Please R.S.V.P to confirm attendance of all Healthwatch Wirral Coffee Mornings by calling or ing

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1 Healthwatch Wirral March April 2014 Newsletter Healthwatch Wirral Coffee Mornings Healthwatch Wirral Coffee Mornings are both friendly and informal and for all members of the public. The details of our future Coffee Mornings are as follows: Christ Church Community Centre Kings Road, Higher Bebington, Wirral, CH63 8LX Wednesday 26 th March am 12pm Dr Melanie Maxwell, Associate Medical Director, Wirral University Teaching Hospital will be in attendance to discuss and give a presentation on 2013/2014 Quality Accounts. Voluntary & Community Action Wirral 220 Liscard Road, Wallasey, CH44 5TN Thursday 26 th June am 12pm Expressive Communication session learning the basics. For further information about Expressive Communication visit their website: Please R.S.V.P to confirm attendance of all Healthwatch Wirral Coffee Mornings by calling or ing info@healthwatchwirral.co.uk. Tweet Healthwatch Wirral The Healthwatch Twitter account is now active again and being run by our volunteer Dominic. He will be tweeting about the latest news and updates from within the organisation, local and national health and social care news items and interacting with local stakeholders and healthcare/social care organisations. Follow the account by searing our Also, if you have anything you would like to be shared via Twitter please Dominic using info@healthwatchwirral.co.uk. Phone: info@healthwatchwirral.co.uk Web: Address: Healthwatch Wirral, Liscard Road, Wallasey, Wirral, CH44 5TN

2 Improving Quality Accounts Quality Accounts are an important way for NHS services to report on quality and show improvements in the services they deliver to local communities and stakeholders. Healthwatch Wirral are uniquely placed, in being able to make a submission to providers' quality accounts. Wirral JSNA Call for Information Message from Fiona Johnstone Director of Public Health, Policy & Performance Wirral Council The process of identifying current and future health and wellbeing needs is an on-going process that should, wherever possible, look to include detail, knowledge and experience from a wide group of contributors. With that in mind I would like to take this opportunity to request your participation in our JSNA. Working with Healthwatch Wirral and Voluntary and Community Action Wirral we are looking to open up the process and I would encourage you to take part and help us to identify the range of local needs and issues that will help inform and shape our future priorities. If you have information on a topic or issue that you believe would be important for the Health & Wellbeing Board to take account of then please fill the JSNA call for information template which can be found by visting the following web address no later than Friday 11th April. The information collected from your reply will be combined with other content to ensure we get the most broad and comprehensive picture as possible. Guidance notes for filling in the survey by can be sent by contacting Healthwatch Wirral, however, if you have any queries regarding the process please contact John Highton, Wirral JSNA lead on or by ing johnhighton@wirral.gov.uk. Take Control of Your Lung Health Take control of your lung health and join the British Lung Foundation for a relaxed, friendly and informative conference to learn how BLF can support you! This event will take place on 25 th March 2014 from 10.30am 4.00pm (registration at 10am) and will be held at the Thistle Hotel Haydock, Penny Lane. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Speakers will include Dr Penny Woods, Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation and representatives from Healthwatch England. To attend this event please book your place by visiting

3 Commissioning Consultation Your local NHS Clinical Commissioning Group buys, on your behalf, a wide range of health services, treatments and procedures. Most of these are aimed at everyone - but some are for very specific conditions or for small groups of patients with specific needs. You have the right to inform the final decision. For further information on this topic and to provide your feedback visit Your feedback is required by 12 noon on Monday 30 th April Nearly a Fifth Confess to Knowingly Using A&E for Non-Emergencies 18 per cent of people admit to having knowingly used A&E for a non-emergency at some point in their lives, according to new survey findings by Healthwatch England. 1 in 4 respondents said it is likely they would resort to using A&E in the future if they were unable to get a GP appointment in a reasonable timeframe, with 1 in 3 stating that they would do so if the non-emergency situation occurred outside of GP opening hours. Despite two thirds of respondents expressing concern about the ability of the NHS to cope with the pressure on urgent and emergency care, the research suggests that when it comes to our own health and that of our loved ones, many of us will continue to use services how we want, when we want, until real alternatives are provided. Read the full article via the Healthwatch England website Stroke Association in the Wirral The Stroke Association is the UK s leading stroke charity which campaigns to improve stroke care; supports people to make the best recovery they can; and funds ground-breaking research to change the lives of people affected by stroke. The charity provides an Information, Advice and Support Service and Communication Support in the Wirral, in partnership with Wirral Clinical Commissioning Groups. The services help stroke survivors and their families prepare for the changes after stroke, with information, practical advice and emotional support. For more information about the Stroke Association services in the Wirral, contact Joanne Mason on For more information about stroke, ring the Helpline on or visit the website

4 Join the People's Voice Network and Have Your Say on Local Services In the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Clinical Network (SCN) professionals, organisations and service users work together. They do this to make plans which lead to better health and wellbeing and to better patient care. We want to make sure that the voices of the public, of patients and carers are at the centre of everything we do. We will only make decisions about all our activities after listening carefully to the people who use and care about health and wellbeing services. Growing the People s Voice is at the heart of this work. It will have members who are patients, carers and members of the public. It is there to support these people to get involved in making changes to health and care services to make these services better To get involved or for further information please contact Gloria Payne via gloria.payne@nhs.net or via telephone by calling Home Safety Events This coming April, will see Home Safety Month in Wirral. Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service will be active in communities across Wirral promoting safety in the home, this forming part of their commitment to reducing fire deaths and injuries. The month of action will include two Home Safety community events, organised in partnership with Wirral Older People s Parliament. We would like to invite you to join us for these events to come and find out about a wide range of services. Both days will include free refreshments, fire safety advice, health checks and much more. The dates and locations are as follows: Birkenhead Community Fire Station Wednesday 2nd April am - 3pm Heswall Community Fire Station Wednesday 23rd April am - 3pm For further information please Brian from Wirral Older People's Parliament brian@wirralopp.co.uk or call using Care Data Scheme NHS England has announced it will delay its flagship data-sharing scheme for six months, to allow managers more time to build understanding of the benefits.

5 NHS bosses said they would halt the planned extraction of data from GP surgeries in April and delay it until the autumn. The delay comes after the RCGP and the GPC objected to the scheme, saying large numbers of patients have not yet received any information about it and the communications programme around it should be expanded. NHS England said that it would work with patients and professional groups including the BMA, RCGP and Healthwatch to develop additional practical steps to promote awareness with patients. Vision 2018 On Wednesday 12 th February Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group in conjunction with Wirral Social Care Services hosted an evening of information in the Floral Pavilion, New Brighton. The evening aimed to inform the public of the latest health and social care plans including Better Care Funding plans and give them the opportunity to ask questions and influence what happens over the next 2-5 years. Healthwatch Wirral attended this event on an information stand in order to converse and listen to the inquisitive public audience. Vision 2018 would like you to help shape the care and support you receive. Please go to to learn more and provide your feedback. Please complete the questionnaire before 31st March Dying Matters Weeks Text sourced from the Dying Matters website. We want to get as many people as possible thinking, talking and acting during Dying Matters Awareness Week - and to do this we need you. The theme of our next Awareness Week, which runs from 12 th 18 th May 2014, is 'You only die once'. During the week, we will be encouraging members of the public to take five simple steps to make their end of life experience better, both for them and for their loved ones. These are: Write your will Record your funeral wishes Plan your future care and support Consider registering as an organ donor Tell your loved ones your wishes For further information on Dying Matters Week please visit International Women's Day Event An invitation to an evening celebrating International Women s Days. This women-only event will include information, entertainment, therapies, refreshments and much more.

6 The Florrie, 377 Mill Street, Liverpool, L8 4RF Thursday 27th March pm pm Please book your place for this ticket-only event in advance, to do this contact Zelda on or a.quassim@nhs.net. Joyce Jackson 25th March th February 2014 And finally we end with some sad news. Joyce Jackson, an associate and valued member of Healthwatch Wirral sadly passed away on 16th February. Joyce was formerly a Board member of Wirral LINk (now Healthwatch Wirral). During this time she was involved in the Enter and View work and chaired the group for a while. In fact Joyce attended some training as recently as December for the next stage of Enter and View under Healthwatch. Even though Joyce was very ill she showed gutsy determination to keep going. Joyce never complained, she enjoyed the time she spent with friends and family recalling happy memories and achievements. Joyce had also been a governor at Wirral University Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust and a trustee of Wirral Autistic Society where she will be sadly missed for her experience on both local and national fronts. Joyce was always a champion for those without a voice and tried wherever possible to highlight their needs. She was a very remarkable person and a good friend to many people. We will all miss her enduring commitment to help others. Healthwatch Wirral in partnership with WirralWell Copyright 2014 Healthwatch Wirral, All rights reserved. You are receiving this as an associate member of Healthwatch Wirral or an interested third party. This document does not constitute legal or professional advice, or information, neither does it endorse nor reject the services mentioned. The views and opinions expressed in the document are not always to be taken as expressing the opinions of Healthwatch Wirral CIC. Please note this newsletter was originally created for online distribution, if you would like a hard copy of any further information mentioned within this document please contact Healthwatch Wirral. Phone: info@healthwatchwirral.co.uk Web: Address: Healthwatch Wirral, Liscard Road, Wallasey, Wirral, CH44 5TN