Questions are invited from the People of Thanet for debate at an important meeting on their NHS services.

Quality, finance and performance will be discussed at the first public meeting of the governing body of NHS Thanet Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) on Tuesday.

It will take place from 1.15 to 3pm in the council chamber at Thanet District Council’s Cecil Street offices in Margate.

The CCG plans and pays for most local healthcare, and has a budget of £190 million for this year.

Checking the quality of local healthcare and how well it’s provided is a crucial part of its work.

This work can include reviewing numbers of operations performed at the QEQM hospital, numbers of patients being treated at A&E, and the monitoring of infectious disease.

The CCG also reviews how well local community and mental health services are performing.

NHS Thanet CCG clinical chairman, Dr Tony Martin, said: “I urge anyone who hasn’t been to a governing body meeting in public to come along. The people of Thanet care passionately about their NHS, and we welcome the involvement of local residents.

“The meetings in public cover a variety of topics, and we look forward to receiving any questions that local people may have.”

The agenda and papers for the January meeting will be available on the CCG website from tomorrow, Thursday January 9.

Questions may be submitted at the beginning of the meeting, with a view to them being addressed at the session.

The governing body also welcomes written questions about items on the agenda. These will be answered by governing body members during a question and answer session from 2.45 to 3pm.

For more information about the public meeting, email: thanet.ccg@nhs.net or call 03000 424615.

Written questions should be submitted to thn@thanetccg.info or by completing an online form.

Alternatively, post questions to NHS Thanet Clinical Commissioning Group, Thanet District Council, Cecil Street, Margate Kent, CT9 1XZ.

People who would like to shape CCG decisions can get involved via their GP practice or the CCG’s Health Network.

Most practices have patient participation groups, where people can find out what is happening within the practice and the CCG. The groups are also a channel for patients’ voices through to the CCG.

Information about the Health Network is available via the website www.thanetccg.nhs.uk/health-network/join-us