Issue 18

December 2014

Welcome to the December special edition newsletter from

Healthwatch North Lincolnshire, the independent consumer

champion for health and social care.

The last couple of months have been a busy time here at Healthwatch North Lincolnshire, with lots of positive projects taking place, from Enter and View, volunteer workshops, and a visit from Healthwatch England amongst other work. This December edition of our newsletter, celebrates the work we have been doing as we look ahead to more exciting projects in 2015. So grab a cup of tea, put your feet up and enjoy reading! Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year. The Healthwatch North Lincolnshire Team

Season’s Greetings from HWNL

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Latest News Page 3 Overview from our Delivery Manager

Chairs Blog – Julia Pollock

HWNL takes local views to the heart of Westminster

Suffering in Silence

Our Work with Partners Page 6 Healthwatch praised for work with local MPs

Wheelchairs at SGH

Macmillan Yorkshire & Humber Cancer Conference

Health Promotion Page 8 Healthy Workplace Bronze Award

Making Every Contact Count – Healthy Chat

Training Page 10 Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) First Aid

Dementia Friends

Community Engagement Page 11 Healthwatch work with local BME community

Our Team Page 12 HWNL welcomes a new team member

Information & Signposting Service Enquiries

HWNL Directory

Research Themes & Trends

Our Volunteers Page 14 Vice Chair Blog – Wendy Coffey

Linda Shaw – Expert Patient Programme

Speak Out Page 16 Sounds Right AGM – your voice shared

Enter & View Page 16 Dignity & Respect – E&V Scunthorpe General Hospital

Emergency Centre – E&V Scunthorpe General Hospital

Looking Ahead Page 19

Dates for your diary 2015 Page 19 Contact Us Page 20

In this issue

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As we come towards the end of our first 18 months, I felt that this was an opportunity to

reflect on what we have achieved.

HWNL is involved in a range of activities to fulfil its statutory

function of being the citizen’s champion for health and social

care in North Lincolnshire and we are proud of our achievements

to date.

Over the past 18 months we have worked hard to listen to

residents about issues directly affecting their health and social

care. Below is a summary of some of the changes we have

achieved:

1. We have provided evidence and public feedback to the CQC and improved their focus on local issues.

2. We have supported local people through advocacy to seek resolution to complaints and access to services (around 100 cases to date).

3. We have looked into patient care pathways for a range of complex cases and hope to influence the way local services are delivered.

4. Our recent research on the use of the emergency care centre is providing independent evidence to help improve services. We have completed extensive Enter & View visits on care homes; report due January.

5. We have been praised by Healthwatch England for sharing information with local MPs in order to focus our research and advocacy work.

6. Our recent enter and view visits to Scunthorpe General Hospital led to some immediate improvements to patient care. We have received a response from NLAG which highlights a number of changes and improvements they intend on implementing.

7. Our work on information and signposting has led to the production of a Health & Care Directory which will be launched in the New Year.

8. We are working with the CCG and Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) to improve PPGs ability to influence change in Primary Care. We are providing training and an induction pack for new PPG members.

9. We have improved awareness of health issues to ‘hard-to-reach’ groups. For example; raising awareness of dementia in BME communities and healthy lifestyles in young people at college.

10. We have worked with NLAG governors to increase the provision of wheelchairs in Scunthorpe General Hospital.

11. We have provided opportunities for local people to improve their confidence and skills through volunteering. E.g. training students to take part in Enter & View, and providing a young woman with the opportunity to manage a project which led to her gaining employment.

We hope to build on this work in 2015 and continue to champion the voice of the people of

North Lincolnshire.

Overview from our Delivery Manager

Latest News

4

Winter can be particularly challenging when it comes to our health. There is not only the

extra coughs and colds to deal with but also the slippery roads and pavements. Every year

we also hear about someone who can’t afford their

heating costs or goes for weeks without a visitor to

check on them. I would hate to think that this could

happen to anyone in this day and age, but we all seem

to live such busy and independent lives. Only a few

years ago I could have counted myself as one of those

people who didn’t have time for anyone and I regret

being that person now. Not to say I am some sort of

saint, far from it! But I do enjoy being able to help a

few people out just occasionally, and I freely admit

that this can be a selfish act as helping others gives you

a lot of pleasure in return.

At this time of year there is a lot of present buying and

receiving, but the best present we can give anyone is time to listen to them and to let

them know we care. Many people struggle to pay for all the things they want, but time is

relatively cheap. In our recent visits to hospital wards, accident and emergency and

residential care homes we came across a lot of people who know how important it is to talk

to those they care for and to take the time to find out what they need. Just occasionally

we also talked to someone who hadn’t been listened to, or someone who felt they had

been rushed to give an answer when they weren’t ready.

These people had much less positive experiences as service users than those who felt

they’d been properly listened to. It’s simple really, but with all the pressure on our

services, it can be the simple things that get overlooked.

So, if someone asks you what you want for a present this year; what about asking them for

the time to talk and be listened to? It’s a real ‘buy one, get one free’ offer.

Farzana Khanum travelled to London to join forces with more than 100 fellow local

Healthwatch organisations to raise the real life concerns of people using health and social

care services.

Attended by more than 80 parliamentarians, as well as key decision makers from across

health and social care, the event provided an opportunity for us to speak about the work

we have been doing to shape local services on behalf of North Lincolnshire residents,

including:

- Every Voice Counts – gathering and analysing local people’s insights and experiences

of health and social care through our experience survey.

- Working in partnership with NHS North Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to support GP Patient Participation Groups (PPG’s) in their role to improve GP services.

Chair’s Blog - Julia Pollock

HWNL takes local views to the heart of Westminster

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- Supporting North Lincolnshire residents

through our Independent Advocacy Complaints Service.

Farzana commented; “Attending the event in

the House of Commons was a great opportunity

to showcase the work of Healthwatch North

Lincolnshire and see the impressive work that

has been carried out across the national

Healthwatch network. Healthwatch England

introduced their latest work ‘Suffering in

Silence’ listening to consumer experiences of

the health and social care complaints system.”

Held in the Houses of Parliament, the reception

was hosted by national body Healthwatch

England to mark the launch of its second annual

report.

Healthwatch England published its report “Suffering in Silence”, into patients' and their families' views and experiences of the complaints system. You can find out more at www.healthwatch.co.uk/complaints

“Suffering in Silence” shows that almost one in three people across England have experienced or witnessed a relative or friend receiving poor quality care at some point in the last year. Yet two thirds of people didn’t complain about it.

People reported that the number one reason they would complain is to prevent others having to suffer. Some feel they are being prevented from doing this because the complaints system is too complicated, takes too much effort and they don’t have faith their feedback will make any difference.

It is important to HWNL to know if residents have experienced similar issues. We are here to help you to work out where to start when making a complaint and ensure views are heard. To tell us of your experiences, you can contact our Independent Complaints Advocacy Service on: 0808 802 3000

What are the solutions? Healthwatch England has made three key recommendations which

it says reflects what the public said they want to see in a complaints system.

Suffering in Silence

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Make it easier to complain: Ways in which the system could make it quicker and easier for everyone to register their concerns and complaints and, crucially, to feel safe and supported to do so.

Ensure a compassionate response and resolution: A number of key principles to ensure

that, no matter who it is raised by or how they raise it, every complaint is taken seriously and offered a meaningful resolution.

Hold to account those who fail to listen: How the system as a whole can step up a gear in

how it handles and learns from complaints, as well as outlining how those who fail to move with the times can be held to account.

The Chair of Healthwatch England, Anna Bradley, who recently met with MP Andrew Percy,

has praised the work of Healthwatch North Lincolnshire and our working relationship with

local MPs.

From the outset, we’ve have held meetings with MPs Nic Dakin and Andrew Percy, to keep

them informed on our work and any themes and trends. An important strand of work is our

Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICA), supporting local people to make an NHS

complaint. We consult with MPs to

see if any complaints they receive

follow similar themes to the ICA

service, thus shaping our research and

preventing incidents of poor care.

Discussing our work openly has helped

to build this relationship over the last

two years.

Julia Pollock our Chair commented;

“Working in partnership with MPs

works well for us. It provides us with

valuable information on peoples’

experience and concerns around

health and care services. Local

politicians are a good source of local

feedback on services, with a postbag of hundreds of letters every month about issues in

the constituency. We are able to pick up any themes or trends and use these to inform our

work and identify where there may be problems emerging. ”

Farzana Khanum says “Discussing our work openly with MPs is beneficial as it can help

identify problems and trends that shape our research, potentially preventing incidents of

poor care.”

Healthwatch England praise HWNL for our work with MPs

Our work with partners

7

MP Andrew Percy commented; “I am delighted to be working closely with Healthwatch,

particularly sharing information with regards to issues and complaints raised locally by

constituents. By sharing particular trends and themes in these complaints, we are able to

ensure that those involved in scrutinising local health services are able to work in a joined

up manner to ensure that those areas of concern are addressed.”

Nic Dakin, Scunthorpe MP remarked after reading HWNL’s first Annual Report; “A useful

comprehensive account of a challenging first year. The challenge for the second year is

for more people and organisations to be aware of what you can do for them and to have

some tangible things you can point to, to demonstrate that you are beginning to make a

difference.”

Looking ahead to the future, Healthwatch are in a good position to be the one-stop-shop

for complaints in line with Healthwatch England’s recent report ‘Suffering in Silence’.

Working together with MPs could be way of increasing direct referrals to the ICA service.

Here at Healthwatch North Lincolnshire, we have a new Independent Complaints Advocate

in place and hope to approach our MPs in the New Year about holding ICA surgeries at the

different constituencies, supporting the public to make a complaint and raising awareness

of Healthwatch.

Our Chair recently visited Scunthorpe General Hospital with an elderly neighbour with

mobility problems. On arrival at the hospital, Julia had difficulty getting a wheelchair for

her neighbour, making what should have been a simple visit, more complex than planned

due to the lack of wheelchairs.

Julia raised this issue with North Lincolnshire Public Governor and Healthwatch supporter

Harold Edwards, to see how Healthwatch and North Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS

Foundation Trust (NLAG) could work

together to resolve this. Harold took this up

with the executive team at the Trust and

action was taken immediately. Thirty eight

of the ‘missing’ forty wheelchairs were

found straight away, and all wheelchairs

distributed to the main entrances of the

hospital. The Trust are looking into the

feasibility of attaching a tracking device on

each wheelchair. In the meantime,

replacement wheelchairs are on order for

Scunthorpe and Grimsby hospitals and some

spare wheelchairs from Goole Hospital have

been re-distributed between the two sites.

Healthwatch would like to thank Harold for

his support resolving this issue quickly. Julia was fortunate that she knew where to go for

help and support. If you or someone you know experiences a similar issue in a local

healthcare setting, report it to the service provider or get in touch with Healthwatch North

Lincolnshire 01724 844986.

Wheelchairs at Scunthorpe General Hospital

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HWNL were invited to a regional Yorkshire and Humber Self Help and Support Group

Conference, hosted by Macmillan.

Throughout the day, a series of workshops

took place, including a seminar on user

involvement in the new health and social

care landscape.

Farzana represented Healthwatch from

across the region, delivering a presentation

introducing Healthwatch, the work being

carried out and how local people can get

involved.

“This was a fantastic opportunity to

showcase the work of local Healthwatch and

how local support groups and individuals can

get involved in their local Healthwatch and

help influence change in local health and

social care services.”

A large number of people from Cancer User Involvement groups and self help and support

groups from across the region took part in the event.

North Lincolnshire Healthy Workplace Award Scheme is a North Lincolnshire Council

initiative set up to recognise local businesses that

value a healthy workforce.

There are three levels to work towards; bronze, silver

and gold, looking at health themes such as smoking,

diet, exercise and mental health and wellbeing. Bob

Hulme, Healthy Workplace Coordinator supports

businesses to achieve the awards.

Pictured at the presentation are Annabel Tindale, Cllr

Liz Redfern, Cllr Nigel Sherwood & Kirsten Spark.

Healthwatch volunteer, Shadia Reisa tells us more about working towards to bronze award.

Healthy Workplace Bronze Award

Macmillan Yorkshire & Humber Cancer Conference

Health Promotion

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‘As a volunteer here at Healthwatch North Lincolnshire, I have been working towards

achieving the Healthy Workplace Award. This award recognises companies that

demonstrate a positive approach towards the health and wellbeing of its employees.

Appointed as lead coordinator, I have been collating evidence

for a portfolio to apply for the bronze award. First, I analysed

questionnaires to assess staff needs and following this, I

formed an action plan to improve our workplace to meet their

needs better. Some action points included introducing ‘fruit

days’ where staff were encouraged to bring fruit, and making

water bottles and filtered water available to staff so as to

promote healthy eating. Another initiative was walking to

lunch, which has proven to be fun but also refreshing and

stress relieving. I also introduced a ‘health board’to the

office which displays important health messages, health in

the news as well as advertising local facilities such as gyms

and classes.

We have been successful in implementing changes, which have resulted in staff benefitting

from a more health enhancing working environment and being more productive and

content. This just proved how seemingly small changes can be very significant to improving

your lifestyle and wellbeing.’

HWNL has delivered ‘Healthy Chat’ a public health initiative to 138 students at North

Lindsey College. Heathy Chat is part of the Every Contact Counts Scheme, raising awareness

of health inequalities and statistics around key health messages in North Lincolnshire.

Students learnt about five key health themes; smoking, obesity,

substance misuse, sexual health and mental health. Through

group activity and engagement students were equipped with the

tools to prompt a ‘healthy chat’ conversation around these

messages and advise where to signpost people to local support

services.

Students found the session a valuable learning

experience:

“The session informed me well about what Healthwatch

is and the ladies leading the session spoke clearly and

made sure that we all got involved and they were

approachable.”

“It was an interesting presentation which gave me more

knowledge and told me things I may not have previously

known.”

Making Every Contact Count – Healthy Chat

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HWNL hosted a First Aid Awareness course with Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS). Volunteers, partners, members of the public and community groups attended the event to learn lifesaving skills in common emergencies such as a heart attack and stroke. The talk covered CPR, choking, cuts and grazes.

Don Buxton Commercial Training Instructor at Yorkshire Ambulance Service who delivered the training explains: “Effective bystander intervention, particularly CPR in a cardiac arrest situation, can make a significant impact in successful patient outcomes.” Annabel Tindale commented: “HWNL is delighted to host this event with YAS. We’ve had a great turnout from members of our local community and hope they now

feel confident in first aid and have the skills needed to help in a medical emergency.” Feedback reported…. “Well delivered, covers a lot of basic first aid in a light hearted manner.” “This has been a great experience. I have gained a vast amount of knowledge, which I am able to apply in serious cases.”

HWNL hosted a Dementia Friends workshop in partnership with The Alzheimer’s Society.

Volunteers, members of the public and community groups attended the event to learn more about dementia, raise awareness, and how they can support people to live well with

dementia. Currently over 500,000 people across the UK have signed up to be Dementia Friends.

Claire Hebron, Dementia Support Worker explains more about the

national Dementia Friend campaign: “Dementia Friends is a social action movement – to

increase understanding and inspire people to take action. It is funded by the Department

of Health for England and the Cabinet office. It is led by the Alzheimer’s Society as a

strand of its work to create Dementia Friendly Communities. Our target is to reach one

million Dementia Friends by 2015.”

Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) First Aid

Training

Dementia Friends

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Annabel Tindale, Marketing Assistant at Healthwatch North Lincolnshire commented: “Healthwatch North Lincolnshire is delighted to host this event in partnership with The Alzheimer’s Society. We’ve had a great turnout from members of our local community and hope they now feel confident recognising the early signs of dementia, breaking down the stigma around dementia and how they can support people to live well with dementia.”

All attendees signed up to being a Dementia Friend at the end of the workshop. “This session has helped me understand dementia further and helped me become more aware of the signs, thank you.” “This session has helped me understand the role of being a dementia friend – it has been great.”

HWNL have successfully engaged with the local BME community around general experiences of health and social care and more specifically dementia.

In collaboration with Alzheimer’s Society,

Healthwatch provided the Sikh community with a

better understanding of dementia and how to

access dementia support services. Fourteen

dementia champions from the BME community were

recruited to raise awareness of dementia in their

local community. Healthwatch has also established

a local BME ladies group VNEWS, to give women a

voice without fear of discrimination or

intimidation, in partnership with Humberside

Police. In addition, Healthwatch hosted a

celebratory event attended by over two hundred women and children. Their views were

gathered on general experiences of local health and social care services.

You can read both reports in full via the links below:

http://tinyurl.com/q46fsvc Understanding dementia Amongst the Sikh Community

http://tinyurl.com/qfhg826 BME Ladies Consultation

HWNL works with local BME community

Community Engagement

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Our Independent Complaints Advocate Natalie Wilde is on maternity leave, so we’d like to

thank her for her work over the last year and welcome Angie Treadgold as our new

advocate.

Angie has recently joined the team and is looking forward to her role:

“I am really pleased to be joining such a friendly and approachable team.

My work history in main encompasses 18

years of working as a Registered Nurse

within the Grimsby NHS Trust which

included working within Paediatrics,

Surgical Day Unit, Intensive Care Unit and

Child Development Centre. This allowed me

to build on many diverse experiences and as

part of my work I was involved in a project

involving Key-working for families with

Special Needs.

I have direct experience of caring for a

family member with intense needs and was

involved in advocating through the

Parliamentary Health Ombudsmen.

My last eight years have brought me in to

the area of Substance Misuse which has

allowed me to work in depth with clients

with multiple complex needs where I have

supported and advocated within multi-

agency arenas to ensure the best for

clients.

As a result I am extremely passionate about working with individuals and promoting

Diversity & Equality in order to help individuals to feel empowered.

In my spare time I enjoy socialising with friends and family, walking in the countryside,

swimming and travelling.”

If you wold like support to make a complaint call: 0808 802 3000

Our Team

HWNL welcomes new team member

13

Information & Signposting Officer Helen Kirk shares with us what

enquiries she has been getting over the last quarter:

“Enquiries have been steady this quarter with 20 received (to

date) directly into the office since October. Seven of these were

signposted on to the NHS Independent Complaints Advocacy

Service. There was a slight reduction in numbers searching for

dentists and an increase in support organisations referring people

to HWNL.”

If you would like support to find a GP or NHS Dentist or if you have a more complex

enquiry get in touch on 01724 245999

HWNL have produced a Health and Care Directory.

Information and contact details for all GP surgeries,

dentists, care homes, support groups and other health and

care services in North Lincolnshire are conveniently listed

in the directory.

We are planning to launch the directory at the end of

January at venues throughout North Lincolnshire. For all

the latest details on where we’ll be out and about, keep

your eye on our website, Facebook and Twitter in the New

Year.

If you would like a copy of our directory contact the office

on 01724 844986.

Research and Data Analyst, Kirsten Spark updates us on themes and

trends on Healthwatch intelligence.

“Recently Healthwatch has been busy carrying out enter and view

visits at care homes and at the Emergency Centre at Scunthorpe

General Hospital. In addition to this general views and opinions

have been gathered through our ongoing survey, through our

information and signposting function and complaints data.

- There have been several issues raised so far during December. One of these was relating

to waiting for a bed on a ward at Scunthorpe General Hospital, another about lack of personal care, as well as other issues regarding the discharge procedure at the hospital.

- There were two people who told us that they are unable to find an NHS dentist in North

Lincolnshire and have to visit one out of the area.

Information & Signposting Service

Research Themes & Trends

Directory

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- One person told us about their chiropodist appointment which had been repeatedly

cancelled with no explanation.

- There were three specific complaints about not being able to get an appointment at a GP practice. Patients told us that the process of having to ring first thing in a morning did not work as phone lines were always busy and by the time they spoke to a receptionist the GP of their choice was booked up.

All of these concerns will be shared with the services concerned to help them to

understand where improvements need to be made.

We look forward to hearing more about your experiences of health and social care during

2015!”

If you have had a good or bad experience of health and social care services in North

Lincolnshire, then we want to hear about it! Fill in our experience survey via the web

address below…it will only take a few minutes and your views can help shape services now

and in the future.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/hwnlexperiences

I can hardly believe that it's nearly 11 months since

I attended my interview to become part of the

relatively newly formed Healthwatch North Lincs

team. I initially joined to be part of the Enter and

View team but was also co-opted onto the Board as

a Director.

I fully retired in 2011 after working for 46 years

within the NHS and the Private Sector as a qualified

nurse, auditor, manager, matron and project

manager (to mention just a few of the roles!).

Retirement has its advantages but working within

Healthwatch makes such a difference as I can use

some of the knowledge and skills I took years to

master (before I forget them all due to old age!).

Working within a team of people again is great, and

I can also go on holiday when I like without having to ''negotiate'' the dates with my ''boss''.

I attended the Enter and View training in February but we have only recently been using

those skills within some health/social service funded areas. I get involved in all sorts of

Our Volunteers

Vice Chair Blog – Wendy Coffey

15

muliti-agency meetings and workshops in an attempt to get the local services working well

for the local people of all ages.

Unless the people are happy with the services they receive we will continue to feedback to

the organisations that there are still changes to be made. No time for rest yet then!

Linda Shaw has been a volunteer here at

Healthwatch since the summer 2014 and has been

involved in numerous projects including research

in A&E and the patient pathway project. Linda

has also attended Health Scrutiny Panel meetings

and enjoys the varied role of volunteering for

Healthwatch.

Linda has recently attended The Expert Patient

Programme, a free six week course funded by

North Lincolnshire Council and the NHS, for people

living with long-term medical conditions.

“The course came to my notice when I saw

leaflets on display in Scunthorpe General

Hospital, and as I have had Addison’s disease for

38 years, Graves’ disease for 20 years and

diabetes for 14 years, I thought any advice on how

to manage these conditions would be beneficial. I phoned up Sally Eaton, EPP Coordinator

and booked onto the next course.

On my course there were people with a range of long-term conditions; asthma, multiple

sclerosis, severe depression, chronic fatigue – anyone with a long-term condition can take

part.

The course covers many topics, for example:

Dealing with pain & tiredness

Coping with depression

Relaxation techniques

Healthy eating

Communicating with friends, family & health professionals

Positive planning for the future

Having completed the course, I can vouch that it is time well spent, the focus being what

you can do, rather than what you can’t. I have seen for myself how going every week and

being amongst a group that started out as strangers and ended up as friends can change

the way you view the future. You can ask your GP to refer you, or like I did, call Sally

Eaton on 01724 298404. Good luck!

Linda Shaw – Expert Patient Programme

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Farzana attended the Sounds Right AGM as a guest speaker to give an update on

Healthwatch progress and discuss volunteer

opportunities.

The HWNL update was communicated via

electronic note taking (ENT) on a TV screen

and a British Sign Language interpreter

allowing the audience to follow everything.

Issues previously raised with Healthwatch

regarding Northern Lincolnshire and Goole

Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, including

communication, interpreters, staff and

appointments are being further addressed by

the Trust. A member at the meeting welcomed Healthwatch involvement in supporting

hard of hearing groups getting their voice heard.

Gillian Wilson from Sounds Right commented: “Thank you so very much for coming along

to our AGM meeting at the weekend and for your informative and interesting

presentation. Everyone enjoyed your presentation and there was more discussion and very

positive feedback about Heathwatch after you left the meeting too. I think you were able

to explain really clearly to everyone about the current work of Healthwatch and what it

aims to do and importantly it's work in moving forward with inclusivity and

representation from all groups of people including those with hearing loss in our

community.”

Healthwatch plan to work with Sounds Right in 2015.

Part of the work plan of HWNL is to undertake Enter and View visits. HWNL authorised

representatives carry out visits to health and social care services to see how services are

being run and makes recommendations where areas require improvement.

Speak Out

Enter & View

Sounds Right Annual General Meeting (AGM)

17

HWNL identified nine specific wards for the E&V visits as concerns had been raised by the

public and carers through a Healthwatch survey created specifically to gather views and

opinions about SGH ahead of the planned CQC inspection in April 2014. The report

“Views on Scunthorpe General Hospital” (April-July 2014) details the findings of this

survey alongside other intelligence gathered during that period from the Independent

Complaints Advocacy Service (ICA), public contact with HWNL and issues passed on to

HWNL by other organisations.

Healthwatch also undertakes engagement on an on-going basis

using our local Experiences Survey which identifies any areas

of concern with health and social care services as well as

identifying good practice. The findings of this survey to date were

published in the report “Insights into Health & Social Care”

(January to August 2014), and those that related to care at

Scunthorpe General hospital were also used to support the

Enter and View visits.

HWNL wanted to highlight examples of good practice as NLAG

had been under an intense spotlight and Enter and View visits

could be an opportunity to provide reassurance to the public as

well as help monitor that further improvements are being

made.

Across the nine wards at SGH, HWNL E&V authorised representatives spoke to 46

patients, along with a number of ward staff and visitors.

Healthwatch North Lincolnshire made the following recommendations based on the

findings of these Enter and View visits:

1. The Trust to take steps to ensure all staff introduce themselves at the initial point

of contact with the patient and explain the role they have regarding their care.

Steps should be taken to monitor compliance with this practice. The Trust should

reinforce with staff their policy of asking each patient how they wish to be

addressed and ensure adherence to this process is monitored.

2. The Trust to ensure training for staff members at all levels includes awareness of

appropriate and sensitive ways to communicate with all patients including those

experiencing barriers to communication such as language or hearing difficulties.

Best practice regarding appropriate communication should be investigated and

incorporated into the Trust training programme to ensure communication is

sensitive to the needs of individuals.

3. The Trust to provide comprehensive and realistic information about the discharge

process, both on the wards and through links with the discharge lounge. Patients

should be made aware of their next steps in the discharge process, realistic

timescales and the support arrangements available to them after discharge.

Opportunities for multi-agency approaches to discharge planning should be fully

explored to facilitate seamless care and allay patients concerns and anxieties.

Dignity & Respect E&V at Scunthorpe General Hospital

18

4. The Trust to consider carrying out a survey with ward staff to obtain constructive

feedback from frontline staff on how they feel pressures could be alleviated at

busy times, and how alternative staffing options may be most effectively

deployed. Particular attention should be given to how more timely responses to

calls for assistance can be enabled, thus enabling greater preservation of patient

dignity. Healthwatch North Lincolnshire would be willing to support the delivery of

such an exercise.

The Trust provided a comprehensive response, which in summary said:

The Trust very much welcomes the involvement of Healthwatch in undertaking visits of

this nature. The feedback gleaned from these Enter and View visits is invaluable as it

highlights positive feedback in relation to successes, provides reassurance to the public

and also helps to identify areas where improvement is needed. The maintenance of dignity and respect for our patients and their families is a primary

concern for us and we welcome the opportunity to demonstrate actions that can be taken

to minimise distress and to improve in the delivery of high quality care.

Actions that the Trust has committed to undertake include:

More intensive work to ensure that staff introduce themselves and patients are clear on who is responsible for their care.

A review of communications skills training with regard to improving privacy and dignity for patients.

Using HWNL feedback to extend work on discharge planning.

Further improvements to meal options and how food is served to elderly patients.

A full report will be available in the New Year on our website

www.healthwatchnorthlincolnshire.co.uk

In response to concerns about mounting pressure on Accident and Emergency services

locally and nationally, HWNL were keen to gain a better understanding of the pathways

people have used prior to attending the Emergency Centre and also gain a better

understanding of how people access information about treatment and what influences

their choices.

E&V representatives carried out semi-structured

interviews over seven consecutive days which took

place at the end of November at a range of times

between 10.00am and 10.00pm. Over the course of

the week, we managed to speak to over 160

people.

We launched a survey in October to gather the

public’s views on the reasons that lead people to

use the Emergency Care Centre. Over 200 responses

were received, capturing both positive and negative experiences.

Emergency Centre E&V Scunthorpe General Hospital

19

Looking ahead to 2015, HWNL will be responsive to emerging concerns and will use its

statutory powers to research and report on these issues. We will also be conducting a

continuous rolling plan of engagement to proactively target all sections of the community,

as well as building the overall brand of Healthwatch and increasing opportunities for

volunteer involvement.

Reports that Healthwatch will be producing in the coming months include:

HWNL Emergency Centre (A&E) Survey & Enter & View report – both reports will be available on our website.

Children & Young People’s attitudes towards Emergency Care Services.

E&V report on Care Homes. North Lincolnshire Council’s People’s Scrutiny Panel have requested Healthwatch to carry out enter & view visits on selected care homes to report on the level of care and activities currently being delivered.

Patient Care Pathways – a report charting and comparing case studies of six patients that received contrasting experiences of care.

Friday 16th January Healthwatch Board Meeting 1pm-4pm, Council Chambers, Civic

Centre, Scunthorpe, including a Presentation from East Midlands Ambulance

Service. Members of the public are welcome to attend, please call the office on

01724 844986 to confirm your attendance.

Directory Launch – week commencing 26th January at venues across North

Lincolnshire – more details coming soon in the New Year on our website.

Looking Ahead

Dates for your Diary

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Healthwatch North Lincolnshire Unit 25, Queensway Business Centre, Dunlop Way, Scunthorpe, DN16 3RN Tel: 01724 844986 Email: enquiries@healthwatchnorthlincolnshire.co.uk www.healthwatchnorthlincolnshire.co.uk ICA: 0808 802 3000 Information & Signposting: 01724 245999 Farzana Khanum, Delivery Manager 01724 844986 fkhanum@healthwatchnorthlincolnshire.co.uk Angie Treadgold, Independent Complaints Advocate 0808 802 3000 Helen Kirk, Information & Signposting Officer 01724 844986 hkirk@healthwatchnorthlincolnshire.co.uk Kirsten Spark, Patient & Services Analyst 01724 844986 kspark@healthwatchnorthlincolnshire.co.uk Annabel Tindale, Marketing & Admin Assistant 01724 844986 atindale@healthwatchnorthlincolnshire.co.uk

Wishing you all the very best for a happy Christmas and a healthy New Year.

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