Healthwatch Sefton Annual Report 2017/18
2 Contents Message from our Chair 3 Highlights from our year 4 Who we are 5 Your views on health and care 6 Helping you find the answers 12 Making a difference together 14 It starts with you 23 Our plans for next year 25 Our people 27 Our finances 32 A word from our stakeholders 34
3 Message from our Chair It is with great pleasure that I introduce Healthwatch Sefton s Annual Report 2017/2018. Looking back over the year great progress has been made in gathering the views and experiences of the public of Sefton. This has been evidenced by the number of reports, Enter and View activities, and events attended which are set out in the report. At the end of the year was commissioned by Sefton Council to provide an Independent Complaints Advocacy service for the people of Sefton. This launches in April 2018 and will enable us to provide support to members of the public who need help to complain about an NHS service that they have been unhappy with. I wish to pay tribute to the whole Healthwatch Sefton team who have worked tirelessly throughout the year to ensure that Sefton residents have their voices heard. However, they could not achieve all that they do without the support of an army of volunteers who freely give their time and expertise to listen to the concerns of the Sefton public and ensure that they are the basis for our work plan. Together we really do make a difference! Thank you for a super meeting yesterday with both you and the team. It was all very impressive and certainly helped me with my thinking! It was a busy day but thank you again for making my visit to Healthwatch Sefton so pleasant and fruitful. Jane Mordue, Chair, Healthwatch England
4 Highlights from our year Our 34 volunteers help us with everything from Enter & View visits to engaging with GP practices 13,455 This year we ve reached 13,455 people on social media Our reports have tackled issues ranging from repeat prescription changes to staff shortages We ve spoken to 406 people on local hospital services We ve given 414 people information and advice
5 Who we are You need services that work for you, your friends and family. That s why we use your experiences of using health and care both good and bad - to encourage those who run and commission services to act on what matters to you. Our purpose People s views come first especially those who find it hardest to be heard. We champion what matters to you and work with others to find ideas that work. We are independent and committed to making the biggest difference to you. We are a company limited by guarantee and a subsidiary company of Sefton Council for Voluntary Service (CVS). We have a small team of staff who support us and a large team of volunteers. Our Vision Our vision is to ensure that every resident of Sefton has the opportunity to share their experiences and shape health and social care services. As well as championing your views locally, we also share your views with Healthwatch England who make sure that the government put people at the heart of care nationally. Our Voice, Your Voice There is a local Healthwatch in every local authority area in England and this means we are uniquely placed being part of a national network. Both Healthwatch England and have statutory powers to ensure that the voices of people who want to have a say about health and social care services are strengthened and heard by those who commission, deliver and regulate health and care services. Statutory duties Gathering the views and understanding the experiences of patients and the public Making people s views known Promoting and supporting people s involvement in the commissioning and provision of local care services Recommending investigation or special review of services via Healthwatch England or directly to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) Providing advice and information (signposting) about access to services and support for making informed choices Making the views and experiences of people known to Healthwatch (and to other Healthwatch organisations) and providing a steer to carry out its role as national champion Supporting the Merseyside and Cheshire Independent Complaints Advocacy provided by the Carers Federation
6 Your views on health and care
7 Our Feedback Centre captures people s views on the health and care services they have used Listening to local people s views During 2017-18, more and more people accessed our online Feedback Centre which was launched in September 2016. This facility enables people to rate the health and social care services they use in much the same way people leave holiday and restaurant reviews via online feedback sites. Experiences shared on our Feedback Centre are all posted online anonymously. A new addition in this reporting year has been the ability for NHS Trusts to respond to people s feedback on their services. This demonstrates how we are helping patient voices to be heard by service providers. The Feedback Centre can be accessed through our website: www.healthwatchsefton.co.uk What we ve learnt from visiting services Enter & View is about seeing and hearing for ourselves how services are being run and allows to collect the views of service users at the point of service delivery. This might involve talking to staff, service users or observing service delivery. As part of our programme of work to review local residential and care home provision we visited a number of care homes. In September 2017, our authorised representatives made an unannounced Enter & View visit at Manchester House Care Home on Albert Road in Southport. The home provided a spacious and comfortable environment for residents and residents looked well cared for and happy. Staff were observed as being friendly and helpful and had a good rapport with residents, with residents also saying that they had a good relationship with staff.
8 There was one safeguarding concern identified at the time of the visit and this was recorded in line with our Safeguarding Policy and shared with the safeguarding team at Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council. Since the visit we have been informed by the safeguarding team that the investigation has been completed. There were five recommendations/areas for consideration which included: making the home Dementia Friendly ensuring the lift was in working order options for the evening meal a review of communal chairs and also reviewing the exterior of the home and ensuring safety Many of the recommendations were actioned and we will be following up the action to make the home more Dementia friendly in June 2018. In February 2018, we used a new approach to Enter & View by planning an announced visit to Woolston Mead Care Home in Waterloo. This announced approach was similar to an unannounced visit but, in addition, had surveys for the manager, staff, and friends and family to complete and return to us, providing a wider perspective on the home. Following the visit, a number of concerns were immediately shared with the Sefton MBC Quality & Compliance team and the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The Quality & Compliance team undertook a follow-up visit a few days later following concerns raised relating to: fire hazards, privacy and dignity (bathrooms/bedrooms), safety (access in and out of the home), cleanliness, choice of meals and bathroom accommodation. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service worked with the home to ensure a suitable lock was provided to guarantee privacy and dignity. The commissioning team also supported Healthwatch recommendations that bathrooms would benefit from some decoration including: repair or replacement baths where required. Further Healthwatch recommendations included: menu white boards are completed daily by staff; corridor areas to be cleaned and, with regards to access to the home, that the front door be fitted with a key pad for inside the hallway to ensure resident safety (linking to fire safety). Our authorised Enter & View Representatives: Anne Major Libby Kitt Betty Boner Margaret Quayle Brenda Cookson Maureen Thomas Brian Clark OBE Maurice Byrne Bridget O Toole Nigel Smith David Skelton Patricia Hearne Derek Thomas Sarah Ann Blackman Diane Foulston Stuart Morgan Sime Jim Conalty Valerie Thomas John Black Wendy Andersen Ken Lowe Wendy Aspin Leslie Carlile plays an important role in social care and health and are now well established in our communities. In particular, they play a vital role in visiting our care homes. As well as raising concerns about standards they also highlight good practice and this often aids people having to make choices about their own future care needs or the care of the family. They are also actively involved in many of the decision-making groups around health and wellbeing. Dwayne Johnson, Director Social Care and Health, Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
9 Disadvantaged/Vulnerable people continues to work in partnership with People First Merseyside to ensure their voices are heard and listened to when accessing local health and social care services. People First Merseyside is a self-advocacy group led by and for people with learning disabilities. Their members are represented on both our South & Central Sefton and Southport & Formby Community Champion networks. Members of both networks meet on a bimonthly basis to share any emerging health and social care themes from their localities and to also hear up-to-date information from both providers and commissioners of health and social care services. We wanted to ensure the meetings were inclusive for all members and, therefore, set up a meeting with People First Merseyside members to look at how the meetings worked and what improvements could be made. After the meeting positive changes were made to ensure the meetings were accessible. This work has continued throughout the year to ensure every member of the network has the opportunity to share and receive information in a clear and understandable format. It is a pleasure to be part of the work you do. I know the members get so much out of coming to the Community Champion meetings but what is especially important is that they feel comfortable to be themselves. Joanne English, Development Worker, People First Merseyside At a South & Central Sefton Community Champion Network meeting, Healthwatch Sefton was alerted to members having concerns about their local pharmacy no longer being able to order repeat prescriptions on their behalf due to new changes that had been Lesley Curran from People First Merseyside at a Community Champion Network meeting introduced by NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Southport and Formby CCG. People First Merseyside members also shared their concerns and so organised a meeting with them during June 2017 to gather their feedback on accessing the new Repeat Prescription Ordering Scheme (RPOS). The resulting mini feedback report was shared with both NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Southport and Formby CCG. Susanne Lynch, Head of Medicines Management at both CCGs, commented at the CCG s Engagement & Patient Experience Group in November 2017 that a review of the scheme, and its impact on vulnerable patients, would be widened out as a result of the Healthwatch People First report and that will pick up some of the wider medicines management points highlighted in its findings. has continued to ensure issues raised by members are monitored and during January 2018 the networks were updated on the RPOS by the Medicines Management team.
10 Young people and families has been working closely with parents and various groups around the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) agenda. We have attended meetings organised in conjunction with Sefton Carers Centre where experiences have been documented and areas of concern highlighted. The concerns raised led to a parent joining the Community Champion Network where she will have the platform to represent a broad range of parents with young adults who have special educational needs. attended an event in November 2017 called Ofsted SEND Inspection, What Happens Next? which provided an opportunity for to get involved with parents and this enabled their involvement in shaping the SEND Action Plan. Being a champion for the National Autism Society (NAS) Sefton Parent and Carers Autism support group has a given us an invaluable opportunity to highlight issues and concerns on autism services in the borough and bring it to the attention of the health and social care authorities. Dr. Nahid Cowdhury Vice Chair, NAS Sefton Parent and Carers Autism Support Group Areas of concern include: Long waiting times to see a paediatrician Long waiting times for Educational Psychologists Lack of Speech and Language Therapists Worries that young people are being left behind due to a long wait for diagnosis Anxieties around transition to high school Lack of information being relayed to families with special educational needs Long waiting times for Children s Continence Service Supported Living Further concerns were flagged up to after further engaging with Sefton Parent Carers Forum. These related to medication and communication from Alder Hey NHS Foundation Trust with many families recounting experiences of medication not being sent out in a timely manner. The Sefton Parent Carers Forum has asked to record responses and updates on these issues. Betty Boner, Engagement Officer for Southport & Formby, talking with a parent at a Special Educational Needs (SEND) event As these issues are important, Healthwatch Sefton is to monitor and scrutinise local progress against the action plan.
11 Older people During 2017 contacted Riverside Housing to explore how partnership work could be developed to ensure residents living within their retirement living schemes across Sefton could be provided with information on services. A plan was agreed for to share an electronic version of the signposting leaflet along with the quarterly Healthwatch Sefton newsletters. Riverside Housing then ensured this information was delivered to each resident within the schemes across Sefton. Betty with the Mayor and Mayoress of Sefton, Cllr Dave and Wendy Robinson at a Keep Warm, Keep Well event Young people Over the past year, Young Healthwatch has been engaging with young people to encourage them to think about their experiences of accessing health services. One of the main issues Young Healthwatch has been interested in has been emotional health and wellbeing and has met with more than 100 young people who have told us about how services have worked - and not worked - for them. This feedback has informed Sefton s Emotional Health and Wellbeing Strategy as well as new projects designed to increase knowledge and confidence of teachers to better support their students but also projects that build resilience in young people directly. Working with other groups and services, Young Healthwatch has also been working on promoting the opportunity to feedback to young people - through school nurses, online forums and the bespoke Sefton Youth website. Information was shared at the Healthwatch Sefton Community Champion Network and how Riverside Housing could feed in any emerging health and care themes on behalf of residents. In addition, a joint work plan was set up in November 2017 for to visit the retirement living schemes and offer residents the chance to chat to Healthwatch Sefton staff members to share their feedback and find out more about the services. also heard from other older people in the borough by attending the Sefton Older Persons Forums in Southport, Formby and Ainsdale via partnership working with Justine Shenton, forum co-ordinator. A specific piece of work around podiatry began which involved working in partnership with Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust as well as the forums. This work is continuing in 2018. We also built on our existing partnership links with the voluntary, community and faith (VCF) sector to reach more older people by attending a Keep Warm, Keep Well event organised between Sefton OPERA and Sefton Council s Affordable Warmth Team.
12 Helping you find the answers
13 How we have helped the community get the information they need Our statutory Signposting and Information Service is available to support local people to make informed choices. Contact with the service varied with access to NHS dentists in the Southport area being the main issue which local people needed support with. Below we share further details about the top five topics which local people contacted the service for support. Issues relating to registering with a GP and also support in how to complain about GP services were key areas in which we provided support. Signposts were made to NHS England, the commissioner, and the Healthwatch Independent Complaints Advocacy service. Just found out yesterday that my complaint was successful due to procedures not being followed by the community nurses. Thank you so much for your help, your office was the only one that offered me any help and I'm extremely grateful. Caller to the Signposting and Information Service The service signposted residents for support with mental health to Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Team (Alder Hey Children s NHS Foundation Trust) and Access Sefton. Access to information and support in relation to funding and finance were associated with issues around welfare benefits, dental enquiries and Continuing Health Care with signposts to the Citizens Advice Bureau, NHS England, and NHS Southport & Formby and NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Groups. Social care issues were also an area in which we provided support, issues relating to care packages and Best Interest meetings. Sefton Pensioners Advocacy Centre, Sefton Carers Centre and Sefton MBC were organisations local people were signposted to. Issues relating to local hospitals also featured with appointments, discharge from hospital and general support requested. Between April 2017 and March 2018, we dealt with 581 signposting queries. From this volume of callers, we can detect trends and whether or not these need raising with providers. Access to NHS dental services in Southport One of the most frequent reasons for people contacting our Signposting and Information Service was to find out how they can access NHS dental services. In providing this service has been able to identify an annual key trend; a gap in the commissioning of NHS dental services in the Southport & Formby area during the summer months. For the third year on the run, increased calls to our Signposting and Information Service alerted us to a lack of access to NHS dentists in Southport. We contacted NHS England again to find a quick solution to the crisis but also to consider why this was an annual trend. During 2017, NHS England worked with all practices across Southport and Formby and identified two practices which would open their lists. We were able to provide this information to callers to our service. The needs-based assessment is underway and is forming part of a bigger piece of work we need to complete. We have discussed the issues you have been reporting with Public Health England colleagues. Tom Knight, Head of Primary Care, NHS England North (Cheshire and Merseyside)
14 Making a difference together
15 Working with other organisations Flu clinics worked in partnership with Justine Shenton (co-ordinator of the Sefton Older Persons Forum), Ken Lowe, Ainsdale Lunch and Leisure, and Ian McGoay (Relationship Manager with Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust), to attend flu clinics during September and October 2017 throughout North Sefton. This provided an opportunity to share information and to speak with community members about their health-related experiences all of which were documented and fed into the Feedback Centre. 75 experiences were gathered and 4 new members signed up to and Lancashire Care attended flu clinics during this period covering the following GP surgeries: Ainsdale Medical Centre St Marks Medical Centre Norwood Surgery Churchtown Medical Centre The Hollies Surgery Freshfield Surgery Social care We also worked in partnership with numerous agencies to address social care issues raised with us after we attended Sefton Council s Dementia Provider Forum meeting during November 2017. During the November meeting a number of care home managers and representatives voiced their concerns regarding the continence services provided across Sefton by Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust. Concerns raised included: Communication with the service provider New residents waiting times to access the service The order process for continence products Product quantity per patient Patient assessments Suitability of products issued Issues were highlighted in terms of dignity and respect for residents accessing this service. After listening to what was said on this subject, planned an online survey that was reviewed by Sefton Council and approved by the Steering Group which was then circulated via Sefton Council to all Care Homes across Sefton. In total, 29 care homes responded to the survey. The results were shared with the provider Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust. Ian McGoay, Relationship Manager with Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust (c), engaging with patients at a flu clinic in Ainsdale
16 Maghull Health Centre During January 2018 five announced Enter & View visits were planned in partnership with Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust to visit community services based at Maghull Health Centre. The purpose of the visits was to conduct a follow up from previous outreach work carried out in respect of Maghull Health Centre community services which was between October and November 2016. The provider of community services at that time was Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust. A total of 83 feedback forms were completed during the follow-up visits resulting in Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust achieving an average Healthwatch rating of 4 stars out of 5. A report, along with an action plan, was submitted to the Trust in March 2018 outlining what patients, families, visitors and staff said worked well at the centre and what improvements were required. Active Workforce has been working closely with to help employees in the borough have their say on their health and social care services. Amy Barnes, Active Workforce Development Manager Issues raised included: difficulties in getting through on phone lines; booking routine podiatry appointments; disability access; staffing levels at reception and phlebotomy. Working Voice During 2017 contacted Sefton Council s Active Workforce department to explore working in partnership to support local residents in having their say on the health and care services they use. In particular, an emphasis was put on capturing feedback from working-age residents who live and/or work in Sefton and this became our Working Voice project. Partnership work is well underway, with accessing Sefton Council buildings, along with attending planned Active Workforce events during 2018. Listening Event Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust On Monday 17 July, between 12noon and 4pm, worked in partnership with eight other local Healthwatch to hold listening events at Accident & Emergency (A & E) departments across Cheshire & Merseyside. We visited the A&E at Southport and Formby District General Hospital.
17 26 surveys were completed with patients waiting to be treated at the department. The top two reasons for patients attending were: it felt too urgent to wait and they were advised to attend by a GP. A number of recommendations were made to the Trust which were actioned to improve patient experience. These were: Access to refreshments for patients in the waiting area to be reviewed. Review to include access to healthier options and option for a water cooler to be installed. To support the recruitment of volunteers who would be able to work within the department, two volunteer recruitment sessions were planned (March and April), one on each of the Trust s sites. A water cooler is being installed in the department. The vending machines which are currently installed (national contract) are being replaced with internal machines which will be supplied by the Trust s catering services. Vending machines will offer more choice. Board which updates waiting times within the department to include the date and time it has last been updated. The date and time of update is now included on the waiting time board. Trust to review how reception/triage staff support patients in the waiting area. The Trust shared details of the planned building work to expand the accident and emergency department. Strand House The staff team, along with Joanne Roberts from the Strand House Residents Association, visited every residents home within the Strand House high rise flats, Bootle, in August 2017. The team visited all 123 flats covering 21 floors in the property which is managed by One Vision Housing, a registered provider of social housing. The team with Joanne Roberts, of Strand House Residents Association, who helped organise the visit Every resident was provided with Healthwatch Sefton information including: how to share their feedback on accessing health and social care services, our signposting and information service, Independent Complaints Advocacy service. Residents who we spoke to were also informed of our outreach days that were planned at their local shopping centre at the Strand by Me Shop for further information. 10 new members joined on the day with many more saying they would complete the membership form and return by post. In addition, provided support to the Bootle Older Person s Forum by distributing a poster promoting their meeting on Maximising Your Income. On the whole the Healthwatch team and residents felt positive about the day and look forward to planning more visits during 2018. Thank you so much for publicising our forum at Strand House. We had an excellent turn out for the meeting with about 15 new people who benefited from the talk Justine Shenton, Older Persons Forum Co-ordinator
18 Orthopaedics and Healthy Liverpool Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group, working as part of the Healthy Liverpool work to review orthopaedic services, contacted and in April planning for the consultation got under way. With this pre-planning activity, and with the equality impact assessment being shared with, a list of local community groups in Sefton was shared. The purpose of this being that direct engagement could be undertaken with local residents from the groups/organisations. Examples of the groups shared were the Sefton Older Persons Forums and Veterans in Sefton. When the formal public consultation on Liverpool s hospital-based orthopaedic and Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) services for adults opened (26 June), we were in a position to ensure that: community members were aware of the proposals Community members received information in a timely manner to make a decision about how to engage and respond An event was planned for Healthwatch Sefton members There has been a close working relationship in which important information has been shared, and this has allowed deeper questioning of matters that have needed our attention. It is a good example of agencies working well together for the benefit of the community. We look forward to continuing this fruitful relationship. Councillor Catie Page, Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Adult Social Care and Health) Dr Fiona Lemmens talking at the orthopeadics listening event hosted this event on 8 September at St Stephen s Church Hall in Hightown at which the formal plans for Orthopaedic services and Ear, Nose and Throat services were shared. Dr Fiona Lemmens and the team from Liverpool Clinical Commissioning group, answered questions, with a key theme from the discussions being travel and transport. This local issue was picked up in the key findings from the consultation. Further engagement with south Sefton service users will be undertaken by Healthy Liverpool to understand the issue raised in relation to travel and quality of care.
19 NHS Health Checks also supports local providers and commissioners in engaging with Sefton residents so they can help shape and design local services. An example of this was working with colleagues in Public Health within Sefton MBC to address local challenges in the delivery of NHS Health Checks. A new community-based model for NHS Health Checks in Sefton has been developed through engagement with a range of key stakeholders and local residents. Working in partnership with Healthwatch Sefton, a public survey was carried out in November 2017 regarding the NHS Health Checks service within Sefton, receiving 90 responses from eligible residents. The survey was hosted on the Healthwatch website and widely advertised. Overall, the survey found good levels of satisfaction with the NHS Health Checks itself, although lifestyle changes only took place in less than 50% of cases. There were issues with a lack of invitations for NHS Health Checks, unmet demand for checks, appointments mainly taking place during work hours, and a need to improve partnership links. Trish Bennett, Director of Integration, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust talking to members in July 2017 South Sefton members event During July 2017 we held a members event in Crosby with a focus on how Sefton residents can maintain self-care through community services which had recently been taken over by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust and North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. There were a number of speakers from both Trusts who answered questions during a lively question & answer session. Guest speakers at our South Sefton members event in July 2017
20 How we ve worked with our community As a local Healthwatch, one of the ways we gather feedback from our communities is through the Community Champion Networks. These meet regularly and consist of representatives from local voluntary, community and faith-based groups. Service providers come along and provide updates as well as listening and responding to questions they may have. There are two separate networks, one covering Southport & Formby and the other in South & Central Sefton. Age Concern Crosby Bootle YMCA / Bootle Action group BOSCO House Brunswick Youth and Community Centre Cambridge Children s Centre Caradoc Kids Crosby Library Expect Ltd @ Bowersdale Resource Centre Galloway s Society for the Blind Inspire 2 Independence Keystone Linacre Methodist Mission Maghull Library Ndirections (Bootle Resource Centre) Netherton Feelgood Factory Netherton Library Netherton Park Neighbourhood Centre One Vision Housing Parenting 2000 (Crosby) People First Merseyside Riverside Housing SSAFA Sefton Seaforth and All Saints Children s Centre Seaforth Information Network Group (SING) Sefton Carers Centre Sefton OPERA St Leonards Youth and Community Centre SWACA SWAN Women s Centre The May Logan Healthy Living Centre The Orrell Trust The Venus Centre Veterans in Sefton Sharon Lomax (c) of Sefton Council at a South and Central Sefton network meeting
21 Jayne Vincent (l) from Sefton Council updating Southport & Formby network members Addaction Age Concern Liverpool and Sefton Ainsdale Lunch & Leisure Ainsdale Medical Centre Patient Participation Group Alzheimer s Society Sefton Breatheasy Group Brighter Living Partnership Chronic Pain Support Group Crossens Community Centre Diabetics Society Freshfield Children s Centre Galloways Society for the Blind Lakeside Church Foodbank Lord Street West Church Macmillan Cancer Support Marshside Road Methodist Church Parenting 2000 (Southport) People First Merseyside Sefton Cancer Support Group Sefton Carers Centre Sefton Carers Autism Group, North Sefton Sefton Pensioners Advocacy Centre Older Persons Forums Sefton Visually Impaired Group Southport Centre for the Deaf Southport Library The Stroke Association The Venus Centre Woodvale Community Centre Wendy, our Engagement and Participation Manager, met the Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, in June 2017, during the 70th birthday celebrations of one of our Community Champions the Brunswick Youth and Community Centre
22 Maureen Kelly, (second left), Chair of, at a NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group Governing Body meeting How we have supported our representative on the Health and Well Being Board Maureen Kelly (Chair) represents Healthwatch Sefton on the Health and Wellbeing Board, working together with partners to jointly consider local needs and plan the right services for the population of Sefton. Over the past 12 months, Maureen has attended both formal and informal meetings and a presentation was made to members of the board in December 2017. Areas of interest over the past 12 months have included progress of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Service action plan and the review of the Community Equipment store. How volunteers have been involved in specific roles to carry out our statutory activities A wide range of community members are involved in representing us at different boards and committees which we attend to ensure that we can hear about local developments across health and social care and ensure that local views and feedback can be shared with providers and commissioners. Healthwatch Sefton has a seat on 34 differing boards and committees, ranging from governing bodies of the Clinical Commissioning Groups to The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust Patient Experience Group, which have met throughout the year. For all our volunteer opportunities, we advertise them to our community members to ensure that local people have opportunities to get involved in our work. We also share stakeholder opportunities and two of our community members are now Foundation Trust Governors for Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust. Volunteers support our work to review NHS provider Quality Accounts. A Quality Account is a report about the quality of services offered by an NHS healthcare provider. The reports are published annually by each provider, including the independent sector, and are available to the public. We reviewed seven accounts this year, including Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust. To read what we included in the accounts for each provider you can find them on our website: www.healthwatchsefton.co.uk
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24 #ItStartsWithYou Wendy Andersen, Engagement and Participation Manager with, explains how your experiences of car parking in the grounds of Aintree University Hospital resulted in Aintree University Hospital NHS Trust looking to implement changes to its car park system. As a local Healthwatch, we work in partnership with Aintree Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to gather patient, carer, family and friends experiences of the services provided at the Trust. We regularly have stands at different places and at different times to gather as wideranging patient feedback as possible. One of the main areas highlighted to us during this time was car parking so we gathered people s specific feedback on this subject over a six month period. Here are some of the issues you raised: Distance of parking people said the distance of the car park from clinics was a concern, especially for those with mobility difficulties. Outcome: maps now included in appointment letters showing nearest car park locations. Pick up, drop off spaces service users said the hospital used to provide a pick up / drop off point outside of the Elective Care Centre. This aided service users who needed to pick up patients after day surgery. This has now been discontinued. We have a blue badge. It is really difficult to get a parking place. My son has dropped me off and is trying to get one. This place is so big with nowhere to park. Pay machines people mentioned a problem with the pay machines not accepting 20 notes and cards, plus the pay machine on the 2nd floor Link Bridge was too high up on the wall. Short Stay car park one person we listened to said they were two minutes over the allotted time and had to pay the 10. If you are delayed at a clinic you have to pay it. At the regular Executive Patient Experience Group meetings at the Trust we brought up these concerns of being charged extra fees due to late-running clinics. And they were also included in recommendations within our final report we made to the Trust. The Trust is starting to prepare the way for the new system coming into place. It will operate with cars being tracked into barriered car parks using number plate recognition. Patients and visitors will simply enter their registration at the time of exit and the system will advise them of how much they need to pay. The Trust is building into the system facilities for concessions for certain groups (cancer) and for circumstances outside patients control, for example delayed clinics.
25 Our plans for next year
26 What next? Review of Care Homes To independently visit care homes across Sefton to help individuals and families make more informed decisions, while also helping the Care Quality Commission (CQC), local authorities and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) to build up a comprehensive picture of quality in care homes. Independent review of GP practices Feedback continues to be related to problems with access to appointments and we will carry out two pieces of work. In Southport, planned Enter & View visits will be carried out to hear from patients about how they found the appointment system. In South & Central Sefton, engagement work will be undertaken in the Bootle locality where the main issue identified is the different processes for booking appointments. We aim to find out the impact this is having on patients. Review of Supported Living A theme we have identified relates to supported living premises, particularly for individuals with Autism. This work will be in partnership with Sefton Carers Centre to speak with individuals living in supported living. Mapping of local GP Patient Participation Groups (PPG) Local people told us they want to get involved in their GP practice Patient Participation Group but sometimes struggle to do this. We plan to map GP practices across Sefton to find out if they have a PPG, if they need further support or need support in setting a group up. Healthwatch will hold events and work with the local Clinical Commissioning Groups to review how patients can get more involved in local primary care decision-making processes. Social Care Assessments To work with Sefton MBC on how social care assessments are taking place across Sefton and share feedback from a user/carer perspective. With new providers being in place from May 2018, we plan to independently review the service from a user perspective. Working Voice Working in partnership with Active Sefton and Sefton MBC in the first phase, engagement work will be undertaken to encourage more individuals of working age to register as a community member. Access to Podiatry Appointments (Southport and Formby) Working in partnership with Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, we will continue to support the Trust to gather feedback on the service to improve access for patients. Monitoring progress with the statement of action for special educational needs and disability (SEND) service We will work to ensure independent feedback is gathered on current services and fed in. We have been asked to provide a scrutinising role on the process of co-production to ensure improvements in line with the action plan for Ofsted are actioned. Review of the Continence Service We will engage with local care homes to find out how they access the continence service and provide independent feedback on the service to the provider. Young Healthwatch We will recruit and support a team of 10-12 young people aged 11-19 years who are based throughout the borough and known as Young Health Ambassadors. Young Healthwatch will become a service used as a reference point when groups are investigating young peoples opinions on health services. Service reviews will be undertaken using the You re Welcome framework. Young Ambassadors will lead on mini-campaigns, signposting to services, service reviews and design, engaging young people in conversations about health.
27 Our people
28 Decision making Our Board of Directors We are set up as a company limited by guarantee, a subsidiary company of Sefton Council for Voluntary Service (Sefton CVS). The Board meets on a quarterly basis. The Board is responsible for corporate governance. There are eight directors appointed to the Board and each director is a member of the company in accordance with the Companies Act 2006. The current Board consists of: Maureen Kelly Chair Nigel Bellamy Deputy Chief Executive / Director of Development with Sefton CVS Steve Hughes - Finance Manager. Sefton CVS (April 2017-December 2018) Anthony Deegan Finance Manager, Sefton CVS (January 2018-present) Val Elson Trustee, Sefton CVS David Skelton Sefton Equalities Partnership (April 2017-August 2017) Brian Clark OBE Locality Representative, Southport & Formby (May 2017-present) Maurice Byrne Locality Representative, South and Central Sefton Steering Group With the changing landscape of Sefton structures (Sefton MBC and Sefton CVS are moving to work in clearly-defined locality models) it was agreed to review the membership and role of the steering group. A review meeting was held in January 2018 and the proposals from this work were shared in a report. More information on the new structure to be shared in our next Annual Report. Responsibility for setting the direction of work and activities undertaken by Healthwatch Sefton has been delegated from the Board of Directors to the Steering Group. All members of the Steering Group undertake this work in a voluntary capacity. This group is community focused and has 18 seats. During this reporting period the group has met on a monthly basis alternating meetings between Southport (north Sefton) and Seaforth (south Sefton). The group reviews emerging issues, ensures the work plan is progressed and authorises reports and Enter & View visits. Although there is an agenda, the locality meetings are relaxed and less formal than many meetings and allow discussion of a wide range of ideas. They are an important way of comparing notes and learning from each other Maurice Byrne, Maghull Locality Representative Membership of the Steering Group Chair - Maureen Kelly Co-opted member Roger Hutchings Organisational representatives Health and Social Care Forum - Sue Evans (April 2017-May 2017) / Karen Christie (February 2018-present) Every Child Matters Forum - Ann Taylor Sefton Faith Network - *seat not filled Sefton Equalities Partnership - David Skelton Valuing People Partnership Board - *seat not filled Sefton Partnership for Older Citizens - Marion Hepworth Sefton Carers Action Group Tony Haigh Young Persons representative - Jessie Taylor (April 2017 September 2017) - Shannon Bryan (April 2017 September 2017) - Jessica Holding (March 2018 present)
29 Locality Representatives Bootle Sarah Oldnall (June 2017 - present) Crosby Diane Foulston Maghull Maurice Byrne Seaforth, Litherland and Netherton *seat not filled North Southport Brian Clark OBE Central Southport Anne Major Ainsdale and Birkdale Ken Lowe Formby Nigel Booth Southport and Formby Community Champion Network - John Black (April 2017 September 2017) There are currently seven Locality Representatives across Sefton and each of the locality representatives responsibilities involve: acting as a point of contact for residents living in their local area letting know of any issues that local residents have when using health and social care services and supporting with engagement activities Among other specific duties, the representatives are also expected to: attend Steering Group and Community Champion Network meetings promote s aims and objectives help build effective relationships with their NHS CCG locality counterpart to streamline communications between the two organisations To support the Locality Representatives in their role the staff team organise and chair bi-monthly locality representative meetings which are held in either the north or south of the borough. At the meetings, the representatives and staff discuss best practice and it gives an opportunity to offer support to each other and find out up-to-date information on current Healthwatch projects. They also have regular email and telephone communication. We have ensured during the past 12 months that our volunteers have accessed training sessions which they have identified to help them in their roles. We held a bespoke session on how to represent Healthwatch in June 2017 and earlier this year volunteers attended the following sessions: Safeguarding (Adults and Children), Mental Health First Aid, Mental Capacity Act and a Dementia Friends session. Locality representatives Nigel Booth and Anne Major discussing issues at a locality meeting
30 Communications Sub Group From listening to community members, suggestions about communication led to a sub group being formed with this as its particular focus. The members on this group are: Maureen Kelly, Nigel Smith, Angela Keith, Maurice Byrne, Emma Grange, Diane Foulston, Sarah Oldnall, Joanne English, David Petrie, and Libby Kitt. During this reporting year, the group has worked on promotional ideas such as: business cards posters specifically designed to showcase the outcomes from when people have shared their experiences developing a video for the TV screens in GP practice waiting areas and a more regular presence within the local media Our Staff Structure There is a staff team in place to support and help deliver on its priorities. There are five members of the team (four full-time equivalent). The staff team providing this support have been seconded into from Sefton Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) and they are: Diane Blair Manager Wendy Andersen Engagement and Participation Manager Betty Boner Engagement and Participation Officer Bridget O Toole Signposting, Information and Intelligence Officer Louise Malone Communications Officer Diane Foulston, Emma Grange, Louise Malone and Maurice Byrne at a Communications Sub Group meeting in March 2018
31 How we involve the public and volunteers took part in the national Volunteer Week celebrations to thank everyone who had volunteered their time, dedication and commitment to working in partnership to help improve health and social care services for the people of Sefton. As a thank you we invited our members for a get together with lunch on Friday 9 June 2017. More than 20 members attended and they all said they enjoyed the afternoon which was held in Formby. Due to the popularity and success of the thank you event held in June another event was planned and held on Friday 26 th January 2018. Again more than 25 members attended from across the borough and enjoyed celebrating their involvement with whether that was attending meetings, helping at outreach stands at various locations or Enter & View visits. I have done voluntary work for over 35 years, because I have enjoyed it and felt I could make a difference. I don't look for praise, I just get so much satisfaction from what I do, and if it is appreciated all the better. But when someone says thank you it is all I really need. does more than say thank you, they provide a delicious lunch for us too. It is a brilliant opportunity to meet our friends in the north of the borough and exchange any relevant information. Recently we were treated to lunch at the Railway Pub in Formby, and it was delicious. It is very much appreciated and it is a pleasure to be part of such a professional, friendly team. Barbara Rouse, South & Central Sefton Community Champion Network member John Black and Brian Clark OBE enjoying the volunteer thank you event in June 2017
32 Our finances
33 Income Funding received from local authority to deliver local Healthwatch statutory activities 143,281 Additional income _ Total income 143,281 Expenditure Operational costs 5,741 Staffing costs 110,242 Office costs 26,322 Total expenditure 142,305 Balance brought forward 25,143 * * Copies of the full accounts can be made available on request
34 A word from our stakeholders Healthwatch has worked collaboratively with the Trust over the last 12 months through a number of different routes. Their regular attendance at the Trust Patient Experience Group has been valuable in sharing information regarding their current work, but have also provided expertise supporting the Trust with the aims of our Patient Experience Strategy Developing the Experience of Care which was launched in July 2017. Michelle Kitson, Matron Patient Experience, Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust The working partnership we have developed with and the Older Persons Forum in Southport has made a great impact on our ability to engage with patients in the locality. As a Trust we have been able to consult patients on proposed improvements and changes we are making to services. Ian McGoay, Relationship Manager, Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust I must compliment you and the team on your Spring newsletter, it s informative and really focuses on the patients and community. Particularly liked Out and About with Wendy! Melissa Mykoluk, Office Manager and Communications Lead, Urgent Care 24 We greatly value the role of Heathwatch Sefton in championing the views and experiences of our residents and this year we ve continued to work together towards improving services for our patients. It s extremely valuable to have represented at our governing body, as well as some of our other important groups and committees, such as our engagement and patient experience group and our primary care commission group. The contribution made by the team on behalf of residents and patients is significant and we look forward to this continuing in the year ahead. Fiona Taylor, Chief Officer for both NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups in Sefton
35 Contact us Get in touch Address:, Sefton Council for Voluntary Service (CVS), 3 rd Floor, Suite 3B, North Wing, Burlington House, Crosby Road North, Waterloo, Liverpool, L22 0LG Phone number: 0151 920 0726 (ext 240) Email: infor@healthwatchsefton.co.uk Website: www.healthwatchsefton.co.uk Twitter: @Hwatchsefton @HWSFindServices Address of contractors Our annual report will be publicly available on our website by 30 June 2018. We will also be sharing it with Healthwatch England, CQC, NHS England, Clinical Commissioning Groups, Overview and Scrutiny Committee/s, 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 2018