Your Local Consumer Champion for Health and Social Care Services
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Welcome to our Healthwatch East Sussex e-newsletter, providing you with information straight to your inbox
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- What Have You Been Contacting Us About?
- Work With Us
- Access to Primary Care
- Forthcoming Activities
- Shaping Health and Social Care Services
- New NHS Service to Support Patients with Bone, Muscle and Joint Conditions
- Personal Health Budgets
- East Sussex Better Together urgent care film now available
- Involving Young People
- Volunteering Opportunities
- Information and Signposting Library Role
- Sign up to the NHS England Open Data Event
- National News
- Consultations
- Growing Community Resilience in East Sussex
- Vandu Language Services
- General Osteopathic Council
- Give Us Your Feedback
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What have you been contacting us about?
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Since our last newsletter you have been contacting us about the following:
- Access to services - patient pathway
- Staff
- Dignity and respect
- Accident and Emergency services
- Cancer services
- Cardiology
- Audiology
If you have anything you would like to share with us, whether it is mentioned above or not, please do get in touch.
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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
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Information and Signposting Adviser
East Sussex Community Voice (ESCV) is an independent Community Interest Company which delivers Healthwatch functions in East Sussex.
We are seeking to appoint a suitably qualified candidate to a temporary post in April for three months.
The key focus of this post is to ensure that people in East Sussex are provided with information and where appropriate signposting to make choices about their health and care services and to make it easier for people to give feedback and share their views on all health and social care services in the county.
This information will inform the work of commissioners and providers and influence service development and quality.
For further information, and to apply for this vacancy, please visit www.healthwatcheastsussex.co.uk/jobs
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Patient Participation in Primary care Support Worker
We are seeking to appoint a suitably qualified candidate to a fixed term post in April. The key focus of this post is to support the development of Patient Participation in Primary Care through an effective patient participation network.
This is a countywide post working across the three Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG’s) in East Sussex.
For further information, and to apply for this vacancy, please visit www.healthwatcheastsussex.co.uk/jobs
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Report on People’s Concerns and Issues
Many of our contacts have been around the problems that people have faced in getting GP appointments. People with sensory or physical impairments can face even greater barriers. Healthwatch East Sussex has helped Healthwatch England with its evidence gathering for their report Local Healthwatch Investigates: Access to Primary Care.
We would like to thank local East Sussex resident Jo Keele who shared her experiences with Healthwatch England. She highlighted the particular issues that she as a disabled person faces when booking an appointment with her GP. She also kindly agreed to be interviewed by BBC Sussex on their drive time programme on Friday 13 March. This shows that working together with your local Healthwatch can help raise your concerns at a national level.
You can view the report here http://www.healthwatch.co.uk/primarycare
You can also listen to Jo's interview by clicking here http://www.healthwatcheastsussex.co.uk/?p=1757
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Even Invitation - Shaping Health and Social Care Services
The East Sussex NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), have published details about their three public Spring conferences.
There will be local focus on each CCG area, and also the East Sussex Better Together programme, with representation from the NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups and East Sussex County Council.
if you are unable to attend the date in your area, you are welcome to join any of the events. They are open to local organisations, groups and members of the public. Please reserve your place to allow effective capacity management at the venues.
To book and for more information about access to the venues, parking and travel expenses, click on the links below:
Hastings & Rother CCG area
21 April, 10.30am - 1pm
Cooden Beach Hotel, Cooden Sea Road, Bexhill on Sea, TN39 4TT
To book: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/shaping-health-and-social-care-services-event-hastings-rother-ccg-area-tickets-16110422708
Eastbourne, Hailsham and Seaford CCG area
19 May, 2.30pm - 5pm
Wealden Civic Hall, Vicarage Lane, Hailsham, BN27 2AX
To book: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/shaping-health-and-social-care-services-event-eastbourne-hailsham-and-seaford-ccg-area-tickets-16118706485
High Weald Lewes Havens CCG area
23 June, 2pm-4.30pm
Main Hall, Crowborough Community Centre, Pine Grove, CrowboroughTN6 1FE
To book: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/shaping-health-and-social-care-services-event-high-weald-lewes-havens-ccg-area-tickets-16182165292
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Personal Health Budgets - We Want to Hear Your Views
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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
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Involving Young People in Healthwatch
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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: 01323 723944
Mob: 07909 253671
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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
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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.
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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 723944 or email Elizabeth.Mackie@healthwatcheastsussex.co.uk
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Information and Signposting library role
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Volunteer opportunities avaliable
Since March 2014, we have been providing Information and Signposting service at a number of libraries, including Bexhill, Langney and Heathfield. We are currently in Eastbourne library on Thursday mornings.
We are now looking for volunteers in the Rye, Crowborough, Wadhurst and Robertsbridge areas, or any other area you would like to offer, to join our Information Service providing information to local people about Healthwatch East Sussex.
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 Elizabeth Mackie on 01323 723944, or email Elizabeth.Mackie@healthwatcheastsussex.co.uk for more details
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What libraries can you find us at?
During April 2015, we plan to run sessions in the following libraries:
- Eastbourne
- Seaford
- Peacehaven
- Uckfield
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Patchy complaints support is putting vulnerable people at risk
Care home residents and other social care users struggle to get the support they need when it comes to complaining about the quality of care they receive.
Read more here http://www.healthwatcheastsussex.co.uk/?p=1694
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Growing Community Resilience in East Sussex, the Annual Report of the Director of Public Health for 2014/15
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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
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General Osteopathic Council launches consultation on a new CPD scheme for osteopaths
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The General Osteopathic Council is seeking your views on proposals for a new continuing professional development (CPD) scheme for osteopaths, and we are keen to hear the views of patients and members of the public.
Through this scheme we want to support osteopaths to demonstrate they continue to meet current professional standards, and also to assure the public that osteopaths keep themselves up to date.
See all the consultation materials at: http://cpd.osteopathy.org.uk, including background documents, draft Guidelines, as well as other resources and case studies to show how the scheme would work. There are two consultation documents – a Full consultation and a shorter Summary consultation which is designed for patients and members of the public.
The consultation documents can be completed online or you can print and post them to us if you prefer. The closing date is 31 May 2015.
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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
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