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In this Issue!

Healthwatch Ealing Update

New Campaign to ‘Make a Sugar Swap!’ Digital Healthy Schools Launched in North West London Schools

Start4Life - Public Health Weaning Programme

It’s ‘Time to Talk’ About Mental Health

Could you be a Change that Lasts Ambassador?

Potential Changes to Specialist Heart and Lung Services at Royal Brompton Hospital Ealing Advice Plus Centre

Making a Complaint

Independent Complaints Advocates

Tips for Staying Healthy this Winter

...plus more!

020 3886 0830 www.healthwatchealing.org.uk info@healthwatchealing.org.uk

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Newsletter, February 2019

Picture: Perivale Park

Pass it on... Please forward this newsletter to your friends, family and colleagues. Healthwatch Ealing is the health and social care champion for local residents. Join now and get involved!

Healthwatch Ealing Update!

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Are you ‘Housebound’? Healthwatch would like to hear your views about the health and care services you receive. We would like to talk with housebound patients about their experience of Homecare services. Tell us about your experience of home care

If you or anyone you know is unable to leave the house and is in receipt of homecare services, please contact the office:

020 3886 0830

info@healthwatchealing.org.uk Join Healthwatch Ealing’s Committee Healthwatch Ealing is your local consumer champion for health and social care. We are looking for new committee members to join our small team and help us improve health and social care services for the people of Ealing. Do you have an interest in health and social care? Are you a student looking for experience? Come and observe one of our meetings and see if it’s something you want to get involved in. Please call the office for a chat & more information. We offer training and support for all our committee members and volunteers.

020 3886 0830

Join our Volunteer Team! ںیرک رایتخا تیلومش ںیم میٹ ہناراکاضر یرامہdołącz do naszego zespołu wolontariuszy ਸਾਡੀ ਸਵੈਸੇਵੀ ਟੀਮ ਿਵਚ ਸ਼ਾਮਲ ਹੋਵੋ Sāḍī savaisēvī ṭīma vica śāmala hōvō எங்கள் தன்னார்வ குழு ேசர Eṅkaḷ taṉṉārva kuḻu cēra

અમાર� સ્વયસેંવક ટ�મમા ંજોડાઓ

Amārī svayansēvaka ṭīmamāṁ jōḍā'ō ku soo biir kooxda kooxda mutaddawiciinta دیوش قحلم ام بلطواد میت هب Want to help improve Health & Social Care services but don’t know how to do it? Volunteer with us and help to improve services!

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.

We speak to patients and local groups anonymously to find out what their health issues and priorities are, and listen to people across the borough. The patient experiences we gather are fed 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. For more information on volunteering with us, visit the website or contact the office. More

“ GPs and Pharmacists should work together. ”

Join us today and have your say!

“ Booking online saves so much time! ”

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Digital Healthy Schools Launched The NHS across North West London has launched an ‘exciting’ new digital health programme for secondary schools, students and their parents. The 'Digital Healthy Schools Programme' is a free programme that provides schools with the necessary information, support and guidance to help students explore and understand digital health and see the real difference it can make to not only their own health and wellbeing, but also their loved ones. This innovative new programme harnesses the device students use most – their smart phones. Over 90% of under 16’s in the UK own a mobile, and digital health solutions are increasingly recognised as being a major aid to managing and improving health. Of every 100 children, 10 will have a clinically diagnosable mental health problem, yet only three of those ten will receive treatment.

Over 90% of under 16s own a mobile phone

The Digital Healthy Schools programme will support teachers to educate pupils about keeping healthy, and managing their mental health helping to keep more young people well and empower them to get the right support and help when needed. The programme includes an engaging lesson package that demonstrates the risks of signing up to unregulated health apps and how to safely find and use apps to improve physical and emotional health and wellbeing. More

New Campaign to ‘Make a Sugar Swap!’ A change for life campaign has launched recently, highlighting some simple swaps to everyday food and drinks which can help cut back on sugar consumption. Encouraging children to make some ‘simple swaps’

Consuming around 2,800 sugar cubes more than they should each year, children in England are already exceeding more than double the maximum recommended amount and the maximum recommended sugar intake for an 18-year-old by the time they reach their tenth birthday. Too much sugar is bad for children’s health and can lead to serious illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hence it is important that we support this very important campaign.

Get help with swaps and tips! Change4Life is here to help your family cut back on sugar, with lots of great tips and ideas, so you can make some simple swaps. Discover easy ways to make a swap when you next shop. Use the sugar calculator to see how much sugar your kids could be having in a day. Also, get useful information on just how much sugar is too much! More

Features

“ As I get older I get more worried. ”

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“ Popping to the chemist did the trick! ”

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Feature

Start4Life - Public Health Weaning Programme On Wednesday 6th February, Public Health England (PHE) launched its first ever Start4Life campaign, designed to help parents introduce solid foods to their baby. Start4Life is PHE’s programme that helps parents adopt healthy behaviours during pregnancy, birth and their children’s early years. The campaign is informed by a report published by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) in July 2018. The SACN ‘Feeding in the First Year of Life’ report was the first comprehensive review of the evidence on the introduction of solid foods published in more than 20 years. Making it ‘easier for parents to get information’

The report recommends that advice on the age at which solid foods should be introduced should remain unchanged. That is, most infants should not start solid foods until around the age of 6 months, having achieved developmental readiness. SACN recommends that a wide variety of solid foods, including foods which contain iron, should be introduced in an age-appropriate form from around 6 months of age. Once solid foods have been introduced, the types of food, flavours and textures offered should become increasingly diverse. There is a range of information available on complementary feeding, leaving many parents confused about when & how to introduce solid food.

The government advises that most babies should not start solid foods until they are around 6 months old. By this point their bodies are better able to cope with solid foods and they are more able feed themselves. Weaning ‘should start at around six months’

They are also better at moving food around their mouth, chewing and swallowing. The last UK Infant Feeding Survey showed that three-quarters of parents start weaning by the time their baby is 5 months old. The Start4Life weaning campaign will promote waiting until around 6 months to introduce solid foods alongside breast milk or infant formula. The campaign will also explain the government’s advice to gradually introduce a wide variety of foods and textures from around 6 months, and will provide advice on what foods to introduce and how to prepare simple recipes. As part of the campaign, a brand-new weaning hub has been launched on the Start4Life website to provide parents with NHS-approved weaning advice and tips, plus simple, healthy weaning recipes for baby. Developed in partnership with parents, the hub makes it easy for parents to find answers to their weaning questions and get information relevant to their baby’s age and weaning stage. More

“ My GP gave me options about my treatment. ”

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“ It’s time to talk about mental health. ”

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Feature

It’s ‘Time to Talk’ Around one in four people will experience a mental health problem this year. yet the shame and silence can be as bad as the mental health problem itself. How are you? Many of us will answer ‘fine’, even when we’re not. Too often, mental health problems are treated as a taboo subject – something not to be talked about. However, mental health affects us all and we should feel able to talk about it. It’s ‘time to talk’ about mental health

There are lots of different ways to have a conversation about mental health – you don’t have to be an expert to talk. Start a conversation, have a cuppa with a colleague, loved one or neighbour about mental health. By being open, we are all part of a movement that’s changing the conversation around mental health and ensuring that no one is made to feel isolated or alone for having a mental health problem. Recently, ‘Time to Talk’ Day on 7th February was an opportunity to highlight mental health. Run by charity Time to Change, the initiative also provides useful information and resources. More information on Time to Talk can be found online. Also, do share your thoughts on social media, using the hashtag #TimetoTalk. More

Could you be a Change that Lasts Ambassador? Join a movement within your community (where you work, play, live, learn, worship, network) that breaks the silence about domestic abuse so that people experiencing it can get the help they need, when they need it. What’s involved? You will attend a free training course and then talk to others about what you have learned. This could be over a coffee with a friend, at a work team meeting or posting on social media. Ambassadors shed light on the issue of domestic abuse and help change attitudes and behaviours by having conversations with others about domestic abuse.

Trained ambassadors are ‘there to listen’

As we all talk more about domestic abuse our communities will become spaces where people experiencing domestic abuse feel able to speak out. When this does happen, you will be there to listen. If a person needs further support, you will know what services are out there that can help. Sign up today to join the growing network of Community Ambassadors. Feedback includes “This has been one of the best training events I have ever attended” and “I found the whole training brilliant.” More

“ The reception team are wonderful! ”

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“ We need more female doctors. ”

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Potential Changes at Royal Brompton Hospital You may be aware that NHS England is looking at potential changes to the provision of specialist heart and lung services provided by the Royal Brompton Hospital at its Chelsea site. NHS England is looking at changing the service

While these are specific services provided to patients with particular needs, they want to talk with wider patient and public representatives from across the area that the Royal Brompton provides care for. Would you like to take part and join in the conversation? Please do come to the upcoming event: Monday 25th February, 10am – 4pm

Friends House, 173-177 Euston Road, NW1 2BJ Feedback gathered at the event will help to shape a future public consultation on the service. Please register your attendance online. More If you have any questions or queries about the event please do not hesitate to contact Specialised Commissioning at NHS England: 0113 824 8973

Spotlight

Ealing Advice Plus Centre The Advice Plus Service is based at the Ealing Lido Centre, West Ealing. Every Wednesday several organisations provide advice sessions for Ealing residents, these include Shelter Housing, “Each” Counselling Service and “Do$h Money Advisory Service”, which provides information and advice about Universal Credit, Housing Benefits Advice Service, including Disability Benefits. They also run a Digital DIY Session in the afternoon, including on-line courses with Learn My Way. Apart from the organisations listed above they work collaboratively with ESAS/Age UK, Shaw Trust, Ealing Foodbank and Ealing Council. Their partner services are Catalyst Housing, Inquilab Housing, GOSAD and Ealing Council. More NHS Considers Scrapping 4 Hour A&E Target People with ‘minor ailments’ could wait longer in future

NHS leaders are preparing to ‘risk a backlash’ by relaxing long-established key treatment waiting time targets, including hospitals’ duty to deal with A&E patients within four hours. A growing inability to give patients A&E, cancer care and planned operations within the prescribed maximum waiting times has regularly yielded bad headlines since performance ‘slipped significantly’ in 2015 and has since ‘got worse’. More

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“ The dentist explained all the costs. ”

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“ I have no help to fill in the forms. ”

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Making a Complaint If you’re not happy with the care or treatment you’ve received or you’ve been refused treatment for a condition, you have the right to complain, have your complaint investigated, and be given a full and prompt reply. You can raise a concern or make a complaint in writing, by email, over the telephone or in person. Try having a chat with your doctor, or staff member Most issues can be resolved without you having to make a formal complaint. Try having an informal chat with your doctor or a member of staff first. A formal complaint takes time and minor issues are resolved quicker if you just speak to a person on site. For example, if you have problems booking a GP appointment speak to the practice manager about it. If you are worried about something during your hospital outpatient appointment talk to one of the nurses or the clinic manager. NHS England calls this informal process ‘local resolution’ and urges everyone to see if things can be solved there and then before they escalate to a real problem. However, if despite everything this doesn’t solve your problem, or even if it does but you would still like to make a formal complaint, you should ask to see the complaints procedure and follow the instructions on how to make a complaint. Make your complaint as soon as possible. In the NHS complaints should normally be made within 12 months of the date of the event that you’re complaining about, or as soon as the matter first came to your attention.

Spotlight

The time limit can sometimes be extended (so long as it’s still possible to investigate the complaint). An extension might be possible, for instance in situations where it would have been difficult for you to complain earlier, for example, when you were grieving or undergoing trauma. Making a complaint about a health or social care service can be complicated. You can either complain to the provider directly – such as a GP, a dentist surgery, care home – or to the commissioner of the services, which is the body that pays for the services you use. You cannot apply to both. In Ealing, the majority of Health Services are commissioned by Ealing Clinical Commissioning Group and the majority of Social Care Services by Ealing Council. You may find the following links useful:

• Tips and tools to help you make a complaint about health services. More

• Tips and tools to help you make a complaint about adult social care services. More

• Complaints about GPs. More • NHS dentist complaints. More • Complaints about other NHS services. More • Ealing council complaints information. More • NHS Hospital complaints. More • Mental Health Services complaints. More • Whistleblowing. More • Feedback and complaints about the NHS. More • More tips on making a complaint. More

Help to Make an NHS Complaint

If you need independent help or support to formally complain about an NHS service then you should contact POWhER who provide the NHS Complaints Advocacy service in Ealing: 0203 5535 960 or 0300 456 2370

0300 456 2364 (minicom) pohwer@pohwer.net You can also text the word ’pohwer’ with your name and number to 81025 or Skype ‘pohwer.advocacy’. You can also find out more online. More

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“ My surgery has been cancelled, again. ”

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“ The ward nurses were very professional. ”

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Flu To help you get better more quickly, rest and sleep, keep warm, take paracetamol or ibuprofen to lower temperature and treat aches and pains, drink plenty of fluid to avoid dehydration (your pee should be light yellow or clear). A pharmacist can give advice Call 999 or go to A&E if you develop sudden chest pain, have difficulty breathing, start coughing up blood, or your child is confused, has high persistent fever and drowsiness. Services Near You NHS 111: A free call service which will help you access medical and dental help fast when it is not an emergency. Also, an out of hours GP service. Pharmacy: Use your local pharmacist for advice on common illnesses such as coughs, colds and medicines to treat them. GP: For illness or injury that won’t go away, make an appointment with your GP. Weekend and evening appointments are now available across Ealing. Ealing Hospital Urgent Care Centre (UCC): UCCs are for minor illness and injuries that are urgent but not life threatening. You can walk in and do not have to make an appointment.

Community Noticeboard

Tips for Staying Healthy this Winter Healthwatch Ealing has produced a ‘Cold Weather Information Card’ containing useful tips on staying healthy in winter. These include: Look in on Vulnerable Relatives and Neighbours Check up on older neighbours and relatives, and those with heart or respiratory (breathing) problems, to make sure they're safe and well, are warm, especially at night, have stocks of food and medicines so they don't need to go out during very cold weather. If you're worried about a relative/elderly neighbour, contact your local council or call Ealing Age UK:

020 8567 8017 (9am-5pm, Mon-Fri)

Check that neighbours and relatives are safe and well Common Cold You can often treat a cold without seeing your GP. Cold symptoms come on gradually and can include blocked or runny nose, sore throat, headaches, coughs, sneezing, a high temperature (more than 38C in adults, 37.5C in children). Symptoms may last longer in children. To help you get better more quickly you can rest and sleep, keep warm, drink plenty of fluid to avoid dehydration and gargle with salt water to soothe a sore throat. A pharmacist can give advice.

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“ Our social worker was very informative. ”

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“ Unplanned discharge causes distress. ”

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Social Care Institute for Excellence - eBulletin, December 2018 More NICE - Public Involvement Update, January 2019 More Ealing CCG – PPG Newsletter, December 2018 More West London Mental Health NHS Trust – @WestLondon, Winter 2018 More

Please send us a link to your latest newsletter!

Helping us understand our social care options The guide is available online now. More

Latest news from West London Mental Health NHS Trust More Latest news from London North West Healthcare NHS Trust More Latest news from Ealing Council More Latest news from the Coalition of Collaborative Care More West London NHS Trust welcomes new contract to deliver community services in Ealing More West London Trust's response to the NHS Long Term Plan More New chaplain joins Ealing Hospital More Royal College of Emergency Medicine - Concerns over scrapping the 4 hour A&E target More NHS commits to long term support for race equality More Local NHS allocated £570 billion to fund the NHS Long Term Plan More GPs create 100,000 extra patient appointments through Primary Care Network model More Army of workers to support family doctors More Evidence database for children’s social workers launched More NHS top doctor prompts stronger mental health safeguards on high street botox More Registered social worker named chief inspector of adult social care More No snow day for NHS workers More More people face paying for residential care as charging thresholds frozen for ninth year More NHS England’s plan to eliminate Hepatitis C decisively backed by High Court More Government issues deprivation of liberty definition in bid to provide clarity to practitioners More NHS Long Term Plan will help problem drinkers and smokers More Government launches consultation to revise Mental Capacity Act code of practice More Decade of improved outcomes for patients thanks to Surgical Safety Checklist More Frontline awarded £45 million to train 900 social workers More Boy with rare brain cancer to be treated at new NHS £125 million centre More Making the Mental Health Act work for children and young people More Clinical pharmacists vital to patient care in five-year GP deal More

Feature

The NHS ‘Care and Support Guide’ A new guide to social care and support has been released on the NHS website, to provide guidance to people who may need social care, their families and carers. The guide has been written by experts and extensively tested with users, including members of the public, local authorities, care providers and the third sector. It provides clear information about social care to help people understand their options and where to go if they need help.

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...what’s your story? ...tell us about your experiences of health and social care services today!