North Wales CommunityAneurin Health Bevan Council CHC Operational Plan 2020-2021 Annual Report 2019-2020 August 2020 www.communityhealthcouncils.org.uk1 Aneurin Bevan CHC Operational Plan 2020-2021 Community Health Councils (CHCs) are the independent voice of peoplewww.communityhealthcouncil.org.uk in Wales who use NHS services. We are made up of local volunteers who act as the eyes and ears of patients and the public. There are 7 CHCs covering different parts of Wales. An electronic copy of this document can be found on our website: www.communityhealthcouncils.org.uk/betsicadwaladr If you would like this publication in an alternative format and/or language, please contact us: Unit 1B and Unit 1 D Unit 11 Chestnut Court Wilkinson Business Park Parc Menai Clywedog Road South Bangor Wrexham Gwynedd LL13 9AE LL57 4FH Tel: 01978 356178 / 01248 679284 Email: [email protected] Twitter: @NWCHC 2 Facebook: CIC Gogledd Cymru North Wales CHC North Wales CHC Annual Report 2019-2020 Contents 4 Message from our Chair 6 About us 7 Our vision 8 Our strategic framework 9 Our equality objectives 10 Our functions 11 Our year at a glance 12 Membership 13 Our ways of working 13 Our national standards 14 How we have made a difference 28 Working with others 29 Our plans for next year 30 How can you get your voice heard or become involved 31 Appendices 1-6 3 NorthNorth Wales Wales CHC CHC Annual Annual Report Report 2019 2019-2020-2020 Message from our Chair The uncertainty facing CHCs the NWCHC afterwards to in Wales has continued give their experiences of the throughout the year. Despite service. This work typifies this, staff and members have the intense commitment that contributed their efforts the staff and members of the undiminished and delivered NWCHC have displayed over some major pieces of work. the year. An example of that work has been the “Vascular Services, Many other examples are Safe Space Engagement described in this report Events” which was showing the great value that undertaken as a result of the NWCHC has delivered to many members of the public the people of North Wales. raising serious concerns about the revised service This past year is my last as being provided by the Health Chair of the North Wales CHC Board. Fifteen events were and it has been both a conducted across all parts of pleasure and a privilege to North Wales. Over 200 serve the NWCHC and the people attended these events people of North Wales in this and a further 75 contacted capacity. 4 North Wales CHC Annual Report 2019-2020 I would like to give my heartfelt extremely capable in taking the thanks to the members and staff NWCHC forward and paving the of the NWCHC, whose support has way for the new ‘citizens’ voice been essential throughout. I body’ which is to follow the would also like to thank the Vice CHCs in Wales. Chair, Garth Higginbotham, who also stands down this year, for his support over the last two years. I now hand over to the new Chair, Peter Rendle, and Vice Chair, Andy Burgen, to take the NWCHC into what may be the final year of Mark Thornton CHCs in Wales. I am very Chair confident that they will prove 5 North Wales CHC Annual Report 2019-2020 North Wales CHC Annual Report 2019-2020 About us North Wales Community Health Council (NWCHC) is the independent watchdog of NHS We use services in North Wales. surveys, apps and social media to engage with our What we do community. North Wales CHC seeks to work with the NHS and inspection and regulatory bodies. We provide an important link between those who plan and deliver NHS services, those who inspect and regulate it, and those who use it. North Wales CHC hears from the public in many different ways. We visit NHS Our Advocacy services to talk to patients and carers. Service helps We talk to people at public events, and people who through community groups. want to raise a concern about As for all CHC’s, the COVID-19 pandemic NHS care or has changed our work patterns and the treatment. issues we are dealing with, but there are many longstanding and underlying issues in relation to the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) performance that continue to concern North Wales Community Health Council. 6 North Wales CHC Annual Report 2019-2020 Our vision People in North Wales know that they can share their views of the NHS easily and recognise that doing so can have a real influence on the shape of healthcare services. People understand and value the role played by CHCs in supporting them to be heard and in representing the collective interests of patients and the public. 7 North Wales CHC Annual Report 2019-2020 Our strategic framework To help make our vision a reality the CHC movement in Wales has agreed a strategic framework incorporating 5 key priorities. These priorities underpin our plans and activities. Making every voice count Improving our influence and reputation Building and developing an effective learning and values based culture Valuing our members and staff Strengthening our national voice 8 North Wales CHC Annual Report 2019-2020 Our equality objectives To help us deliver our key priorities, we have also identified these equality objectives: ▪ We will work with others to find better ways to hear from everyone, including those who are in the most vulnerable situations and those whose voice might not otherwise be heard. We will adapt our approaches to reach those whose care is delivered out of hospital and develop our resources and advocacy services to ensure that they are widely accessible, available and relevant. ▪ We will develop our plans with the public and with our partners so that they focus on the things that matter most and have the best chance of making a difference. ▪ We will build on our existing partnerships and forge new ones where working together increases our chances of making a difference. Our membership must reflect the diversity of the communities they represent and support. We will monitor our membership and develop targeted and more inclusive ways of recruiting new members so that we become more representative. 9 North Wales CHC Annual Report 2019-2020 2019-2020 Our functions CHCs have four main functions these can be described as: Systematically Representing the interests of patients visiting and and the public in the 1 scrutinising 2 planning and local Health agreement of NHS Services Service Change Enabling users of the Continuously NHS to raise engaging with the 3 concerns about the 4 communities we services they receive represent and the through an Health Service Independent providers serving Complaints those communities Advocacy Service 10 North Wales CHC Annual Report 2019-2020 Our year at a glance We undertook Our advocacy 397 visits to service gave services across North advice and Wales to hear from information to people whilst they 341 people were receiving care nd Undertook our 2 28 service changes took peer review to place across North Wales measure our performance during 2019-2020. against the CHC National Standards Our advocacy service Closed 401 opened 365 new We supported 21 cases once the cases to support people to take their concern had been people raising formal resolved or the concerns through the concern to the process ended. NHS concerns process Ombudsman. 85 members supported North Wales CHC to perform its functions during 2019-2020. 11 North Wales CHC Annual Report 2019-2020 Membership Our volunteer membership North Wales CHC membership is made up of 72 full members. Our members are all local people who give their time for free. We also have 13 co-opted members who we recruit directly from local communities. If you are interested in becoming a member, please contact us by using the details at the front of our report. “I have been a member of the NWCHC for approximately three years and have found it to be a valuable and rewarding experience and I have learnt much about North Wales health care. This has added to my previous considerable experience of the NHS in both Wales and England and in particular primary care services in the widest sense. The support of yourselves and the wider team has been invaluable and I would congratulate you all on your work and support us as volunteers.” 12 Norht North Wales CHC Annual Report 2019-2020 Our ways of Our national working standards 1. CHCs act in the interests of the public and patients in Wales The way in which we 2. CHCs work effectively with organise ourselves to others to safeguard and promote carry out our activities is the welfare of people who use set out in regulations NHS services passed by the National 3. CHC activities and services meet Assembly for Wales. the needs of and are accessible to all The activities we carry 4. CHC activities are open, transparent and inclusive out are co-ordinated and overseen by our Conwy, 5. CHC activities are properly led, resourced and supported Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Wrexham and 6. CHCs plan and carry out their activities in a way that maintains Ynys Môn local their independence and commi ttees . These demonstrates their committees make up our accountability to the full council. We also communities they serve have an executive 7. CHCs strengthen the voice of committee, which is patients and the public by ultimately responsible working together and with for what we do and how others we do it. 8. CHCs reflect the views and experiences of patients and the public about NHS services 9.