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Christmas 2013
Message from Rob Welcome to the second edition of Healthwatch Southampton’s quarterly newsletter, published in time for you to digest before Christmas! Our regular newsletter aim’s to keep you updated on Healthwatch Southampton’s activity and plans for the coming months. You can also keep in the loop through our website and weekly activity on facebook and twitter. Starting in January we will also be writing a monthly blog. Since our last newsletter Sam Goold, HWS Community Development Worker, has started work. Sam’s role is to be getting out to communities to engage with the public and find out their views, opinions and experiences of local health and social care services. Sam’s work is directed by Healthwatch Southampton’s community engagement plan, and a breakdown of his activity is shown below. The evidence that Sam collects will be weighed up by HWS Strategic Group, who will set priorities for HWS to focus on over the coming year. In terms of influencing decision makers to reflect the public’s views Healthwatch is currently involved in numerous strategic meetings and partnerships. This includes the Health & Wellbeing Board, Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Board, Health Overview & Scrutiny Panel (HOSP). At these meetings we raise your issues and concerns and ensure that action is being taken, on which we will report back. There are still two seats to be filled on the HWS Strategic Group to make up skills and equalities mix. Please see the article below if you’d like to a chance to get involved. With best wishes for the festive season, Rob Kurn Healthwatch Southampton Manager
Out and About Over the last three months Healthwatch has been very busy speaking and listening to the following local groups to discover their particular issues with health and social
Healthwatch
services.
Southampton is officially
Physical impairment
Launched
• Spectrum
Healthwatch Southampton is now officially launched. Delegates from across the voluntary and community sector, the public and private sectors enjoyed a variety of addresses from the Mayor of Southampton, Councillor Ivan White, Kevin Lyles, Jo Ash, the SEAP team and Ciarán Devane, CEO of Macmillan cancer Support who gave the key note address. Members of the Healthwatch Southampton Strategic Group spoke to us showing the variety of skills and backgrounds they bring to the project. Each has a great deal of knowledge and experience to share with Healthwatch Southampton.
Sensory Impairment • Southampton Sight • Sonus Mental health • Solent Mind • Society of Saint James • South East Ladies Support Group • Southampton Service User Network Homeless • Two Saints - Patrick House • Homeless Healthcare Team Young People • No Limits Learning Disabilities • Choices Advocacy • Southern Health • Mencap New EU Communities • EU Welcome Project Asylum Seekers and refugees • CLEAR • The Iranian Association
Carers' Rights Day As part of the Carers' Rights Day in Southampton Carers Together organised an event at the Holiday Inn. It was themed as a 1940s Tea Dance and organised as a big thank you to the army of unpaid carers who make a massive
Substance Misuse • MORPH • SHARP Older people • THAWN
contribution and difference to the lives
• Manston Court
of so many across to the city.
• Weston Court
Sam and Rob were in attendance raising awareness of Healthwatch and responding to any questions about Health and Social Care services.
Black & Minority Ethnic Communities • Black Heritage Group Long term Conditions • Stoke Association • National Osteoporosis Society • MS Society Ambulance Service +111
Reaching the Polish Community Healthwatch Southampton has been reaching out to the estimated 20,000 Polish Community in Southampton. Some Polish people are experiencing cultural differences with NHS services and Healthwatch has been seeking to understand what these are and how the NHS and Social care needs to adapt. In this respect we have liaised with the EU Welcome Project and others from the Polish community. One result of this has been two Healthwatch articles in local Polish magazines asking about people's experiences. We have received over 100 replies from these articles and plan to follow up with public meetings and further engagement in the new year. To complete the on line Polish survey please go to the website.
Southampton Stroke User Involvement Group A big thank you to Southampton Stroke User Involvement Group for allowing Sam to come and talk about Healthwatch to the group.
• South Central Ambulance Service Adult Social Care • Carers UK • Carers Together • Health Trainers Health Providers • Care UK • Solent NHS Trust • Southern Health Foundation Trust • Primary Care/GPs • Homeless Healthcare Team • General Hospital • Public Health
First Hampshire Patient Forum with South Central Ambulance Many thanks to South Central Ambulance for their first Hampshire Patient Forum on Tuesday evening (03.12.13) Presentations covered how to get involved by becoming a member (
[email protected]), along with talks on
Important issues were raised including the lack of accessible information on services available and problems when being discharged from hospital. The group meets every fortnight in Freemantle and Bitterne and is a place where you can share your views and experiences on services you have received following stroke. It is open to any stroke survivor, carer or family member who has used services in Southampton City. For more information call Margaret Brammell on 02380 720 420 or
[email protected]
the ambulance service and the 111 service. The ambulance service in the region handles 400,000 emergency incidents with demand increasing by 6% every year. A campaign to reduce inappropriate 999 calls is still a priority. The 111 service is a single point of access and is free from any landline or mobile. Developments for the future of 111 could include booking out of hours appointments and working more closely with 999. Issues raised at the meeting included ambulances having the wrong directions getting to some residents, how improvements are being made to avoid patients waiting at Emergency Departments, the role of 111 compared with NHS Direct and how the Trust is performing generally. If you want to find out more about the ambulance service that covers Southampton and the southern region visitwww.southcentralambulance.nhs.uk
Making your voice heard
Southampton Sight
Healthwatch is about making your voice heard for example we asked delegates at the Healthwatch launch to make their views known using our new electronic voting system. Various 'hot topics' were voted upon.
Jeff Page is the CEO of Southampton Sight and a member of the Healthwatch
• Over half feel that poverty has the biggest negative impact on people’s health • 36% feel that the NHS & Social Care should be more influential in policy decisions (eg restricting availability of unhealthy food) • Nearly half think that Social Care Services in Southampton are poor • 70% think NHS services in Southampton are good • Most people feel that Mental Health and Older People's Services need further investigation
Strategic Group. Sam has been to visit him to hear about the main issues facing blind and partially sighted people. There are approx. 1300 registered blind or partially sighted people in Southampton but you can probably double this number according to Jeff. Two thirds of those registered blind or partially sighted are estimated not to be working. One important issue is joining up the work of the NHS, Social Care and the Voluntary Sector to improve services for blind and partially sighted people. Southampton Sight has a 700 network people, offers a variety of services and a
Two Strategic Board Members Healthwatch Southampton is currently recruiting two members to balance the skills
quarterly newsletter. If you want further information please see their website.
and equalities mix on its Strategic Group. The positions are open to anybody over 18 who lives, or uses health & social care services, in Southampton. The Healthwatch Southampton Strategic Group is responsible for setting the strategic and broad operational direction of the organisation. The positions are voluntary and appointments will be made through an application and interview process, overseen by an independent Nominations Committee. Deadline for applications is 5pm Wednesday 8th January. Interviews will be held Thursday 16th January. For further information and an application pack link to our website. Please return by Email or post to the address at the bottom.
What are your experiences? Please let us know.
Welcome! We are pleased to welcome three voluntary and community sector representative onto the Healthwatch Southampton Strategic Group, following an election held in October. The three new members are Anabel Hodgson, CEO of No Limits, Jeff Page, CEO of Southampton Sight and Will Rosie, Consult and Challenge coproduction facilitator from Spectrum CIL. The three bring a wealth of experience and knowledge from the voluntary sector perspective to the HWS Strategic Group.
Volunteers Wanted
Free NHS Health Check
Do you have some time to spare for
Did you know that there are new free NHS health
Healthwatch?
checks available to Southampton residents?
Look out for volunteering opportunities in
If you are aged between 40-74 and have received an invitation letter,
January.
please contact your GP to make an appointment for your free
NHS Health Check Even if you're feeling well, it's worth having
Rob Kurn
your NHS Health Check
Healthwatch Manager
now!
The Friday Poll We need your opinion. Each Friday on Facebook we are conducting a poll
Sam Goold
to find out what you
Community Engagement
that matter. Let us know
Worker
what you think we
think about the issues
should be polling.
63.64% believe we get choice from the NHS Our first Friday Poll results showed that 63.64% of respondents believe that the
Janette Smith Data and Communications Worker
NHS does give patients
CAB Healthwatch drop in From January
the choices it promises. Do you agree with this
Southampton CAB will be providing drop in sessions at Southampton
result? Let us know your opinion by clicking here
Central Library. These sessions will include information about Healthwatch Southampton and local health services. More information on times of sessions will follow in the new year.
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