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Advice and Information -
People have told us they can have problems registering with a GP. This article explains more about your rights and what do to if you are refused the right to register. -
Advice and Information -
Find out what support is available to help you when travelling to your GP, hospital or other NHS services. -
Advice and Information -
With more and more appointments happening online, we've put together some tips on how to get the most out of the virtual health and care appointments both for patients and health and care professionals. -
Report -
Healthwatch Sandwell often hears from patients saying that it is very difficult to get an appointment at a GP Surgery. -
Report -
We have recently carried out a survey to find out people's preferences when booking an appointment with their GP and how to book. -
Report -
Health Overview Scrutiny Committees (HOSC) are statutory Local Authority bodies with the duty to oversee NHS services. -
Report -
The feedback collected is intended to help inform the decision-making of several projects linked to the STP Primary Care Strategy not necessarily representative of the whole population. -
Report -
When deaf patients persevere with the consultation without a BSL interpreter it invariably results in misinformation and then misdiagnosis. -
Report -
From April 2020 to June 2020 HWS undertook a focused piece of work to establish the overall picture of the GP services on offer in Sandwell in the early phases of Covid-19 and the patients experiences of the GP services. -
Report -
HWS in partnership with SDCA have created a focus group for deaf and hard of hearing people to share their health and social care experiences in Sandwell. Please find attached our report following a focus group held on the 22nd of September 2020. -
Report -
This report looks at the patient experience of using digital technology in primary care services in Sandwell. In 2019 Sandwell ranked as the 12th most deprived local authority area nationally for indices of multiple deprivations. -
Report -
Oakham Surgery is within the Health Partnership is a GP led partnership that comprises Regis Medical Centre, Carters Green Medical Centre and Whiteheath Medical Centre. -
Report -
We heard from a person who was concerned as their consultant had requested a referral from the GP for further treatment and this had not been actioned by the GP. -
Report -
Regis Medical Centre is within the Health Partnership is a GP led partnership that comprises
Oakham Surgery, Carters Green Medical Centre and Whiteheath Medical Centre. -
Report -
Hawthorns Medical Centre is situated in Smethwick area of Sandwell. It provides care for 3,500 patients with the support of the HUB that was initiated by the Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). The HUB links them with Lodge Road Surgery and Victoria Health Centre, both in Smethwick. -
Report -
Residents of Sandwell regularly express frustrations with obtaining G.P. Surgery appointments and there are not enough G.P. appointments available to meet daily demand. -
Report -
Horseley Heath Medical Centre is situated in Tipton area of Sandwell. They also have another surgery, Tandon Medical Centre in Upper Gornal. They see 11,400 patients across the two practices. -
Report -
The Black Country Family Practice is situated in Tipton area of Sandwell. It provides care for 14,000 patients. -
News -
In her speech to the Conservative Party Conference today, the health secretary repeated much of what she had announced on 22 September in ‘Our Plan for Patients’, with slightly less rigid language over patient access to GPs. -
Report -
HWS proposed to engage with people with Sickle Cell (an inherited blood disorder, which predominantly affects people of African and African Caribbean ethnicity). -
Report -
Healthwatch Sandwell (HWS) frequently hear from Sandwell residents about frustrations with trying to access and obtain appointments at their G.P. practices, especially regarding phone queueing systems, and public perception that premises are no longer open for face-to-face services.
The HWS project aimed to:
• explore the issues for patients with access to G.P. practice
appointments
• gauge public awareness and uptake of other primary care service
options
• gather a picture on the operation of primary care services in
Sandwell.
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Report -
Covid-19 and roll out of the vaccination programmes has impacted nationally on delivery of primary care services. Service changes have included minimisation of face-to-face patient engagement which effectively supported implementation of the NHS Long Term Plan 2019 “digital first”1 agenda for primary care. Sandwell is ranked as the 12th most deprived local authority area nationally for indices of multiple deprivation with a lower-than-average life expectancy and higher than average health inequalities and mortality rate in under 75-year olds.
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Digital skills levels, digital poverty, and an increasing ethnically diverse population
with some language barriers present challenges with access and receipt of
health and care which services need to consider. -
News -
Hello May,
Healthwatch Sandwell latest ebulletin. -
Advice and Information -
Healthwatch Sandwell have worked directly with residents with disabilities, impairments or sensory loss, families, carers, and local community support organisations to look at and identify the key issues where services are failing to meet people’s accessible information and communication needs and provides guidance and suggestions on what could work to better meet needs. -
Report -
Healthwatch Sandwell is your local health and social care champion. We make sure NHS leaders and decision makers hear your voice and use your feedback to improve care. We can also help you to find reliable and trustworthy information and advice.
Over the past year we have published 22 reports, engaged with 2,043 people and visited six towns of Sandwell delivering our Guided By You workshops. -
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Take a look at our August Insight Report to see what patients are telling us about services in Sandwell. -
Report -
Healthwatch Sandwell are aware the challenges people facing regarding getting GP appointments, especially during the pandemic. We would like to capture the other side of GP surgeries, what are surgeries doing to improve the patient experience?
This will help:
• Inform patients about improvements the surgeries are making
• Build relationships with Practice Managers and Patient Participation Groups (PPG)
• Promote PPGs -
Report -
Healthwatch Sandwell Insight Report - September 2023
Take a look at what the team have been doing during September! -
Report -
Healthwatch Sandwell are aware the challenges people facing regarding getting GP appointments, especially during the pandemic. We would like to capture the other side of GP surgeries, what are surgeries doing to improve the patient experience?
This will help:
• Inform patients about improvements the surgeries are making
• Build relationships with Practice Managers and Patient Participation Groups (PPG)
• Promote PPGs -
Report -
Healthwatch Sandwell are aware the challenges people face regarding getting GP appointments, especially during the pandemic. Our report on The Patient Experience of Accessing Primary Care Services will follow shortly.
We would like to capture what surgeries are doing to improve the patient experience as this will help:
• Inform patients about improvements the surgeries are making
• Build relationships with Practice Managers and Patient Participation Groups (PPG)
• Promote PPGs -
Report -
You might remember our Guided By You tour where we held six workshops in six Towns around Sandwell. We visited each Town and spoke to local people about their priorities. We have collated the comments and suggestions from people in each town, this information is now ready in our Guided By You report which is not live!
Want to see what people in your local area are saying? Use the download button below to see what people are saying in your area. -
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Diabetes UK information on ethnicity and diabetes references research that states people of African Caribbean (and Black African and South Asian) ethnicities are at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than the white ethnic population and at a younger age, 25 years old compared to 40 years old. Age related diabetes can also develop much earlier at around 50 years old compared to 70 years old for the White population.
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Information for our Health Advisory Board Meeting to be held 4th July 2023. -
Report -
Healthwatch Sandwell are aware the challenges people facing regarding getting GP appointments, especially during the pandemic. We would like to capture the other side of GP surgeries, what are surgeries doing to improve the patient experience? -
News -
Ideas Made Real is for young people aged 16-24 to turn their social action projects and community ideas into reality. Each successful young person will receive an award of up to £8,000 and expert support from United By 2022’s youth team to bring their project to life. Whether it's addressing homelessness, promoting mental health awareness, or improving their surroundings, Ideas Made Real is designed by young people, for young people. Ideas Made Real is part of our GEN22 programme and last year’s projects won a national award.
To celebrate the West Midlands turning 50 this year, Ideas Made Real will hand the reins over to young people to create lasting impacts in their neighbourhood, their community and their home. If you have ever felt that no-one is doing anything about an issue that you care about, then this is for you. Previous participants say that Ideas Made Real made them feel confident and connected, and proud they made a difference for a community important to them, or in the place they call home. -
Report -
Here are our January Insights from the Healthwatch Sandwell Team!
Click the link below to see what we have been doing. -
Report -
Healthwatch Sandwell is an independent organisation that champions the voice of Sandwell residents in their health and social care services. Experiences and insight gathered from engaging and listening to people is shared with health and social care providers and commissioners to help inform and improve services.
Successful management of living with diabetes and reducing associated health risks requires patient and health care services to work together. NHS healthcare services have a responsibility to ensure patients are offered diabetes management education, so that they are well informed and able to be involved in managing their condition and decisions about their care, including medications. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance also recommends an individualised approach, is required to meet any patients’ needs and circumstances including dietary advice, culture and beliefs.
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Advice and Information -
10.1%Sandwell adults are registered with diabetes. People from ethnic communities African, African Caribbean and South Asian (Indian, Bangladeshi & Pakistani) have a higher risk of developing diabetes and at younger age than white population. -
Report -
This report will provide an overview of the Enter and View visits conducted between April 2023 and March 2024. This will include visits to support services related to diabetes however, the visit to Harvest View, 28 Harvest Rd, Rowley Regis will not be included as it will be a standalone report.
Enter and View programme focused on Patient’s experiences of support services related to diabetes e.g. diabetes clinics, phlebotomy, retinal screening services (at hospital eye clinics and opticians etc), foot clinics and urology. There were a range of these services (22 venues approx.) A sample of Clinics were visited to ensure that the 6 towns were covered – see appendix 1. Some sites offer a range of these services so some visits were combined. -
Report -
Here is a snapshot of what the team have been doing in March! -
Advice and Information -
Do you struggle to speak to your doctor about your medical concerns? You’re not alone. Take a look at our top tips to make the most out of your GP appointment.