Introduction to Healthwatch for Nexus PPG

10 December 2019

What is Healthwatch?

There is a Healthwatch in every area of England, and an umbrella

body - Healthwatch England.

Healthwatch is a statutory function funded by, but independent

from, local authorities.

Healthwatch Southwark is part of Community Southwark, a charity

which works with the local voluntary and community sector.

Our vision is for Southwark residents to be able to

access and receive the best possible health and

social care services, appropriate for our diverse

communities.

What we do

We are the independent champion for the patient voice. We… • provide information and signposting

• promote patient and user involvement

• listen to local people about your needs and experiences

• voice patients’ and users’ views and concerns in order to make services

better.

How we do this

We… • offer different ways to have your say, and use our power to ‘Enter and

View’ services

• connect with local voluntary and community organisations

• write evidence-based reports and recommendations

• use our position on boards and committees to make sure your voice is heard at the top (this includes Primary Care Commissioning Committee)

• engage with health and care providers to directly influence their services

• share information and concerns with Healthwatch England and the Care Quality Commission

• input into local consultations and monitoring systems (e.g. hospitals’ annual Quality Accounts).

Your thoughts…

How could Healthwatch work with Patient

Participation Groups?

What is the purpose of communication?

Good communication between health services and patients… • helps people to make choices • empowers people with information so that they can influence change, and hold decisionmakers to account • shares expertise and ideas on how services can work best and most efficiently •builds trust by helping everyone to understand the reasons for problems/decisions, and through a culture of honesty and respect.

Your thoughts…

What does good communication mean to

you?

What are the characteristics of good

communication? Clarity

Accessibility

Relevance

Completeness – the whole picture

Detail – or how to find out more

Accuracy

Honesty/openness

Timeliness

Considers ‘why’

Inclusive

Most importantly? Two-way:

• consistently explains how to

have a say

• creative, open dialogue

• listening as equals

• strong complaints procedure

• acting on ideas/feedback

• ‘closing the loop’.

Our former priorities

We set priorities in early 2017: 1. Timely access to GPs

2. Going Home (discharge from hospital)

3. Southwark’s nursing homes

4. Help in a mental health crisis

5. The impact of caring on carers

We also aimed to reach people who are seldom heard:

1. LGBTQ+ Community Consultation

2. Faith and Health

Timely access to GPs: our findings

What we did: • 39 practice managers completed our online survey. • Between May and August 2017, we visited all 44 GP practice sites.

• We interviewed at least one receptionist for each - 50 in total.

• We spoke to as many patients as possible. We also promoted the

questionnaire online. Overall, we heard from 550 patients.

• Our report provided an overview of different types of appointment systems, patients’ views on different elements of these, and recommendations for improvements.

• We presented this at a joint event with the CCG in November 2017, attended by 69 people.

Booking appointments in advance

• There is variation in how far ahead practices allow patients to book - some allow only a week. Some patients found this made it impossible to book a convenient slot.

• Some people reported positive experiences with online booking, but some found the online offer inconsistent with what was available via reception.

• Many people mentioned busy phone lines and slots filling quickly – triage

systems often aim to make this more fair.

• Some comments referred to the telephone system:

• whether it keeps on ringing or tells patients their place in a queue

• whether there is a separate cancellations line.

Same-day appointments

Clinical triage • The main issue raised by patients was problems with the call-back

mechanism (missing calls or having to wait around).

• Some patients needed more help to understand triage.

• There were low awareness levels but around 70% seemed willing to use

EPCS.

• There were concerns about EPCS location and cost to get there. Some said the hub allocated to their practice was in a less convenient location than the other hub.

• Some patients wanted their regular GP or didn’t know EPCS has access to notes.

Extended Primary Care Service (EPCS)

We also discussed alternatives to GP appointments with

patients – e.g. online appointments, nurse practitioners,

and in-practice pharmacists.

Receptionists asking about a patient’s

condition • Receptionists at some surgeries use information about a patient’s

condition to provide a note to the triaging GP. In other cases receptionists use this information to advise patients once appointments run out, or to re-direct patients away from same-day GP appointments.

• 63% of patients said that they did not mind being asked, 27% did not like this, and 9% had mixed feelings.

• Some people feel that this question allows better decision-making.

Others felt it was private, or that such questions shouldn’t be asked by non-clinical staff or used to turn people away.

Overall, there was a need for rationalised, clear

information on access to be provided to patients.

Your thoughts…

How does this resonate with your

experiences at Nexus?

Our next priorities

We are beginning work on a new set of priorities: 1. Waiting for hospital treatment

2. Talking therapies

3. ‘Issues with resolving issues’

We will also continue reaching out to those who are seldom heard, probably with a focus on homeless people and asylum seekers/refugees.

How to get involved

• Become a member – sign up to receive news on areas we are looking into and have your say

• Contact us with your feedback and

concerns about services

• Volunteer with us

• Tell others about us.