Giving You Advice Healthwatch Wakefield News
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August 2016 giving you advice gathering your views giving you a voice Giving you advice Healthwatch Wakefield Access Point Our Adviser is happy to support you with any health and social care advice or information you may need. Just contact them on 01924 234007 or drop in to the Access Point at Citizen’s Advice, 27 King Street, Wakefield WF1 2SR. Healthwatch Wakefield Office Healthwatch Wakefield staff and volunteers are based at 11-13 Upper York Street, Wakefield WF1 3LQ. The number for staff and volunteers is 01924 787379. Healthwatch Wakefield News Healthwatch Wakefield Annual Report Our annual report for 2015-16 has been published. In it you will find Click on the usual information about our people - who we are, the staff team the and trustees; our finances - the money we got and how we spent it; picture to read and importantly what we did - our priorities, our work and what the difference we made. This includes our award winning work for health report and social care service improvement for the evaluation work we are doing on 'Connecting Care', our public voice report, and our work with local children and young people. 500+ people interviewed in their homes for 'Connecting Care' 900+ children and young people involved in our work on mental health and wellbeing 2000+ people took part in our surveys ...and much more Health & social care service improvement WINNER: Healthwatch Wakefield - Using people’s experiences to improve care in Wakefield ‘Over two years Healthwatch Wakefield’s staff and volunteers are talking to 1000 people with complex needs who have received the changing services that local providers are working to develop. Their work to understand people’s experiences is having a direct impact on how this service is developed for the future.’ Healthwatch Wakefield Company No. 09907848 and Charity No. 1166797 Tel 01924 234007 for advice, information & signposting Tel 01924 787379 for staff & volunteers [email protected] www.healthwatchwakefield.co.uk Excellence in Public Health and Wellbeing Our Chief Executive Nichola Esmond also picked up another award from Jane Ellison MP Minister for Public Health, after being nominated by the Director of Public Health for her contribution to Excellence in Public Health and Wellbeing 2016. The Minister said: ‘Across the country unsung heroes are leading local initiatives that are improving the nation’s health and wellbeing. Such projects have a special place in our public health system and it is only right that we recognise the people who make them a success.’ Future in Mind At the end of July we held an event with Young Lives Consortium to launch three new reports following work that has been done in the last few months on local children and young people and their mental health and wellbeing. The three reports are: Children and Young People's Voice – a survey of nearly 900 local young people Children and Young People's Vulnerable Groups – a review of 18 different vulnerable groupings in the District Children and Young People's Case Studies – eight case studies about young people's experiences of mental health issues and trying to get help and support The event, attended by 70 people, was opened by our Chair, Richard Sloan MBE. We were delighted that so many people came to discuss this very important issue and look to how we can improve the wellbeing of our young people. More information on this, the reports and presentations can be found here. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who took part in both the work and the event, especially the young people who gave their views, the local voluntary organisations who were involved in the work, and our volunteers who help us in everything we do. Connecting Care Case Study I visited a 44 year old lady at the end of June 2016 to conduct a Connecting Care interview. The lady has spondylosis, arthritis in her spine and hips, has breathing issues and suffers from short term memory loss. She has a titanium case in her neck to support her spine and has severe mobility issues. She is unable to walk any distance and gets around with the aid of a mobility scooter and a wheelchair but has to battle with the steps at her back door and from her garden and the portable ramp she was using was not fit for purpose. I gave her information about Carers Wakefield and District as she said she would like some support but I was concerned that if she was ever alone she would not be able to leave the building in an emergency and that in the event that she attempts to leave or enter the house alone she might have an accident. I emailed one of the managers at Wakefield and District Housing to raise this and the lady has now received written confirmation from Wakefield and District Housing that she will be getting the much needed ramp. She said “Oh I am so pleased, oh my word you do not know what this means to me, I could not have done this without you, thank you, thank you, thank you”. Gaynor Endeacott, Connecting Care Officer Healthwatch Wakefield Company No. 09907848 and Charity No. 1166797 Tel 01924 234007 for advice, information & signposting Tel 01924 787379 for staff & volunteers [email protected] www.healthwatchwakefield.co.uk Carers experiences of Connecting Care This new report details the findings from an independent evaluation of carers’ experience of the impact of Connecting Care in Wakefield; based on over 50 one to one interviews with unpaid carers. The evaluation forms part of a wider independent evaluation of Connecting Care, being conducted by Niche Health and Social Care Consulting and supported by Healthwatch Wakefield. Click on the picture to read the report. Home Care Survey Key Findings Report 2016 Between January and March 2016 Healthwatch Wakefield with the help of Wakefield and District Housing carried out a survey to find out about local people’s experiences of home care. Wakefield and District Housing were able to support us to locate people receiving domiciliary care services and facilitate survey distribution. They had also indicated an interest in looking into whether alternative, more flexible and responsive models of home care provision were possible. Over 120 people took part in the survey and the key findings report can be found by clicking on the picture. Enter and View Visit Report: CAMHS Recently Healthwatch Wakefield, Young Healthwatch and volunteers did an 'enter and view' visit to our local CAMHS, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. The report on their findings and the response from South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust can be found by clicking on the picture. ‘Hear, See, Treat’: new ideas for 999/111 and ambulance services The NHS has some new ideas for improving the service people receive when they call 999 or 111 and we want to make sure that your views and suggestions are included in plans to develop these services. All you need to do is watch the short video here and tell us what you think of the ideas in the video by completing this survey. We’ll make sure that your views are fed back to Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust and other partners involved in developing this idea, such as our Hospital Trusts. The feedback will also go to the Clinical Commissioning Groups in West Yorkshire, who provide the funding for hospital and community services in our area. All these partners are interested to know more about what people think of their ideas so they can make sure that the services they put in place fit with what you would like to see and factor in any concerns that you may have. For further information please click here, we also have a collection of frequently asked questions here. Do you attend a group that might be interested in this? Staff and volunteers from Healthwatch Wakefield can visit groups to discuss these ideas in more detail. Please contact us on 01924 787379 or email [email protected] to arrange a convenient date and time over the next couple of months. Healthwatch Wakefield Company No. 09907848 and Charity No. 1166797 Tel 01924 234007 for advice, information & signposting Tel 01924 787379 for staff & volunteers [email protected] www.healthwatchwakefield.co.uk Healthwatch Wakefield: Out and about Regular Healthwatch information and feedback stands now take place at different venues and group settings across the District providing you with an opportunity to talk to us about your experiences of local services. If you have any events that are taking place, or belong to groups that might want Healthwatch Wakefield to come and talk to them, please let Ann Marie know on 01924 787379 or email [email protected] Volunteer with us We have lots of different volunteering opportunities you may want to find out about including: ‘enter and view’ – visiting hospitals, GPs and care homes to talk to patients, residents and staff task and finish groups – investigating a particular topic or issue to find out information and suggest improvements reality checking – working with people who use services to see if they have improved research – research and surveys with the public to find out their views Connecting Care – interviewing people in their homes If you want to find out more, or have an idea about how you’d like to be involved, contact Safeen on 01924 787379 or email [email protected] In June we held a celebration event for our volunteers. This was part of Volunteer Week and involved volunteers and staff giving local people information about what we do and encouraging them to get involved.