Grateful today, powerful tomorrow

@HealthwatchE

#thinkrights

Welcome and why we are here today• To present the findings of our first Annual Report

• To hear from local Healthwatch about the work already underway

• To start a conversation about how the rights framework can work for you

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Powerful togetherThe strength of the network comes from working together to deliver real change for people who use health and social care.

Your work…

A fresh approach

We felt that a fresh approach was needed to focus on what the consumer actually wanted and needed.

• We ran a deliberative event with the public and sought views of stakeholders and partners to support findings.

• To capture their views, we asked over 2,000 people using health and social care what mattered most to them

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People’s experiences are mixed

On the surface, 7 out of 10 of us believe we get a good quality service from the NHS and social care services

But digging deeper with the public we found that:

• A shocking 1 in 3 of us have experienced, or knowing someone who has experienced, a serious mistake or abuse, leaving many of us with a deep concern over basic safety standards.

• Despite this, more than half of us who have experienced a problem with health or social care in the last three years did nothing to report it.

• Almost one in four people say that professionals aren’t really interested in what they have to say or do not actively listen.

People know change is needed

We have been working with the public, and people who use services, to apply consumer rights to health and social care for the first time.

1.The right to essential services

2.The right to access

3.The right to a safe, dignified and quality service

4.The right to information and education

5.The right to choose

6.The right to be listened to

7.The right to be involved

8.The right to live in a healthy environment

Our vision for rights in health and social care

3. The right to a safe, dignified and quality service

I have the right to high quality, safe services that treat me with dignity, compassion and respect.

I had an excellent service when I had my daughter two years ago. The midwife was very professional and knew what she was doing. I experienced some complications and it was handled very professionally.

What this could mean in practice?If you are in a care home and can’t go to the toilet alone, staff should offer support in a timely fashion and give you the privacy you want. You should not be left to wet your bed or strain your body while you hold it in

Rights in more detail

4. The right to information and education

I have the right to information and education about how to take care of myself and what I am entitled to within the health and social care system.

Pharmacists are very good. The pharmacist will correct the GP or tell you to go to A&E if you should do. My pharmacist does talk to my GP to talk about the prescription to check its OK.

What this could mean in practice?If you have diabetes, you should be able to find out how nutrition affects your condition and you should be given advice on how to manage your diet effectively.

Rights in more detail

7. The right to be involved

I am an equal partner in determining my own health and wellbeing. I have the right to be involved in decisions that affect my life and those affecting services in my local community.

With my direct payment, I am in control of my care and my life. I chose who comes into my home and what they do to support me.

What this could mean in practice?If you are a young person with a mental health condition, your ideas, opinions and concerns should be treated on an equal basis with the professionals when planning how you will be supported in the future.

Rights in more detail

Let’s get talking!

Today we would like to start a conversation with you, local Healthwatch, to understand how you might put this into practice. We want to hear from you what these rights mean in your local community and how, together, we bring these rights to life in our work.

• Email your thoughts to rights@healthwatch.co.uk

• Join the webinar on 16 October

• Go to our website for interactive content and to leave feedback

• Take part in the online conversation on Twitter using #thinkrights

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Next stepsThis is just the beginning of our work on consumer rights in health and social care.

By next year we will have:

• had conversations with the public, people who use services and people who advocate for them about their experiences of these rights

• undertaken a formal consultation process, ending in December

• collaborated with people who use mental health services and children and young people, to understand better what these rights mean for them

• checked whether the right laws, policies and practices are in place you can inform your local communities about how they assert their rights and we can use our statutory powers to advise Government

Thank you!

14@HealthwatchE #thinkrights