Healthwatch

Voices

Issue 6 Autumn

2014 Your views on your health and care services

In this issue:

Transforming Community Services

Leaving hospital

The Care Act 2014

Contact us

0800 520 0640

info@healthwatchdevon.co.uk

www.healthwatchdevon.co.uk

Healthwatch Devon,

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Healthwatch Devon is a

registered charity (No: 1155202)

and is a joint venture with the

Community Council of Devon.

Registered Charity No: 1074047

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We welcome all contributions* to Healthwatch Voices but regret that we cannot guarantee publication and we reserve the right to edit for reasons of space or style. To

contribute an article, please email info@healthwatchdevon.co.uk

*Published items do not neccessarily represent the views of Healthwatch

Devon

Contents

Photograph credits

Cover: Alexander Raths - Fotalia

P3: WavebreakMediaMicro - Fotalia

P6: Aleha2011 - Fotalia

P13: Dean Mitchell

P14: DragonImages - Fotalia

Page 1From the Exec’s deskAlerts and escalations

Page 2 - 3What happens when people leave hospital?

Page 3Looking ahead

Page 4Any qualified provider?

Page 5 - 8Feature: Transforming Community Services

Page 9 - 10Your Stories

Page 11Devon Link-Up learn about healthy teeth

Page 12 - 13The Care Act 2014

One simple example is that, with a prolonged squeeze on public expenditure, it is often our supposedly “retired” citizens who step in as volunteers to help vital community services keep going.

Sadly, our senior citizens can’t soldier on for ever, and at some point, we all become more prone to the common ailments of old age. So how can our health and care services cope with the combined pressures of an ageing population, and a tight public purse?

For NHS planners, the answer lies in a transformation of community health services. And in many Devon communities, there will be public meetings through the autumn to

discuss how health and care services can be moved “closer to home”.

But what does “transforming community health services” actually mean? That’s what we’re exploring in this issue of Voices. Our main feature, starting on page 5, includes patients’ stories about their direct experiences of ‘care closer to home’. We hear from young people in the Budleigh Salterton area about their vision of community health services for the future. And you can see how we used feedback from people across Devon to feed into a formal consultation

Read on to find out more - and if you have your own views on community health services, let us know!

Alerts and escalations

Some of the feedback we get is serious enough to require referral to other inspection and scrutiny bodies. Here are some recent examples:

We have escalated concerns to the Care Quality Commission in relation to a residential care home and a primary care service in Devon.

We submitted evidence in relation to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to the Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee as part of a review of the service.

We have reported to the Health and Wellbeing Board on the topic of Health and Wellbeing in Older Age.

We have made formal requests for information relating to problems that have been reported to us about:

• Hospital discharge procedures for homeless people

• Patient transport services

From the

Exec’s desk

Board meetings go public!

There has been a lot in the press recently about people going to Accident and Emergency services for minor ailments that their GP could have dealt with.

We asked you how easy you find it to get an appointment with your GP, and what you do if you can’t. Over 500 people replied, with one quarter saying that getting a GP appointment was not easy. But the good news is that most people don’t go straight to A&E instead – they use their local pharmacy as

the back-up. Our full report – with findings and recommendations - is on the “What we’ve done with your feedback” page on our website.

Also on our website is a report featuring the views of 300 young people on community health services in the Budleigh Salterton area. Finally, look out for our annual report, published in July, with details of our achievements during Healthwatch Devon’s first year.

Latest reports published

Healthwatch Devon is constituted as a charity, and our Board of Trustees meets in public once every three months. You can come along to hear our plans, listen to reports on our work programme, and see presentations from speakers on health and social

care topics. Please give us a call or drop us an e-mail if you’d like to attend any of the following meetings:

• 11th November, Ivybridge• 10th February, South Molton

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Devon is hugely fortunate in having a higher than average proportion of older people in the local population.

Concerns have been prompted by a growing awareness that thousands of people are potentially being sent home without proper support when they leave hospital or a care home. People can be left isolated and end up with difficulties that could have been prevented.

We wanted to make sure that Devon residents could get their voice heard in the national debate. So we - with help from our delivery partners - ran our own local survey to feed in to the national special inquiry.

Our starting point

Healthwatch believes that people have the right to a safe, dignified and quality service.

When people are leaving hospital, this means that they should have somewhere safe to go, with transport, if necessary, to help them get there. And it means that they – together with any relatives or carers - should feel that they have adequate support for their ongoing care.

What we have learned

We have heard from 200 people across Devon. We are still working on the feedback, but the kind of things we have been picking up include:

• Delays in discharging patients with complex needs who require aftercare

• Long waits for physiotherapy appointments following discharge

• Difficulty making arrangements for continuing healthcare, and lack of communication with family members

• A potential lack of care staff in the community to enable home care packages to be set up on discharge

Next Steps

We’re pleased that the NEW Devon Clinical Commissioning Group is already looking at this issue. They recently called together a whole range of health and care professionals to think about how discharge procedures could be improved.

With your help, we have been pulling together a body of evidence from the patients’ perspective to help them get it right.

Healthwatch England will be reporting to Parliament in the autumn. At the same time, we will be passing on your feedback to NHS managers in Devon. Watch this space for more news!

What happens whenpeople leave hospital?

In June, Healthwatch England launched a special inquiry into hospital discharge. Healthwatch Devon, along with local healthwatch across England, was invited to feed into a national report to be presented to Parliament.

Over 200 people have spoken out on hospital discharge

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The Devon Disability Network (DDN) is a partner of Healthwatch Devon, supporting people with disabilities and Deaf people to speak out on health and social care services and to participate in consultations and events.

Our recent work with members on the special inquiry into hospital discharge highlighted an issue with lack of communication during some discharges. Experiences included:

• A Doctor recommending discharge but the process taking over 6 hours. This left the patient missing meals and feeling confused as to when they would go home.

• An individual being discharged at 2am without their family being informed, resulting in a large taxi bill.

• No care plan or post discharge care/contact, leaving the patient still awaiting a GP appointment 3 weeks later and unsure if the GP has been informed of their admission and discharge.

The DDN works with our members to support them in getting their voice heard on issues that are important to them. For more information contact Sue on 01392 459222 or email ddn@livingoptions.org.

Devon Disability Network

on hospital dischargespeak out

As always, there is plenty happening in the world of health and social care, and we have picked out four top topics for Healthwatch over the autumn and winter.

Social care is a big one, with the Care Act coming into force from next April. Check page 12 to see what it might mean for you. At the same time, Devon County Council is starting a programme of closure of care homes and day care services. If you are affected, we want to keep in touch with you, and to hear about your experiences.

Community services are also in the spotlight, with a “transformation” being carried out by NHS managers. We have already responded to a formal consultation, feeding in views and experiences from the general public. We’ll now follow through, making sure that your views continue to count.

Mental health services, especially for young people, are a major concern. And from January, we’ll be feeding in to a national inquiry, led by Healthwatch England. Look out for opportunities to get your voice heard.

Last but not least are GP services. Our recent survey on non-urgent care revealed that lots of people have difficulties getting GP appointments, and may be unsure of how else to get help. The Care Quality Commission is strengthening its inspection of GP services – aiming to put poorly performing practices into “special measures”. We will be working with them to increase patient feedback.

To keep in touch with all of this, visit our website or get on our mailing list. We want you to hear from us, so we can hear from you!

Looking ahead

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Any qualified provider?

The large contractor

Serco is one private sector organisation that has been hugely successful in bidding for large scale health service contracts. Which is why it was surprising to see a recent announcement that the company would be scaling down its presence in the health market.

The move appears to be prompted by Serco’s view that clinical service contracts are too onerous, resulting in large - and largely unforeseen - cost overruns. The Health Service Journal reported in August that Serco had made “a multimillion pound loss on its NHS contracts”.

The news follows the early termination of Serco’s contract to provide out of hours GP services in Cornwall. “Operational challenges” and problems with performance reporting led to an inquiry by the Parliamentary Accounts Committee, which was critical of the company’s approach.

The transport provider

In Devon there have been reports of problems with NSL, the patient transport provider that took over the contract from the South West Ambulance Trust.

Following numerous complaints, health service commissioners have declared themselves unhappy with the standard of service and an investigation has been carried out by the Care Quality Commission.

A spokesman from NEW Devon Clinical Commissioning Group told Healthwatch Devon:

“It is clearly not acceptable that people are continuing to experience problems with the non-emergency patient transport service, provided by NSL Care Services and commissioned by NEW Devon CCG.

We are continuing to work with NSL to ensure it meets the key performance standards that we and patients in Devon expect.”

The meals service

In a further development, Healthwatch Devon has heard from a customer of a Hot Meals Delivery service who has been let down by her provider. The woman, who lives on her own and is partially sighted, received a letter giving her just three weeks’ notice of withdrawal of the service. An alternative provider has offered frozen meals, but the customer’s sight problems means that she struggles to use a microwave or oven and cannot safely reheat the food.

Issues like these inevitably raise questions about putting much needed services out to contract. The “any qualified provider” principle is meant to ensure competition between providers, and offer value and choice to service users. Most of the time the principle works just fine, but clearly that is not always the case.

Many people still think of the NHS as a single, state-run healthcare service. In fact, health services these days are provided by a mix of public, private and voluntary organisations. While this mix generally works well, there are occasional problems.

Have you experienced something similar?

Have you had experience of a health or care service switching from one provider to another? Was the handover smooth? And

was the new service better or worse?

Contact us! Freephone:0800 520 0640

info@healthwatchdevon.co.uk

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Devon has a growing population of elderly people, and ever more people living with the illnesses of old age. Conditions like alzheimer’s, stroke and general frailty put increasing pressure on health and care services. But most people don’t want to go into hospital or a care home unless they really have to. So how can we help people to stay fit and well for as long as possible in their own homes?

NHS managers are wrestling with these problems - and if you are over 65,

or have elderly relatives, you may be grappling with these issues yourself.

In this edition of Voices, we look at how community health and care services are being overhauled right across Devon. We hear about the experiences of elderly patients. We hear what young people think. And if all of this matters to you, we want to hear from you as well!

An national perspective and local context

Transforming Community Services Specialfeature

Locally, the NEW Devon Clinical Commissioning Group has been working on a new strategy for community health services. They have received nearly 300 responses to a consultation exercise, with local organisations and individuals giving detailed feedback on their proposals.

Healthwatch Devon sent its own response to the consultation, based on feedback from people around Devon. Here are the main points that we made:

• Geography matters. Health service managers should not assume that people will always go to their nearest hospital or health service. Their decision may be influenced by things like their local bus route or a past experience of care.

• Continuity of care matters. Feedback indicates that care is not always communicated well or handed over effectively from one service to another. The quality of care that people receive must be consistent and should not be hindered by unnecessary delays or poor communication.

• Care workers matter. Some people in rural parts of Devon struggle to find care staff to look after them at home. Recruitment and retention of care staff needs to be considered very carefully when the focus of care shifts from a hospital or care service to a person’s own home.

Integrated, personal and sustainable

Community Services for the 21st Century -A Strategic Framework

‘As more people live into older age we need services which support people to remain as well as possible for as long as possible in their own homes and communities. The ambition is to increase the healthy years of life and reduce the social isolation.’ NHS England chief nursing officer

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Bryan lives on his own, and has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease which can make it difficult for him to breathe. He recently suffered a severe flare up and became very unwell. “I couldn’t do anything for myself and frankly felt that I was on deaths door.”

Bryan was referred to the rapid response service, and then received twice daily visits from the District Nurses. Occupational and physiotherapists also visited to support him with his rehabilitation.

“The whole care package was above my expectations, especially with all the furore there has been about closing down the beds in the cottage hospital (where I have previously been as a patient). There was no need for hospital because I would have just gone through the same processes there as I did here.”

I was encouraged by the people who visited me, which was great. They overcame the misery that I was feeling! It took six weeks before I was really ready to face the open air again.

The only thing I would fault is the lack of coordination between the people who provide the services. I was astonished at how many people were involved with me.

I never knew who was going to arrive, at what time or what they were expecting to do. I had to dictate the same thing to a different person twice per day! I couldn’t quarrel with the intention of this but it was frustrating especially as I was feeling pretty awful.

A lead person would be helpful for the whole process – like a care coordinator, they could leave the patient with a map of who is coming from where and when. I was in no doubt though that if I did need to call, someone would come.

Personally, in my present and immediate past state I would feel very confident to be treated at home because the people I have been concerned with have been remarkable.

Nobody wants to get seriously ill. But if you do, it may be comforting to know that you are being taken into hospital, with specialist care on tap.

What does care at home feel like?

Bryan’s story

The whole care package was above my expectations

The only thing I would fault is the lack of coordination between the people who provide the services

Transforming Community Services ...

However, for some people, hospitals are frightening places, that can feel institutional and impersonal. The overhaul of community services is meant to bring healthcare into the privacy and comfort of your own home. But what does it feel like in practice? Here two patients share their experiences.

6 *Photos posed by models

What does care at home feel like?Joyce’s experience

I’m not sure about community services because…

“No one was available in the day as they are so short of staff. A member of staff had to travel from Mid Devon over to East Devon at the end of their working day. When staff do arrive they are wonderful, but the service needs more money and more staff for it to work for the people living in Devon.”

Joyce lives alone at her home and in the last year has been admitted to both North Devon District and Torrington Hospitals. She has also received care from the district nurses and rapid response teams at home for various problems.

“The care I received at Torrington was excellent. I was in a lot of pain and they were never too busy to help me. Quite honestly I do think that the beds are needed for post-operative care or observations – that is what I was in for. I live on my own you see, and I don’t think I could have had the same level of care at home because I was in such a lot of pain. Luckily Torrington was close for my daughter to visit too – she couldn’t have come to Barnstaple for all that time.”

After discharge, Joyce was supported at home with input from the GP and district nurses. “The District Nurses were brilliant - so supportive, so good. Now they come every three months, but I know that I can call them whenever.”

It is likely that Joyce will require further surgery which may be quite a big operation. “I don’t know what the aftercare will be if I do have the surgery” Joyce says, “The older you get the longer it takes to recover. I don’t know if I would be able to recover at home, I do have a lot of friends in the village, but they all lead their own lives. The District Nurses are all very nice, but they don’t hang around, because they are busy. My daughter wouldn’t be able to live here, but she would come up.”

“It would be good if there were other services at the hospital. It’s the way forward – that’s the thing isn’t it. I think people worry about if they would have to pay for care as well. I have received good care from the district nurses too. Nothing is too much trouble and if there has been a problem they have always come out straight away. They were fantastic.”

“The Doctor is available in emergencies and they run a useful Managing your Memory course. We also have a dedicated support worker. The Memory Café and Singing to Remember are helpful in stimulating my husband and providing social interaction. Also there is Walk and Talk and Feel Better with a Book. In all we have an active life that I am sure slows down my husband’s deterioration.”

I like community services because…

What do you think?If community health services matter to you - or to someone you care about - we want to hear from you.

What works well and what needs to be improved? How are you feeling about possible changes to services in future? What would you do if you were in charge?

We will continue to collect feedback on this important issue, and will make sure that NHS managers steering the changes to community services keep hearing the views of Devon residents.

Contact us! Freephone:0800 520 0640

info@healthwatchdevon.co.uk

The District Nurses are all very nice, but they don’t hang

around, because they are busy

What have others said about community services?

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The youth point of view

Our discussions with young people revealed things that we might not otherwise have known. They told us:

• Their top three health and care issues are sexual health, mental health and smoking.

• They want frank and open discussions, but health professionals seem inaccessible or unfriendly.

• They want better awareness of mental health issues, including self-harm.

• Young people with special needs and disabilities often feel excluded from places and activities.

Young people

speak out!

Transforming Community Services ...

The people with the strongest opinions on community services tend to be those who have been using the services for some time.

Put another way, community services really matter to older people, and those that require regular care. But young people are important stakeholders too.

Young people can bring fresh ideas and insights to the discussion, especially as they are not held back by traditional assumptions. And young people use the services too!

We went to Budleigh Salterton - a place with a very high average age. But we went to seek out the area’s youth, and found nearly 300 young people who were willing to share their views.

Imagining the future

We asked young people to imagine what the Budleigh community hospital could look like if it was redesigned as a health and wellbeing hub. Some of their top ideas included:

Health professionals take note – young people have a vision worth listening to!

Nearly 300 young people have shared

their views

Gym

Youth clubArt room

CinemaInternet cafe

SaunaGames room

These may not look like traditional health services. But the goal of community health services is to enable people to remain fit and well for as long as possible in their own homes and communities. Gyms keep people active. Internet cafes bring people together online and can offer tele-care. Cinemas and art rooms help reduce isolation. So it seems young people have got it spot on!

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Your Stories

I hear about so many cuts in the NHS budget - the news is full of reports about reductions in spending. I sit at home with a mental health problem. I have been to see my GP and asked for help. Now I am told I will have to wait - it could be a year!

Here I am, it’s taken a life time to get to the point where the issues I have carried for so long have caused me to lose my job, my friends, and have cost my family dearly. So I sit alone and weep, and wait. My diet is terrible so my health suffers. I stop going out. I am scared and so my weight climbs. I have no one to talk to and my thoughts run riot.

‘What sort of help do you need’ they say, ‘why are you so depressed?’ ‘Have you tried relaxation classes?’ ‘Well, ask your GP for some medication to see you through it’, I hear so often.

My money starts to get into a mess - I try to treat myself to feel better and instead I get a card bill that frightens me half to death. In an attempt to make friends I try to buy friendship.

The benefit system scares me. Again the media has turned the public against those of us who are most vulnerable and at a low in our lives, when we so desperately need support. The process is slow and humiliating.

I sit at home and wait. What does this long wait do to me? I sure feel let down. I lose hope. I feel my mental

health decline and my sleep patterns get worse. Thoughts blacker, I start to think more about taking my life; I even write a note to those I love.

One day a letter hits the floor in the hall, I am to have an assessment, in ten weeks… Little by little I regain hope and desire to get out of this awful place. I attend the appointment. I do my best to share my difficulties and I raise my game for a few hours. Two weeks later another letter – ‘at the present time you don’t meet the criteria, please contact us if things get worse’.

Months pass again, another referral - this time I cannot raise my game. The letter comes and tells me you are on the waiting list for a care manager; the usual waiting time is four months. I wait six. I don’t have much energy any more. I have lost faith and don’t believe in getting better - I almost forget how I felt when I was well.

Quite a job my care manager has on her hands - the system has failed me for far too long. Positive support lets me dare to tackle that which seems impossible, and little by little becomes available to me again. Support gives me a reason to try, support brings success.

Mental health services are full of staff who work brilliantly with almost no resources, but it takes far too long to get to see them. There is no parity to physical health - what message does that give out?

Accessing mental health servicesStevie describes her struggle to get help for a mental health problem, and how it caused her illness to worsen before she was eventually granted the help she needed.

“Today I get the help I need from people who really care, are patient, and have given me the confidence to share all - that is such freedom and for the first time in years I have hope. But the battle I have gone through to get it has been horrid, and I am sure if I had been given help when I first asked, the bill would have been vastly reduced.”

This was Stevie’s struggle, but how was yours? Contact us! Freephone:0800 520 0640 info@healthwatchdevon.co.uk

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Your Stories

Here is just one example of someone they have recently supported.

A lady had a bad experience at a Devon hospital where she had been booked in for an investigative procedure.

The lady had to drink several litres of liquid in the days leading up to the appointment to ensure her bowels were empty for the procedure. This can result in sickness and diarrhoea.

On both occasions the procedure was cancelled when she arrived at the hospital, resulting in unnecessary stress, time off work and childcare.

The client is currently pursuing a complaint against the hospital. But her experience can also be put alongside similar stories that have been reported to CAB and Healthwatch Devon. So we can then take combined reports (with personal details removed) to managers of health and care services, helping them to understand what works – and what doesn’t – from the patient’s point of view.

Have you experienced something similar to this? Would you like to share your experience or seek help or advice? Pop into your local Citizens Advice Bureau or call 08444 111 444.

The Citizens Advice Bureau works in partnership with Healthwatch Devon to provide one-to-one support for individuals seeking help with health and care issues.

Better late than never…Way back in 2013, we helped a caller to Healthwatch Devon with a concern about a local health service. The caller had had problems with telephoning their GP practice to cancel an appointment. They never seemed to be able to get through, and when they left a message, no-one ever called back.

We showed the caller how to post a comment on the NHS Choices website, where any patient can rate and review a local health service. Service providers (GP’s hospitals etc) can see what patients are saying, and can post their own replies, thanking people for good feedback, or apologising for any problems.

Our caller posted their comment and waited for a response. None came…

But just this week, we were amazed to see that - fully a year on from posting the comment - it was answered! The practice apologised for their failure and offered the caller an opportunity to discuss the problem in person.

Several other ancient comments about this practice on the NHS Choices website have also been answered recently. So it looks as though the practice has suddenly realised that its shortcomings are being exposed, and is hurriedly trying to put its house in order. Better late than never!

If you want to comment on your service, go to the NHS Choices website, and look for “Comments”. Or just have a look and see what other people are saying!

Speak Out!You can contact us at any time to give us your views on any local health or care service.

But from time to time, we also want to hear from people who have experience of particular services that we are looking into.

By feeding in to questionnaire surveys or focus groups, you can help to make sure that health and care service managers get a better understanding of the front line experience of service users.

We currently want to hear from people with long term health conditions, and from people who may be affected by new legislation affecting carers.

Go to our website and look for “Speak Out”, then “Consultation and Engagement Activities” for these, and more, opportunities to speak out.

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Devon Link Up learn about

Recently, Devon Link Up members have been looking at their teeth with help from Tracey Andrews, an oral health educator who works for Torbay and South Devon Clinical Commissioning group.

Some people worry about visiting the dentist because of the noises and pain but generally people said it was ok and if they knew the dentist it was better. When people had bad experiences at the dentist they often did not go back.

Tracey explained how to brush teeth properly and how to look after dentures. Some people have been using toothpaste to clean their dentures and Tracey said it is important to use denture paste and sterilising tablets.

Tracey talked to everyone about sugary drinks and how sugar affects your teeth. She also talked about fluoride because there are arguments about whether it is good for us; Tracey thought it was better to have it.

With Tracey’s help it is clear that people need reminding about good dental care and need to have more information about the things that are important such as denture care.

Devon Link Up is a user led organisation for people with learning disabilities. The group gives people the opportunity to speak up about the things which are important to them.

“I found it very interesting and she explained things very clearly.”

“She told us about looking after your teeth - like not using mouthwash straight away.”

healthy teeth

What did Devon Link-Up members think about what they were told?

“It was very good - 10 out of 10.”

“I was a bit surprised to learn you are not meant to rinse the toothpaste off after cleaning your teeth.”

For more information about Devon Link-Up and the work it does to support those with learning disabilities. Take a look at their website devonlinkup.wordpress.com or call 07808 053992

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• Everyone who is referred to a Local Authority will be entitled to an assessment of need.

• There will be a new focus on prevention and wellbeing.

• Care will become more ‘person-centred’. You will begin to hear of ‘personal care and support plans’, outlining what support people need to live well.

• ‘Personal Budgets’ will be set, giving people the choice on how to spend money on their care.

• Carers will have new rights to put them on the same footing as the people they care for.

• There will be a new framework for safeguarding adults.

In response, the most comprehensive overhaul of social care since 1948 has been undertaken. The Care Act is the name of the new framework for adult social care. It comes into force in April 2015.

Some aspects of the Care Act have become headline news. For example placing a limit on the amount anyone will have to pay towards the cost of their social care. But there is much more to it than that!

The Care Act 2014At some point in our lives we are all likely to need some form of social care either for ourselves or a family member. However the demand for health and social care is increasing.

The Care Act will require significant changes to the way Devon County Council and the NHS administers and provides social care service.. Healthwatch Devon is keen to ensure service user voices are heard and there opportunities to learn more and have your say.

Forthcoming events are:

The Care Act in Devon

Tuesday 28th October 10am – 2.30pm, Westbank, Exminster

Thursday 13th November 10am – 2.30pm, Best Western Hotel, Tiverton

Monday 24th November 10am – 2.30pm, Watermark Centre, Ivybridge

Please contact Sally Holland at Devon Carers Voice S.Holland@westbankfriends.org, or telephone 08456 434435

for more information or to book your place.

We have a page specifically about the Care Act on our website, where new engagement opportunities will be promoted: http://www.healthwatchdevon.co.uk/the-care-act-2014/

The Department of Health have produced a series of fact sheets to help understand different aspects of the Care Act: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-2014-part-1-factsheets

Healthwatch has a partnership with the Citizens Advice Bureau who can offer information and support about the Care Act and what it might mean for you. Contact CAB Devon on 08444 111 444 or visit your local CAB office.

For further information

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It looks likely that the ‘core offer’ of services to carers will change and Devon County Council will need to offer Carer Assessments and support to more carers than it does now.

A team of Devon Carers Voice involvement project workers will be building links with carers groups and networks to keep you informed about new consultation opportunities and the health and social care issues you want to speak out about. (Individual carers can also stay in touch with the fortnightly Carers Voice e-bulletin).

Every carers group is invited to nominate 1 or 2 of their members to become ‘Carer Ambassadors’ who can attend County Carers Network meetings to meet carers from other areas and feedback the issues which are important to their group. The Carers Network will meet 3 times a year and will elect carer representatives to sit on strategic bodies and report back.

There are also opportunities for carers of people with Mental Health problems to help shape services. Carers are needed to sit on the Devon Partnership Trust Carers’ Charter Monitoring

Group, the Multi-Agency Acute Care Pathway group which meets monthly and a focus group about emergency care in a mental health crisis. Please get in touch with Pam White at pamela@sdevoncarers.org.uk or telephone 01626 325621 if you would be interested.

To find out more about Devon Carers Voice or how you and your carers group can get involved in the Carers Network, please go to www.devoncarersvoice.org or e-mail Lynsey at l.self@westbankfriends.org or telephone 08456 434435.

The Care Act and carersDevon Carers Voice is helping carers have their say on how the Care Act will work in Devon.

Devon Senior Voice

Given that this Act has been described as the biggest shake-up in care and support in more than 60 years – intended to put people and their carers in control of their care and support, and capping the amount anyone will have to pay – Devon Senior Voice (DSV) has keenly followed its various stages as there will be significant effects on its members

During the recently completed consultation period DSV submitted comments on the draft regulations and guidelines that relate to the care and support reforms and provisions coming into effect in April 2015. Additional reforms will come into effect from

April 2016, and there will be a separate consultation on these.

DSV are focusing on the Act for the next six months, and are explaining to all its members the changes that will be affecting them. They recommend that everyone should explore and discuss the implications for themselves as well.

After all, even if we or members of our family are well at the moment and feel that the topic of care and support is irrelevant to us, we have to consider that in future we may be affected by poor health, the need for care or a change in our financial circumstances.

speak outRepresenting the voice of older people, Devon Senior Voice share their views on the Care Act.

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Please tell us about your experience or share your views, good or bad, about local health and social care services. By sharing your experiences, you can help shape and improve services for the future. Your voice counts and together we can make a difference.

Speak out online: www.healthwatchdevon.co.uk/speak-out/By phone: 0800 520 0640Or by post: Healthwatch Devon, Freepost RTEK-TZZT-RXAL, First Floor, 3 & 4 Cranmere Court, Lustleigh Close, Matford Business Park, Exeter EX2 8PW

Speak out today!