Annual Report 2015 -2016
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Annual Report 2015 -2016 Contents Foreword 4 Some highlights from our year 5 Spotlight on general practice 6-8 Partnerships for Equality 9 Spotlight on mental health 10 The power of information 11-12 What we do in the community 13 Using feedback to set priorities 14 Working with volunteers 15 Working with local organisations to make a difference 16 Making things happen 17 About Us – Our plans 19 Who we are 20 How we have used our resources 21 References 23 4 Foreword Welcome to our third Everything we do is guided by what matters to annual report. local people - Healthwatch Camden’s here for you to use your voice to have real power and This year’s been busy influence. and productive. We’ve This report tells you what we’ve been doing to focused on general fulfil our remit and how we’ve used our statutory powers. We’re here to make sure local people practice, on equal have a VOICE in health and social care services; access to services, to support local people to make CHOICES in and on mental health. services; and to encourage CHANGE in services Frances Hasler, Director We’ve launched a new to make them better. We can do these things because we have power – we were set up by information resource an Act of Parliament and we are independent called ‘Start here…’ – a registered charity, with trustees who all live or work locally. We have so much to tell you about – you can read about it in the rest of this report. Throughout the report, you’ll find links to our reports which are underlined and hyperlinked. You’ll also find videos about our work, so you can see more of the detail about what we do. Dr Connie Smith, Chair We hope you enjoy it. Some highlights from our year 5 2016 marked our third Our reports on GP services in Camden highlighted the variation in GP practice Cllr Nasim Ali said: anniversary. We had many services (See pages 6-8), the experience of “This is such a crucial report highlights over the year. Black Minority Ethnic (BME) communities which has had so much accessing GP services and communications engagement from the Bangladeshi community. It will make a massive access for people with disabilities. difference to tackling health Our reports show that overall GP services inequality in Camden.” are good in Camden, but there’s room for improvement. Our reports have already Our Highgate Centre project (see page had an impact, prompting discussion 10) on mental health, uses audio diaries in patient participation groups at local to record the experience of people living practices, and prompting some GP practices through service changes. We’ll use this to make adjustments to the way they personal testimony to influence future deliver services. service change management. Our joint initiative with the council’s Health We also launched an information resource and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee – Start here…. (see page 12). It’s an online (see page 9) gathered insight from 300 guide to health and social care services in Bangladeshi people both young and old to Camden. We did this because it’s vital to find out the problems they experience in have all our local resources in one place, accessing health and wellbeing services in so that people easily find information on Camden. We also noted the differences they their rights, find out their choices and the would like to see in services, to improve resources available. their wellbeing. Councillors have already welcomed the report on this initiative. Healthwatch Camden annual report 2015 -2016 6 Spotlight on general practice GP services are the number people’s understanding of local GP services Evidence revealed that no single GP practice and to encourage quality improvement is best or worst across the whole range one topic people raise when across the borough. of indicators, and that there’s room for talking to Healthwatch improvement and potential for experience Camden. This resulted in us We looked at patient satisfaction data sharing and lesson learning for all. and at a selection of clinical performance conducting a programme indicators across the 36 GP practices in We’re pleased with the contribution of work looking at different Camden. We analysed and presented the study’s made to encouraging aspects of GP services our findings in an easy to understand conversations between providers and way to help patients make sense of patients around best practice. The work in Camden. the information and help providers to has contributed to improving transparency We looked at the variations between identify and share experience on best and tolerance of public scrutiny in practices, then specifically at the practice. Local voluntary organisations primary care in Camden. We also have experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic and volunteers also helped us to conduct specific examples of direct impact on communities in accessing GP services and original qualitative research on some service improvement prompted by the finally, access to GP services for people specific topics that local people told us report findings. For example, several GP with communication support needs are important. practices have contacted Camden Carers (patients with learning disabilities, patients to ask for support in improving their ‘carer who are visually impaired and patients who awareness’ where our report identified are d/Deaf). Allegra Lynch, CEO Camden Carers shortcomings. Centre / Camden Carers Service said: GP practices in Camden: “ We do really value the inclusion A study of variation 2015 of carers in this report and believe Local GP, Dr Lucia Grun, said: “it made We knew from patient feedback and it has had a positive impact at us think about how we might published data that there’s variation in practice level with regards to do things differently and has carers, along with the great work delivery of GP services and that people in potentially made a real difference that GP practices were already less affluent areas of the borough don’t to how we provide services in our showing in supporting carers.” practice.” get as good a service. We wanted to aid Spotlight on general practice Spotlight on general practice 7 We gathered views from disabled people, using focus groups, surveys and one-to- one interviews. We presented the findings in a report which included specific formal recommendations to Camden’s primary care providers and commissioners. We suggested a need for three basic areas of adjustment to suit disabled people across all three groups. a way to identify the patients with communication support needs as soon as they enter the GP practice and for People told us: all staff to be aware, especially when making referrals to other services. “The doctor sent me the results appropriate communications methods but I couldn’t understand it. I had to go back to ask what it meant. My both written and verbal, with use of appointment letter wasn’t in Easy easily understood formats (drawing as Read. I don’t think they know how Access to GP services for people appropriate on new technologies) with communication support needs: to do them.” experiences of local people greater sensitivity to individual patient preferences without undermining People who are d/Deaf or visually impaired “The glass screen in front of the patient self-esteem. reception desk and the glare from or have learning disabilities can face the lights makes it hard to see. I need particular difficulties if services do not See the video on what people with to be able to see the receptionist’s learning disabilities said about accessing adjust their usual communication methods face to be able to lip read.” to take into account their support needs. GP services. Healthwatch Camden annual report 2015 -2016 8 Spotlight on general practice We concluded that many of Camden’s GP We will follow up our reports in future practices are not meeting the Accessible years to see how our recommendations Information Standard which is a legal have impacted. requirement from 31 July 2016. People told us: The views of local disabled people set out in our report will help local GP services to “I can’t make any booking by implement the Standard. We’ve illustrated phone because it’s very difficult the sorts of action that will make the most to get through to someone. difference to disabled patients. When all attempts fail and I get desperate I go there in person. Access to GP services in Camden: the Then they blame me for turning Healthwatch Camden’s report points the way experience of BME communities up without an appointment first.” to addressing health inequalities in Camden. Our research with BME communities showed that too many people from A good quality service should be available Camden’s BME community have an to everyone in our community, no matter “I have to mentally prepare experience that is the opposite of what what their background, race, age, income myself to go and see my doctor is expected. They consistently have poor or sexuality. because of the way they treat me, access to GPs and find it difficult to get the especially the reception staff.” right information, support and guidance. Sofina Razzaque, Project Manager, We conducted focus groups consisting Chadswell Healthy Living Centre, of men and women of all ages from said: “When the focus groups the Bangladeshi, Chinese and African actually happened, the user Communities in their mother tongues. members were very pleased that a Bengali speaking worker from The video opposite shows what people Healthwatch Camden actually said about the Healthwatch Camden attended.” GP report: Partnerships for Equality 9 Healthwatch Camden Working with local Healthwatch promotes equality in the Cllr Alison Kelly said: “…We couldn’t This year we continued our successful have done the work without Shelly collaboration with local Healthwatch from provision of health and and without Healthwatch…” across North and North East London, social care.