Healthwatch Manchester

Transcription

1 Healthwatch Manchester Annual Report Annual Report 2015/16

2 Healthwatch Manchester 2

3 Contents Contents... 3 Note from the Chair... 4 Note from the Chief Officer... 5 About Healthwatch... 6 Our vision/mission...6 Our strategic priorities Activity & Impact... 7 Overseas Students - Access & Entitlement to Healthcare...7 Taking Control Together...7 Here to Listen & Help...8 Joint Enter & View...8 Paitent Experience Report: Manchester Royal Eye Hospital...9 Paitent & Carer Experience Report: Post-diagnosis for Dementia...9 Volunteering at Healthwatch Manchester Our priorities for 2016/ Our governance and decision-making Our board How we make decisions Financial information Contact us Get in touch Healthwatch Manchester Annual Report

4 Note from the Chair This is my third report as Chair of Healthwatch Manchester and it is interesting to reflect on how much has changed in a relatively short period of time. Devolution has been the focus of the Health and Wellbeing Board during the year and the board receives regular updates on the Locality Plan, which is all about making change happen. The Locality Plan has three key themes: Single commissioning system One team Single hospital service All are progressing. The single hospital service seems to be the most complex of the proposed changes and is the subject of an independent review. Consultation and engagement with the public on the proposed plans has yet to happen. We will monitor the process to ensure that it is meaningful and meets the required standards. Although we have set a number of priorities for 2016/17, one of our main tasks will be to monitor all our communication channels for consequences of the changes in the healthcare system. We aim to respond promptly and professionally to any emerging issues. In March we welcomed Ken Hsu as our Volunteer and Members Officer, Ken having previously served as a volunteer. We also welcomed Hannah Walker as our Administration Support Officer. Both Ken and Hannah have made a noticeable difference to the team. Together with Neil Walbran, our Chief Officer, they continue to deliver well on our targeted objectives despite our meagre funding. I would again like to thank my fellow board members for their hard work over the past year and I look forward to working with them through the challenging times ahead Healthwatch Manchester Annual Report

5 Note from the Chief Officer Our third year has been a time of further growth and progression comprising some large scale developments for Healthwatch as well as a change in the way some of our work is fundamentally approached. We began and ended the year with initiatives where collaborative partnership resulted in productive outcomes. Our work with Healthwatch Trafford at the start of the year yielded impact and change within the Central Manchester Foundation Trust. Later in the year our work with Manchester Alliance for Community Care and the Manchester BME Network fed into the wider Greater Manchester devolution agenda around health & social care. Perhaps the most important change for the organisation was the move from being hosted to becoming independent. We left our host organisation in early 2015 and took over many of our administration requirements. Our positioning paper presented to the Health & Wellbeing Board later that year brought to light the need for change in the commissioning arrangements of Healthwatch Manchester after April This has led to the organisation being directly commissioned by our local authority. Thanks to Manchester Citizens Advice for all their help and support in incubating a successful Healthwatch. The move to independence created a review of Healthwatch Manchester s approach to our stakeholders. With the full support of our board, steps were taken to broaden out the membership of Healthwatch Manchester to include a wider range of people. A new staff post was created in early 2016 to accommodate this. Devolution was and is still high on our agenda. I m pleased to report Healthwatch Manchester was integral to ensuring vulnerable people were given high consideration in the changes to hospital services. This is continued through the current Equalities Advisory Group. I m also pleased to report that Healthwatch Manchester played the same role at the Datawell initiative which enables the safe sharing of patient data across the Greater Manchester footprint. The devolution arrangements have been jointly monitored by the Greater Manchester Healthwatch Network and by local Healthwatch as Locality Plans emerged for each of our areas. The Healthwatch role in involving local patients and public in these plans has been acknowledged. One of the year s highlights for Manchester was playing host to the national Healthwatch Conference where devolution was again a main topic of conversation and discussion. Finally as always I d like to give special thanks to our amazing volunteers who have followed and supported the organisation through this year of change and contributed to its success: Amelia, Amir, Andrew, Cally, Ken, Michael, Michael, Pallavi, Patrick, Pedro, Robert, Saima, Sumeet, Vicki, Vicky and Zuton. You re the heroes. Healthwatch Manchester Annual Report

6 About Healthwatch We are here to make health and social care better for ordinary people. We believe that the best way to do this is by designing local services around their needs and experiences. Everything we say and do is informed by our connections to local people and our expertise is grounded in their experience. We are the only body looking solely at people s experience across all health and social care. We are uniquely placed as a network, with a local Healthwatch in every local authority area in England. As a statutory watchdog our role is to ensure that local health and social care services, and the local decision makers, put the experiences of people at the heart of their care. Our vision/mission Vision: To enable real and long-term improvements to the health and social care of the people and communities of Manchester. Mission: Healthwatch Manchester is an independent not-for-profit organisation driven by national government policy, mandated by legislation and its local membership and supported by Manchester local authority. Through engaging and informing the people and communities of Manchester as their consumer champion, and influencing the design and commissioning of services, Healthwatch Manchester seeks to improve their access to and experience of health and social care. Our strategic priorities Mental Health Service Retraction Access to the Haemodialysis Service Walk-in Service Retraction Walk-in Service Awareness Early Years & Public Health Entry and Adherence to Rehabilitation Services Ongoing Areas of Work Dementia Services Post-Diagnosis Helpline Support Feedback Support Complaints Management The Healthwatch Manchester Team Neil Walbran - Chief Officer Ken Hsu Volunteer & Membership Officer Hannah Walker Administration Support Officer Healthwatch Manchester Annual Report

7 Our Reports for the Year and their Impact Overseas Students- Access & Entitlement to Healthcare in Greater Manchester Healthwatch Manchester investigated the understanding of access and entitlements to healthcare by overseas students across the city. 92 overseas students registered with higher education establishments in Manchester responded to our survey during October 2014 February Gaps in awareness include free and urgent need services such as the Walk-in Centres and Dental Hospital. There were mixed perceptions regarding services which are free of charge and of what is required to access them. Healthwatch Manchester has used this report to create stronger relationships with higher educational establishments in the city and work with them to increase awareness of access and entitlement for their students. This will also include work with any counterpart organisations overseas. Our report was also chosen from thousands to feature in the Patient Library s national publication Twenty Reports to Make You Think. I personally need to go to the dentist with my teeth but i am put off because i don t know the cost Overseas student Taking Control Together Healthwatch Manchester took part in the devolution conversations of early Local people were asked the following questions as a means to open a constructive dialogue about which devolution arrangements and initiatives for improving health and social care should take place: Do you think you know what people should do for themselves and their families to stay fit and healthy? What do you think encourages people to do these things? What do you think makes it difficult for people to do these things? Through over 100 face to face conversations with local people in a diverse range of networks and drop-in services and settings, Healthwatch Manchester, along with the other 9 Healthwatches and the voluntary sector, was able to contribute to the Greater Manchester report: Taking Control Together. This report is to be fed into the Health and Social Care Devolution Strategic Partnership Board, and will influence the future design of health and social care in Greater Manchester, at both locality and city region levels. Patients need to be empowered and educated (with direct information) about their conditions Local citizen Healthwatch Manchester Annual Report

8 Here to Listen and Help This was the third and final year where Healthwatch Manchester commissioned Manchester Citizens Advice Bureau to provide our helpline service. We d like to thank them and all their staff for their support and professionalism over the last 3 years. As headliners: In this period a total of 465 enquiries were made to the helpline (an increase of 14% from the previous year) along with 98 caseload enquires to the Healthwatch Manchester office. There was a slight increase in the number of complaints but otherwise no significant change in the nature of the enquiries we received overall. 465 helpline enquires and 98 direct case load enquires to the Healthwatch Manchester office. 563 enquires in total. 43% of enquires were calls in relation to Health and Community Care issues; with the largest number of these (19%) relating to NHS cost and charges. 34% enquires were relating to Social Care with 20% of these relating to issues such as care eligibility and assessment of need. 24% were related to other Health and Social care issues. Joint Enter & View Report Manchester Royal Infirmary These concerns related to: Our main joint initiative with Healthwatch Trafford was precipitated by concerns over reports of service delivery on wards 9, 10, 11 & 12 at Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI). Delays in treatment and diagnosis Patients discharged when still unwell Poor or no communication with patients / relatives / parents about patient condition and treatment from staff Information management issues A formal proposal to conduct an Enter and View visit was produced by the joint Healthwatch teams in May 2015 and our visit took place in early October. Nine recommendations were made as a result of the visit around improvements to the environment and to communication and response times. There is a commitment from the senior team at the MRI and staff to implement the necessary changes to improve services on these wards. Many thanks for listening to me, it means a lot. Helpline caller Healthwatch Manchester Annual Report

9 Patient Experience Report: Manchester Royal Eye Hospital This second joint initiative with Healthwatch Trafford was initiated through concerns raised by the Trafford Blind and Deaf Group around access and waiting times. The drop-ins took place in the summer and were held over four days with the following aims: obtain and collate qualitative patient experience data regarding Manchester Royal Eye Hospital (MREH); identify areas where MREH is performing well and where service improvements can be made; work with MREH management and staff to encourage improvement to service design & delivery where areas for development are identified; share and promote examples of good practice locally, regionally and nationally; raise the profile of Healthwatch Manchester and Trafford, increasing public awareness of both services. Over 170 patients were interviewed. Their views, opinions and experiences recorded and the subsequent report sent to the MREH team. Key recommendations included improvements in access and reduction in waiting times. An action plan was devised and has been agreed upon to address these issues. [Consultant] looks after you well..is so popular you can wait 3 hrs to see him. Tea or coffee would be nice MREH Patient Patient & Carer Experience of Service Access Post-diagnosis for Dementia This work focused on access to postdiagnosis dementia services after we discovered, through talking to local people and GPs, that when someone receives a diagnosis of dementia their experience with support services from that point on can be difficult for them. We worked with local Dementia Cafes and the Admiral Nurses, and asked people to share their experience of the diagnosis pathway. It was identified that the referral experience can be very different in different parts of Manchester. In addition, there was lack of information on local services available at each stage of care. Since our initial survey we have seen a number of positive initiatives from local Dementia Action Alliance partners. There is now a Dementia Connect online service directory hosted by Alzheimer's Society providing information on dementia-related services which will be used as part of Healthwatch Manchester s outreach service. Healthwatch Manchester was also pleased to be able to contribute to the report from Healthwatch Blackburn with Darwen: Giving Healthwatch NICE Teeth. This document explains how Healthwatch can use the NICE guidelines regarding an issue it has investigated to lend credence to any recommendations it has made. Healthwatch Manchester Annual Report

10 Volunteering at Healthwatch Manchester Our Induction & Training Programme At Healthwatch Manchester, we strive to provide the support and the opportunities that volunteers need to enable them to achieve their individual learning and development goals whilst creating long lasting improvements to health and care services in our local communities. In this year we have firmed up our induction process to ensure that we better understand the training and development needs of our volunteers, and provide up-to-date trainings in areas such as Safeguarding and Manchester s Health and Social Care Landscape to prepare the volunteers for their roles at Healthwatch Manchester. Recruitment In this year, we strengthened our ties regarding volunteer recruiting arrangements with local universities; including the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Salford. Many of our volunteers undertaking undergraduate or postgraduate degrees in subjects such as medicine, nursing, public health and psychology were able to gain practical on the ground experience through volunteering with Healthwatch Manchester. Projects involving our volunteers Most of our projects heavily involve volunteers who are eager to contribute their skills and experience in facilitating improvements to health and social care services in Manchester. One of our primary tasks is, therefore, to continuously recruit and retain sufficient volunteers throughout the year. Projects they have worked on in this year include: Overseas students, access & entitlement to healthcare survey Post diagnosis dementia services in Manchester Joint Enter & View at Manchester Royal Infirmary Patient drop-in at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital Greater Manchester devolution conversations Subsequent reporting was also supported by volunteer activity. I feel I have learnt a great deal about the struggles which come with changes to healthcare and the importance of organisations like Healthwatch to observe and report on people s voice. Amelia, Research Volunteer Healthwatch Manchester Annual Report

11 Our priorities 2016/2017 Due to the large scale changes on the horizon; new and developing services, their pathways and access to them will play a large part in our oncoming work. Our work in this area begins with a vital service which has become more remote from Manchester for some people: Haemodialysis. The lessons learned for Healthwatch Manchester from delivering this piece of work will serve to improve our approach in other similar areas as we see more of the same. Changes to prevention and wellbeing services, such as breast cancer screening, becoming more remote are of particular concern and the opportunities for collaboration with other Healthwatch across the City Region will become a requirement. Mental Health Services Retraction Examining the impact on service users so far and gathering their views and opinions on the way forward. Access to the Haemodialysis Service Examining the impact of a service, which has become remote for many Manchester residents, on travel time and their wider health & wellbeing. This will be the first of many investigations of this kind in preparation for the changes brought about by the Healthier Together initiative. Walk-in Service Retraction Examining the impact of the withdrawal of the Walk-in service to patients registered at the medical practice where it s hosted. Walk-in Service Awareness Exploring public awareness of the Walk-in Centres and helping raise awareness of them with local people. Early Years & Public Health Investigating the reasons for the high levels of obesity in under 5s in Manchester. Entry and Adherence to Rehabilitation Services Examining the transition from entry point for example, custody to rehabilitation and the reasons for lack of adherence on the rehabilitation pathway. For each area of work Healthwatch Manchester has identified key partners and agencies. Before work commences Healthwatch Manchester seeks to collaborate with them on the design and delivery of the initiative as well as input with any subsequent course of action. A stretch factor is included in the planning arrangements to accommodate hot topics and wicked issues (unexpected events requiring immediate response). Early indicators for these are: Access to customer voice around cancer & cancer services Rapid increase in Hepatitis C infections and the fitness for purpose of information management systems at sexual health clinics Impact of congenital heart disease service retraction Ongoing Areas of Work Dementia Services Post-Diagnosis Helpline Support Feedback Support Complaints Management Healthwatch Manchester Annual Report

12 Our governance and decision-making Our board Vicky Szulist (Chair) Marcus Graham Alison Hamnett Linda Hill Sylvia Sham Our board is drawn from our membership which consists of local voluntary and community organisations which deliver health and/or social care services. Members of the board are nominated not elected. We seek to enrich the board with the expertise of the local voluntary and community sector. This means that decisions around priorities and objectives for the organisation are informed from a local perspective. We also seek to ensure their expertise includes as many sections of the Manchester community, and health and care areas as possible. How we make decisions We collect the views, experiences and opinions of local people through a number of ways: The Your story section of our website Field research Desk-based research Enter & View Office calls Using criteria for what constitutes useful information, this information is filtered and sifted for its strength and accuracy and informs key decisions taken by the board. Input from the local statutory and voluntary sector is taken into account. Hot topics and wicked issues are also considered. From all this we obtain a landscape view, informing our priorities for action. This is taken to the board which sets priorities for the coming financial year. Priorities are established for the short, medium and long-term and the Chief Officer implements these with the Healthwatch Manchester team. Healthwatch Manchester Annual Report

13 Financial information INCOME Funding received from local authority to deliver local Healthwatch statutory activities 80,000 Additional income 720 Total income 80,720 EXPENDITURE Operational costs 9,704 Staffing costs 47,046 Office costs 18,338 Total expenditure 75,088 Surplus for the year 5,632 Healthwatch Manchester Annual Report

14 Contact us Get in touch Address: Healthwatch Manchester Peter House Oxford Street MANCHESTER, M1 5AN Website: Company limited by guarantee registered in England No Phone number: We will be making this annual report publicly available by publishing it on our website and circulating it to Healthwatch England, CQC, NHS England, Clinical Commissioning Groups, Overview and Scrutiny Committee, and our local authority. We confirm that we are using the Healthwatch Trademark (which covers the logo and Healthwatch brand) when undertaking work on our statutory activities as covered by the licence agreement. If you require this report in an alternative format please contact us at the address above. Copyright Healthwatch Manchester 2016