PEOPLE in Wiltshire are being given a chance to get involved in healthcare in the county and one Melksham woman is already making a difference.

Gillian Tompkins, deputy chairman of the new Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Forum of the Royal United Hospital Trust, is one of 5,000 members of the public to join the network of 571 forums across the country.

She said: "Our forum is in its early days and we hope the public will come along to our meetings and tell us what they consider is important about health locally."

Mrs Tompkins joined 25 other members of the forums at a Shaping Health event held in Chippenham.

The event, the first of three to run in the south west, was organised by the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health and gave members and local NHS Trusts an opportunity to plan together how the views of the public and patients can best be taken into account and acted on.

Laura McMurtie, chief executive of the commission, said: "Shaping Health is about people and organisations working together in partnership to achieve real improvements in the health of our local communities."

The aim of the PPI forums is not just to gauge local opinion but also to independently watch over the quality of local health care, shape decisions that impact on healthcare and to be a force for fairness and chance.

Anyone who is interested in joining the forum or attending meetings and having a say in health services can contact the commission on (01392) 332100.

Application packs are also available by calling 0845 120 7115 or at www.maketimeforhealth.org