Your Local Consumer Champion for Health and Social Care Services
|
|
Welcome to our Healthwatch East Sussex e-newsletter, providing you with information straight to your inbox
|
|
- What Have You Been Contacting Us About?
- Forthcoming Activities
- Personal Health Budgets
- Involving Young People
- Volunteering Opportunities
- Information and Signposting Library Role
- Health Course - Online Learning
- Online Volunteer Resource
- Give Us Your Feedback
|
|
What have you been contacting us about?
|
|
|
Since our last newsletter you have been contacting us about the following:
- Concerns about changes to adult social care support, people are worried about reassessment
- Moving of health visitors and any potential impact there may be on early intervention for families with young children
- Problems with wheelchair repairs
- Getting access to GP appointments or registering with a GP
- People needing to make a complaint about their dental care
- Long waits for appointments
If you have anything you would like to share with us, whether it is mentioned above or not, please do get in touch.
|
|
How to get in touch
We have a number of ways you can contact us and have your say:
Freepost
Freepost RTJT-HZEA-YGKU
Healthwatch East Sussex
85b Ashford Road
Eastbourne
East Sussex
BN21 3TE
Telephone
0333 101 4007
Text
07826 021 114
Visit our website
www.healthwatcheastsussex.co.uk
and fill out our "Speak Out" form
|
|
|
Healthwatch East Sussex will be at the following venues in January to provide information on Healthwatch East Sussex services and to hear your comments. Find us at:
Carrillon Cottage on Friday 27th February 09:30 to 12:30 High Street, Wadhurst TN5 6AA
Winter Gardens, Eastbourne on Wednesday 2nd February - Advices services exhibition and road show, 09:00 to 16:30.
Brede Farmers Market, Brede Village Hall on Friday 6th February, 10:00 to 12:00.
Robertsbridge Farmers Market, Robertsbridge Village Hall on Saturday 7th February, 10:00 to 12:00.
C4C Well-being Event at the Horntyne Sports Complex on Friday 20th February, 10:30 to 16:00.
|
|
New NHS Service to Support Patients with Bone, Muscle and Joint Conditions Now Available
|
|
|
A new NHS service to treat local patients with muscle, bone and joint conditions is now available in Eastbourne, Hailsham and Seaford and High Weald Lewes Havens.
Eastbourne, Hailsham and Seaford and High Weald Lewes Havens Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGSs), the GP led bodies responsible for planning local health services, have procured the new NHS service from Sussex MSK Partnership, a local not-for-profit consortium of NHS, charitable and independent providers that brings together local experts from primary care, physical and mental health services.
The new service will be rolled out over the coming months in phases and will begin by receiving all referrals from GPs for their patients who have conditions affecting their bones, muscles and joints and who require onward diagnostics, care and treatment.
Patients referred into the new service by their GP will be reviewed using a multidisciplinary (mixed professional) approach so their physical and mental health needs can be considered together. They will then be advised of the treatment options that might be suitable for them and be supported to make informed choices about what care and treatment to go ahead with and where they would like it to take place. All emergency or trauma related MSK treatment or care remains unchanged and will continue to be delivered as usual in local hospitals.
Over the coming months dedicated MSK hubs and clinics will be developed within existing NHS or primary care locations across the area including Crowborough, Seaford, Eastbourne, Lewes, Uckfield, Heathfield and Hailsham. At these sites a range of diagnostics, care and treatment can be offered to patients, to bring support much closer to where patients live and want to be seen.
CCGs decided to procure a new service following feedback from local patients and GPs who had reported significant waiting times for some MSK services, with varying treatment options offered to patients. By introducing a far more simplified and coordinated approach to the way patients are referred, diagnosed and treated, patients should experience improved clinical outcomes and have a far better experience of care.
The launch of this new service is the culmination of a robust and comprehensive process by clinical commissioners who have worked together with patients and the public to design genuine improvements to local services. This launch will improve the way GPs refer their patients for onward diagnostics and treatment.
|
|
Personal Health Budgets - We Want to Hear Your Views
|
|
|
Do you receive Continuing Health Care? Are you looking into Personal Health Budget (PHB) options, or have you already started your journey into Personal Health Budget for your healthcare and support needs? If so Healthwatch East Sussex would like to hear about your experiences, including:
What information did you receive about the PHB to help you make the right choices for your needs?
If you have begun your journey, what was your experience of the assessment process, was it clear to see how decisions have been made in your package?
Were you able to plan your care innovatively and develop support that suits you?
Did you feel care managers understand new ways of planning care, and support your ideas?
Is/was it easy to obtain a decision with the NHS team in a timely way about your health and care support needs?
What has been your most positive experience?
What, if anything would you change?
Were you offered an appeals process if you did not agree with the decisions or access to advocacy support?
To find out more about Personal Health Budgets, visit NHS Choices website using the link below:
http://www.nhs.uk/choiceintheNHS/Yourchoices/personal-health-budgets/Pages/about-personal-health-budgets.aspx
Your views are important to Healthwatch and every comment counts
Contact
Telephone: 0333 101 4007
email: enquiries@healthwatcheastsussex.co.uk
Text us: 07826 021 114 (we can call back)
Website: www.healthwatcheastsussex.co.uk
|
|
Involving Young People in Healthwatch
|
|
|
If you are connected with any organisations or network supporting the involvement of young people in health related issues (including mental health), please get in touch.
We are also keen to hear from young people who are interested in volunteering with Healthwatch or finding out more about the Young Inspector programme, recently transferred across to East Sussex Community Voice from the local authority.
Contact Helen Connor for further information:
Email: Helen.Connor@escv.org.uk
Tel: 01424 230550
Mob: 07909 253671
|
|
We need your help
Healthwatch East Sussex is looking for volunteers who are interested in visiting health and social care services These visits are known as Enter and View. Local Healthwatch authorised representatives carry out these visits to health and social care services to find out how they are being run and make recommendations where there are areas for improvement. Volunteers will be very well trained and supported with only a minimum commitment of two visits per year required. Further training will be offered to support this role
|
|
What is Enter and View?
Part of the local Healthwatch programme is to carry out Enter and View visits. Local Healthwatch authorised representatives carry out these visits to health and social care services to find out how they are being run and make recommendations where there are areas for improvement and to engage with patients and people who use the services to find out about their experiences, good and not so good.
The Health and Social Care Act allows local Healthwatch authorised representatives to observe service delivery and talk to service users, their families and carers on premises such as hospitals, residential homes, GP practices, dental surgeries, optometrists and pharmacies. Enter and View visits can happen if people tell us there is a problem with a service but, equally, they can occur when services have a good reputation – so we can learn about and share examples of what they do well from the perspective of people who experience the service firsthand.
You can sign up for any of the training dates – which ever programme is better for you i.e.
Thursday 19th February 10 – 3.30 pm with lunch at The Kings Centre in Eastbourne. This is a one off full day programme covering the legislation that enables authorised representatives to visit services and the practical process for carrying out visits including conduct and behaviour of Enter and View Representatives
Or if you prefer two sessions:
Tuesday 3rd March 2015 from 5.30 – 8.30 pm with refreshments at The Kings Centre in Eastbourne. The first session covers the legislation that enables authorised representatives to visit services and
Tuesday 10th March 2015 5.30 – 8.30 pm with refreshments at The Kings Centre in Eastbourne . This second session covers the practical process for carrying out visits including conduct and behaviour of Enter and View Representatives. PLEASE NOTE you must be able to complete both sessions in order to visit services.
To sign up or for an informal chat please contact Elizabeth Mackie 01323 400520 or email elizabeth.mackie@healthwatcheastsussex.co.uk
|
|
Opportunities Avaliable
- Library Information Service approx. 2 – 4 hours per week, various locations available
- Authorised Representative to undertake enter and view activity.
- Healthwatch Champions – are you connected with any local group and willing to share information and updates about Healthwatch East Sussex?
- Mystery Shoppers – if you are aged 16 – 20 and would be interested in getting involved please get in touch
- For more information, please contact Elizabeth on 01323 400520 or email Elizabeth.Mackie@healthwatcheastsussex.co.uk
|
|
Information and Signposting library role
|
|
Volunteer opportunities avaliable
Since March 2014, we have been provided Information and Signposting service at a number of libraries, including Bexhill, Langney and Heathfield.
We are now looking for volunteers in the Crowborough, Wadhurst and Roberstbridge areas to join our Information Service providing information to local people about Healthwatch East Sussex, or any other area you would like to offer.
If you like meeting people and have 2- 3 hours free each week, please get in touch.
Full training will be given and the opportunity to get together with other Healthwatch volunteers 3 – 4 times a year.
We are particularly interested to hear from young people who might be looking for volunteer opportunities as part of a wider project.
Please contact Debby Matthews on 01323 400521, or email Debby.Matthews@healthwatcheastsussex.co.uk for more details
|
|
What libraries can you find us at?
During February 2015, we plan to run sessions in the following libraries:
- Eastbourne
- Seaford
- Peacehaven
- Uckfield
|
|
NHS patient transport services
hh
|
|
NICE Question Time at Maidstone: Public Q&A with NICE’s Chief Executive and Chair
Are you interested in finding out how NICE guidance could help improve the health and wellbeing of people in Maidstone and the surrounding area? Do you want the chance to put questions to NICE’s Chief Executive, Chairman and senior staff directly? Then book your place today to attend NICE Question Time, and the NICE Public Board meeting on Wednesday 21 January 2015 at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.
NICE Question Time is a unique event, giving you the opportunity to put questions directly to the NICE Chairman, Chief Executive and other NICE senior staff. The event is open to all members of the public and the community and voluntary sector and we would be delighted if you could join us. It will take place between 12:30pm and 13:30pm, with an informal networking lunch beforehand at 12:00.
For more information, or to register to attend NICE Question Time and the NICE Public Board Meeting, please visitwww.nice.org.uk/maidstone2015. Please note, registration requires a NICE account, this is a free account and should only take a couple of minutes to activate.
|
|
Growing Community Resilience in East Sussex, the Annual Report of the Director of Public Health for 2014/15
|
|
|
The Annual Report of the Director of Public Health for 2014/15 focuses on building resilience by growing the assets of wellbeing across East Sussex. It details opportunities to identify, better understand and support development of existing and potential new community assets. It also focuses on identifying the key features of asset-based approaches and how to make further progress in a sustainable manner.
The report also describes a tool – Wellbeing and Resilience Measure (WARM) – that has been designed to support local agencies and communities to better understand, plan and act. WARM has been calculated for East Sussex at electoral ward and district/borough level and also modelled at clinical commissioning group (CCG) and GP practice level. The report can be accessed here www.eastsussexjsna.org.uk/publichealthreports
|
|
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Hospitals
|
|
|
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals jointly provide acute stroke care and rehabilitation for patients from north East Sussex and West Kent. Reviews have shown that similar to many other hospitals, locally and nationally, we can greatly improve stroke outcomes for our patients and reduce long-term disability.
Our hospital clinicians and GP leads are currently developing higher standards of care for every patient we see. It is our aim to ensure all patients have access to dedicated stroke teams and treatment 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Very few hospitals currently meet this standard nationally.
We are involving our patients, the public and healthcare professionals in this work over the coming months, using their knowledge and experience to help us build better stroke services. There will be many opportunities for people to help us make our services the very best they can be. If you would like to comment about stroke services provided by our hospitals, and how these can be improved, email mtw-tr.myhealthcare@nhs.net
Dr Jim Milton, Clinical Lead for Stroke Services, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust as the author)
|
|
Vandu Language Services & POhWER Working In Partnership to Provide Advocacy Support
|
|
|
Two locally based organisations, Advocacy provider POhWER and Vandu Language Services, have launched a formal partnership that will benefit vulnerable people living in East Sussex. This will ensure that all communities in East Sussex are able to receive professional support which will enable them to have a voice and speak out about their wishes & needs.
Advocacy support will be available to Adults (18+) living in East Sussex. They must already be receiving support or be entitled to receive support from Adult Social Care.
This includes people with:
- Learning disabilities
- Mental health needs
- Physical disabilities
- Sensory impairments
- Long term conditions
- Older people
- Carers
The full article can be found at http://www.healthwatcheastsussex.co.uk/?p=1641
|
|
|
Healthwatch East Sussex proactively talk and listen to people from every part of your community about health and social care services. We then talk to health and social care providers about your experiences of care with the aim of changing these services for the better.
Some of the services we would like to hear your experience on are:
- Ambulance Services
- Care Homes
- Dentists
- Doctors
- Home Care
- Hospitals
- Mental Health Services
- Opticians
- Pharmacies
There are a number of reasons why you should talk us:
- Service providers have to listen to us, so they will be listening to you
- Because if we can't help you we will know someone who can
- We are powerful and well connected and will make sure your voice is heard
We have a number of ways you can contact us and have your say:
Freepost
Freepost RTJT-HZEA-YGKU
Healthwatch East Sussex
85b Ashford Road
Eastbourne
East Sussex
BN21 3TE
Telephone
0333 101 4007
Text
07826 021 114
Visit our website
www.healthwatcheastsussex.co.uk/have-your-say
|
|
|
|
