Healthwatch Ealing Newsletter (Text Only Edition), November 2017
Contents
Page 2-3
Healthwatch Update!
Page 4
Vote for Your Healthcare Hero!
Discharge from Hospital – What is Your Experience?
Page 5
Sir Trevor McDonald Urges Residents to Take Up Free Flu Vaccine
The HeadsUp Mental Health Project
Page 6
POhWER - Independent Health Complaint Advocates
A Quick Guide on Making a Complaint to the NHS
Page 7
CQC Report on Ealing Urgent Care Centre
CQC State of Care Report 2016/17
Page 8
Research Study on Healthcare Interventions
One You Ealing - Behaviour Change Programme
Solace Centre and Marron House Opening Event!
Page 9
Parents of Ealing Self-Help Training Scheme
Epilepsy Action Events
Page 2
New Story: Volunteering with Healthwatch
At Healthwatch Ealing we value our volunteers, and provide a range of roles, training and personal development opportunities.
This month we have introductions from volunteers Ehtisham and Yu Chen.
Ehtisham says “Being able to volunteer for Healthwatch Ealing has made me learn about how patients are treated within the NHS and how we can improve their experiences better in the future.”
Yu Chen says “Being a volunteer of Healthwatch Ealing gives me an opportunity to understand patients' need for healthcare services in order to improve health and social care services in communities. And it is always enjoyable to work with friendly teams of Healthwatch Ealing”
Volunteer Roles
The volunteering roles available include:
Patient Experience Role
We speak to patients and local groups to find out what their health issues and priorities are, and listen to people from every part of our community, across the Borough of Ealing.
We collate patient experiences anonymously, which feed into reports for health and social care commissioners and providers (e.g. hospitals, GPs, care homes etc) and summarise the main themes and issues raised.
We also make recommendations and ensure our partners respond to reports stating how they are going to address any issues or concerns highlighted.
“Enter & View” Authorised Representative Role
Service evaluations are an integral part of our activity, placing as they do, service users, patients and care home residents at the heart of assessing quality of service delivery.
Effective observation of service provision and evidence based reporting of the quality of care delivered in various settings is a powerful means of influencing standards.
Being part of the volunteer team at Healthwatch Ealing, you’ll play a role at both local and national level to make sure that people’s experiences of health and social care are taken into account.
More information about volunteering roles can be found on the website. More. Story End.
New Story: Festive Season Closing...
The Healthwatch Ealing offices will be closed from
22nd December 2017 to 2nd January 2018 inclusive, during the festive period.
We would like to convey Seasons Greetings, and wish you a happy new year! Story End.
Page 3
New Story: Enter and View Training
Our Enter and View programme involves training Authorised Representatives who visit publicly funded health and social care services in the Ealing borough. Our first in-house training was held on
5th October. The training was conducted by Oyinkan, the research and policy officer.
Four volunteers took part in the training and now are Authorised Representatives able to carry out Enter and View visits. These visits will take place twice a month. The Authorised Representatives will accompany Oyinkan to health and social care services.
They will observe the services and talk to service users, carers, family members and staff in a friendly and informal way about their experiences of the service.
Afterwards, each Authorised Representative will write up a short report of their findings. These will be presented in a full report that will be shared with the service providers and other partners, and uploaded to the Healthwatch Ealing website. Recommendations will be made where necessary to make the service better for those who use them.
If you’re interested in becoming an Authorised Representative, please contact us on 020 3886 0830 or . Story End.
New Story: Community Health Services in Ealing
Healthwatch Ealing is carrying out a research study on some of Ealing’s Community Health Services.
Have you recently used any of these services?
Podiatry; Audiology; Speech and language therapy for children; Diabetes Integrated Care Ealing; Occupational Therapy for children; Bladder and Bowel Service; Pulmonary Rehabilitation; IAPT; Jasmin and Rosemary Ward.
If so, please get in touch and share your views! Story End.
New Story: Update for Service Providers
Our Patient Experience Digital Feedback Centre is developing! After receiving several requests from GP service providers, Healthwatch Ealing has now set up a weekly automatic email notification.
Service providers will now receive a weekly email informing them of any new patient experience comments received by Healthwatch, about the service. To receive this email please ensure that your service is featured on our website and has an email address attached to it.
Contact the Healthwatch office with any queries. Story End.
Page 4
New Story: Vote for Your Healthcare Hero!
The Trust that runs Northwick Park, St. Mark’s, Ealing and Central Middlesex hospitals, as well as community services across Harrow, Brent and Ealing, is asking the public to vote for their healthcare hero.
Nominations are now open for this year’s Staff Excellence Awards, which showcase and celebrate the vital work of the 9,000 staff who work at London North West Healthcare NHS Trust.
There are 12 categories to choose from and anyone can make a nomination. The categories include Volunteer of the Year, Team of the Year, Fundraiser of the Year and divisional awards. Nominations are open until 31st December and entries must include examples of work within the last 12 months. More. Story End.
New Story: Ealing Health Summit
Ealing Health Summit is a local event, aiming to discuss and develop future partnership working between community groups and statutory partners on health and social care issues:
Tuesday 16th January, 1.30pm - 5pm at Ealing Old Town, Hall New Broadway, W5 2BY
The event also features information stalls and workshops on a broad range of topics. You can book now online. More. Story End.
New Story: Discharge from Hospital
Healthwatch England has recently published a study looking at the discharge experiences of people up and down the country. The main issues identified were:
People still don’t feel involved in decisions. We heard that people often aren’t given the information they need, such as about their medication or where to go for help out of hours.
People continue to experience delays and a lack of co-ordination between services. Many people had to stay in hospital longer than necessary because of long waits for medication and transport, and because care homes or family members were not notified that they were about to be discharged.
People told Healthwatch about leaving care without adequate care plans or ongoing support in place, which in some cases led to readmissions.
However, we also heard about instances where changes have been made to make leaving care better.
Imelda Redmond, National Director of Healthwatch England, said: “Getting people out of hospital and safely home is not about a single point in time. It is an ongoing process that requires thought, planning and support before, during and after the moment someone is actually discharged. Things work best when staff in all services work together to provide a seamless experience.” More
Your views?
What is your experience of discharge from local hospitals? Please get in touch with Healthwatch Ealing to share your views. Story End.
Page 5
New Story: Sir Trevor Urges Residents to Take Flu Vaccine
Sir Trevor McDonald has joined forces with the NHS in North West London to launch a major campaign encouraging those aged 65 and over and others at risk to have their flu vaccinations. The campaign comes as Britain is warned to brace itself for a “pressurised flu season” this winter, following the worst flu season in years in Australia & New Zealand.
Sir Trevor McDonald visited the Feltham Centre for Health in Hounslow, West London, to have his flu jab and encourage others to have theirs.
“I’ve agreed to be photographed having my flu jab today because my GP has advised me that it helps to protect not just myself, but the people around me,” said Sir Trevor. “This year it’s more important than ever because of the heavy flu season being reported overseas. And if you’re 65 or over, it’s free. Don’t put it off. Contact your GP or pharmacist to arrange your flu jab.” Sir Trevor McDonald has had his flu vaccination every year for the past ten years.
The flu vaccination is also free for other people at risk from the flu including pregnant women and people suffering from an underlying health condition like COPD, asthma, diabetes, heart or kidney disease, or after a stroke. Flu on top of health conditions like these can easily develop into something very serious.
The Chief Medical Officer has warned that flu, and complications associated with it, cause 8,000 deaths on average a year in England. More. Story End.
New Story: HeadsUp Project
The HeadsUp project is Mind’s mental health network for service user involvement and coproduction. It provides a platform on which people can share their experiences, have their voice heard & influence mental health services in Ealing.
It aims to do this through forums, focus groups, campaigns, and ensuring that service users are involved in the service development processes.
The HeadsUp Network has been live in Ealing since June 2016. They run inpatient forums at Wolsey Unit and monthly forums in the community. Forums are groups where participants can share their experience in a safe space and learn more about mental health through guest speakers. People have fed-back to say they feel more informed, less isolated and their confidence has been boosted!
There are several involvement activities and some are paid too. You can get involved as much or as little as you like; some people only like to receive the quarterly newsletter and some choose to commit to regular involvement activities a number of times a month. To sign up or to find out more, get in touch or visit the website. More. Story End.
Page 6
New Story: Independent Health Complaint Advocates
If something goes wrong with NHS care or treatment you have the right to free and independent support from an Advocate to make a complaint. POhWER’s Independent Health Complaints Advocates are available to give practical support if you need it. Their Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service is here to give you the support you need to speak up and make your complaint. This may be by giving you the information and tools you need to pursue the complaint yourself. Or, an Advocate can provide one-to-one support to help you to write a letter or attend a meeting. They also have interpreters and provide information in different languages for people who do not speak English as their first language.
POhWER’s Advocates take time to listen to your experiences; give you information about the complaints process and your rights so you can decide what you want to do; talk with you about how you want them to support you, including any practical support you might want and help you to monitor the progress of your complaint. If you want to speak confidentially to them about making a complaint about a hospital, GP, Dentist or any other NHS-funded service, contact the Helpline on 020 3553 5960 or .
Also visit the website for more information and a range of self-help tools. More
A five-minute guide to getting your voice heard if things go wrong...
Pin down your complaint. Anyone who’s unhappy with an NHS service has the right to complain. You can also complain on behalf of someone else, but it’s helpful to get their written permission for this. Complaints can cover treatment or care, staff attitude, waiting times, or failing to diagnose a condition, for example. It’s important to pin down exactly what you’re complaining about and why. Think about what action you want to put things right, whether that’s an apology or a change in practice.
Find out who to contact. If you can, speak informally to the people involved first as they may be able to sort out your problem quickly. If this doesn’t work, you can ask a member of staff for the complaints procedure of your local NHS service to begin a formal complaint. This usually requires you to write to the chief executive or complaints manager of the organisation. You’ll need to include your name, date of birth, contact details and NHS number. Describe your complaint as clearly as possible, sticking to the facts, and outline the outcomes you’re hoping for. If your complaint involves more than one NHS organisation, you only need to send a letter to one of them because they will liaise with each other.
Wait for a reply. The NHS service should acknowledge your complaint. You’ll also be asked to agree to a timescale in which the NHS will investigate and formally respond to you. Once the investigation is over, you should receive a letter summing up your complaint and the NHS’s findings along with what actions, if any, will be taken. All the way through the complaints procedure, it helps to write down the names of the people you speak to and keep copies of all letters and emails you send & receive.
Taking things further. If you’re not happy with the response you’re given, you can request a meeting to discuss why you’re not satisfied, or you can take the complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman who will see if there’s anything more the NHS could do in response. The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) is a confidential point of contact, advice and support. You can find PALS officers in your local hospital or ask your GP for details. You can also talk to Healthwatch Ealing about your NHS experience. Story End.
Page 7
New Story: CQC Report on Ealing Urgent Care Centre
The CQC (Care Quality Commission) carried out a comprehensive inspection at Ealing Urgent Care Centre in June 2017.
Overall the service is rated as good, and key findings across all the areas inspected include: