Teams and face-to-face meetings at centrally located venues. 

Microsoft Teams enables us to invite and manage members and guest participation in a secure and safe environment. Speakers can share content and presentations using the share screen facility. Members are encouraged to use the ‘raise hand’ and ‘chat’ facility to interact as you would at a face-to-face venue. 

The beauty of a virtual meeting is it reduces the cost of travel to and from an event and saves the precious commodity of time away from the office. Not forgetting to mention the added benefit of a reduction in our carbon footprint. 

Living with Covid now sees us able to reintroduce the face-to-face element to our BVG meetings. The venues for BVGs are always chosen for accessibility and suitability - typically they will be in central London or the Midlands. We consciously choose venues that are acting sustainably in accordance with the NPAG Green Plan, supporting the NHS Net Zero initiative.

The majority of groups meet four times a year. There is some work, such as benchmarking exercises, that need to be completed between meetings.

The amount of interaction between meetings is driven by the group members. Often BVGs set up email groups to enable ongoing questions and sharing of information between meetings. Microsoft Teams have an option to share files, and the chat facility within a meeting stays live for 30 days for members to access information as they wish.

We actively encourage members to share information that we can upload onto the members area of the website.

The average annual cost for a BVG meeting four times a year is approximately £660 per member and any further members at a discounted rate of £300. In comparison a year’s membership is less than the average cost of employing a management consultant for a day.

The membership fee is currently under review for each group. This is to reflect meetings taking place on MS Teams.

NPAG is continually striving to develop further services for members as part of the annual subscription. Find out more about our Best Value Groups.

The NPAGNetwork is a managed forum for colleagues to share information and best practice - saving time and money in not re-inventing the wheel. Developed by NPAG, it recognises the need for a forum for healthcare managers to ask questions, request assistance and information, share documents, and get professional and practical advice from their peers throughout the UK. 

Members of the NPAG's Best Value and National Networking Groups form the nucleus of the Network, providing over 600 contacts throughout the UK.

The NPAGNetwork is available to members of our Best Value and National Networking Groups. Contact us to subscribe. 

Chair of an NPAG Best Value Group - as of June 2025

Role and Job Description

NPAG’s national Best Value Groups exist to support their members in the continuous improvement of their services. Many also seek to influence central government direction and function as a ‘sounding board’ or ‘expert group’ for central bodies.

There are three key supporting roles for all NPAG groups – the Chair, the Facilitator and the Coordinator.

Many NPAG groups now elect two Joint-Chairs to share the responsibility, and to increase the resilience of the group. Some also appoint a Vice Chair.

(There is not an equivalent job description for a Vice Chair as their role is to aid the Chair and

deputise for the Chair in their absence).

The Chair(s) and Vice Chair(s) are nominated from the membership annually. NPAG groups are Member-led, and each group will adopt its own approach to election of Chairs.

The Chair(s) and Vice Chair(s) will have the option to stand down at any time, upon which occasion a replacement(s) will be elected by the members.

Overarching Purpose: To provide professional leadership for the group at and between meetings.

Core Duties:

• To work with the Facilitator to plan the year’s Agendas, suggesting possible meeting topics and speakers and to agree each meeting Agenda.
• To structure and manage the quarterly meetings, with support from the Facilitator, leading the discussion to both act positively and confidently, using their skills and talents, to bring out the best in participants at events.
• To sign off the meeting Minutes and contribute to the group’s Annual Report by reviewing the final draft and contributing a short piece from the Chair’s perspective.
• To act as an ambassador for the group, helping to publicise its work in appropriate professional circles, plus act as a spokesperson if required by group members.
• To support, encourage and inspire group members, working with the Facilitator and Coordinator, to allow group members to feel:

1. They have had every chance to provide their views
2. They have been listened to and understood
3. Different ideas have been integrated to produce a group view
4. Everybody has had a chance to contribute
5. Responsible for the decisions and actions of the group.
6. Support from Facilitator and Coordinator

The Chair

NPAG provide a Facilitator and a Coordinator to support the group and Chair.

Facilitator

Duties in brief: manages the structure and logistics of the quarterly meetings including Agenda, Minutes, arrangement of guest speakers; plus production of the Annual Report and promotional material. The Facilitator also undertakes benchmarking and other activities agreed by the Members

in the meetings.

Coordinator (NPAG HQ)

Duties in brief: books venues, refreshments, keeps up to date membership log, maintains the Members’ website, MS TEAMS Channels, organises marketing, advertising and produces CPD Certificates. Liaises with members and Facilitators throughout the year offering support and guidance.

During virtual meetings, the coordinator will sit as a silent partner in the meeting to ensure there are no technical issues, make sure members / guests / try before you buy / speakers can gain entry and that all speakers are able to screen share presentations when needed, to step in assist in presenting if necessary.

Chair of an NPAG Best Value Group - Role and job description:

• To encourage and assist intra-meeting work by Members with working groups to develop further issues raised in meetings – chair if necessary.
• In the rare event that the Facilitator is unavailable to attend a meeting at short notice, to arrange for a brief record to be made of the meeting and sent to the Facilitator, so that formal Minutes may
• still be produced.

Additional duties may arise from time-to-time, including:

• To collate Members’ comments and produce formal written responses, for example, to technical consultations or letters to professional bodies with questions /requests for clarity etc.
• To act as signatory to group responses – especially if critical points raised by individual member who doesn’t want to put name to letter.

Recognition of the Role by NPAG

Recognising the importance of the role of Chair and the contribution they make to the success of the group, NPAG will provide a financial contribution of at least 25% of the Membership Subscription.

This contribution may be increased if there is evidence that the Chair is fulfilling the additional duties outlined in this document. The final contribution will be agreed upon by the Coordinator and Facilitator and may vary across different groups.

We are pleased to share with you the new NPAG Member badge, which you are welcome to add to your Outlook email signature. Displaying this badge helps demonstrate your organisation’s active involvement in NPAG and your participation in an NPAG Best Value Groups.

How to Add the Badge to Your Outlook Email Signature:

1. Save the Badge

Please download the NPAG Member badge and save it to your computer. We have sent two versions, both a jpeg and a png which is a transparent background.  Please choose your preferred version.

2. Add It to Your Outlook Signature

With your signature open, resize the image if needed by selecting it and by either:

1. Dragging a corner to your preferred size

2. If the above doesn’t work, right click on the image, select “picture” and add in your preferred size (we suggest 2cm)

3. Link the Badge to Your BVG Page

Please link the badge to the NPAG webpage for the BVG you attend. Click once on the inserted badge so it is highlighted

1. Click the link icon (or press Ctrl + K)

2. Paste the URL of your BVG page on the NPAG website - you can find them listed here:  NPAG Best Value Groups: Enhancing Services

Or, if you are a member of more than one BVG, please use this link provided: NPAG: NHS & Public Sector Support

3. Select OK to apply

If you are unsure of your group’s page link, please email us and we will send it to you.

If you need any assistance adding the badge to your signature, please get in touch and we’d be happy to help.