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Healthwatch Sandwell is your independent consumer champion for health and social care services in Sandwell. Our job is to champion the consumer interests of those using the services and give local people an opportunity to speak out about their concerns. We listen to views, concerns, and compliments about services to help shape and improve them so that people are accessing the most quality and appropriate care. -
Report -
Championing what matters to you - To make sure people’s experiences help make health and care better. -
News -
Healthwatch Sandwell would like to share their deepest condolences to the Royal Family following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll. -
News -
Today we held our Annual Public Meeting.
If you were unable to join us you can always look through our presentation to keep up to date and see what we talked about during the event. -
News -
‘Patients in waiting’ – experiences of hospital treatment pathways and how to change to ‘patients in preparation’ for treatment.
A report by Healthwatch England (HWE) states that people in deprived areas are waiting longer for treatment2. Based on the average deprivation score Sandwell is ranked as the 12th most deprived local authority in England3. Healthwatch Sandwell (HWS) wanted to build upon the HWE findings to explore what the backlog in NHS treatments means for Sandwell resident patients and consider what might improve the ‘patients in waiting’ experience. -
Advice and Information -
A priority project for 2022/23 is exploring The patient experience of accessing primary care services – this report gives an insight to initial findings. -
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Eveappeal are delighted to launch our free, interactive, health-education lesson plans for young people aged 7-13, covering the topics anatomy, menstrual health, HPV and cancer. -
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See what the Healthwatch Sandwell Team have been doing in our summer news letter. Why not save the dates from our ‘where we will be section’ and come and talk to us and share your Health and Social Care experiences. -
News -
Healthwatch Sandwell is your independent consumer champion for
health and social care services in Sandwell. -
News -
Throughout the pandemic, Mental Health in young people exacerbated due to minimal socialising with the lock down, not attending education and having to support relatives. -
News -
Flo is a new text messaging service for pregnant women and new parents. It shares useful information throughout your pregnancy and when your child is born. -
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Open letter from NHS, charity and community leaders to people with a weakened immune system. -
Advice and Information -
As we progress toward confirming a go-live date for One Health and Care, the new digital shared care record for the Black Country and West Birmingham, we are seeking your support to make local people aware of this new system before launch. -
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As we progress toward confirming a go-live date for One Health and Care, the new digital shared care record for the Black Country and West Birmingham, we are seeking your support to make local people aware of this new system before launch. -
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Our colleague and Friend John Taylor sadly passed away on the morning of May 25.
John worked hard to raise the profile of Healthwatch, initially as Chair of Healthwatch Walsall before moving across to sit as the Chair of Healthwatch Sandwell in 2019. John was well known and respected for his tremendous work throughout the Black Country and for his great input into the work that Healthwatch England has done. -
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A number of patients had contacted Healthwatch Sandwell during the COVID-19 pandemic as they have been unable to register with a National Health dentist. -
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During January and March we engaged with a staggering 948 people, supporting individuals with GP issues, prescription problems, patient care at Sandwell General Hospital, transport concerns and much more. -
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Black Country NHS needs your help to develop an all-age autism roadmap that will guide how organisations across the Black Country support autistic children, young people and adults, and their families and carers. -
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Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital Trust are inviting Sandwell residents to workshops about the new hospital, Midland Metropolitan University Hospital:
Proposed changes to Day Case Surgery
Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Smethwick is opening in 2023 and in order for us to provide the highest standard of care we need to make some changes now in preparation for the opening of the new hospital. -
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Everyone will have 2 vaccines, one now and the 2nd one 8 weeks later. After 3 months you will need a booster vaccine. It is very important now the lockdown has ended and we are returning to normal life. -
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Healthwatch Sandwell would like to hear from people in Sandwell to help decide their main priorities for the next 12 months. We are asking for people to complete a short survey about their experiences with local health and social care services. -
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Have you been referred by your GP to hospital for an appointment, treatment, or operation? Are you still waiting? If so Healthwatch Sandwell would like to hear from you. -
Report -
Residents of Sandwell regularly express frustrations with accessing GP Surgery
appointments. -
Report -
HWS proposed to engage with people with Sickle Cell (an inherited blood disorder, which predominantly affects people of African and African Caribbean ethnicity). -
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This report will provide an overview of the services at Asda Pharmacy and will provide
customer experience feedback. -
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At first glance this case study and description of events sound relatively straight forward that
is, a person with a progressive degenerative neurological disease > receives support at home >
receives care in hospital > moves to a respite at care home > moves to a more suitable care
home, however, this person’s experience has highlighted many obstacles within the process
and has been fraught with difficulties.
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Advice and Information -
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.
Supporting Sandwell with the cost of living. -
Advice and Information -
World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day brings together people from around the world to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and demonstrate international solidarity in the face of the pandemic.
Today gives people the opportunity to spread awareness of the pandemic and and encourage progress in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care. -
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We expect effective, high-quality support to manage existing conditions and help us live healthy lives and people with learning disabilities and or autism should expect no less and receive the same service as everyone else. People with a learning disability generally have poorer outcomes in life, experience inequalities in access to healthcare and have significantly lower life expectancy (Care Quality Commission, CQC, 2016). -
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NHS GPs in England can be paid to undertake annual health checks for people registered with them who have learning disabilities and meet the eligibility criteria. They must be aged 14 and over and on the practice learning disability health checks register. People with autism without a learning disability are not included. -
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Communication needs due to a disability, sensory loss or an impairment are covered under the Equality Act 2020 and the NHS Accessible Information Standard (2016) which states that NHS funded health and social care providers must meet the information and communication needs of people who access services. Communication should be undertaken in ways that meet identified needs and information should be provided in formats that are clear and easy to understand. -
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The purpose of the visit was to observe the environment and explore first-hand with customers their experiences of using Duggals Chemist.
HWS wanted to find out customers’ experiences of the pharmacy service, this included why they visit the pharmacy and what support they get from the pharmacy including and how they are treated.
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Healthwatch Sandwell is your independent consumer champion for health and social care services in Sandwell. Our job is to champion the consumer interests of those using the services and give local people an opportunity to speak out about their concerns. We listen to views, concerns, and compliments about services to help shape and improve them so that people are accessing the most quality and appropriate care. -
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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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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. -
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The Pharmacy First service is available for patients registered with practices in the Black Country and West Birmingham.
If you are exempt from prescription charges then you can access this service which gives you over-the-counter medicines rather than you needing to see a GP to receive the medication on a free prescription. -
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Do you want to contribute to maintaining the standards of excellence in local health and social care? Apply to become a Healthwatch Sandwell Health Advisory Board Member. -
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Healthwatch Sandwell have a legal power (Health and Social Care Act 2012) for Authorised Representatives to visit health and social care services and see them in action. This power to Enter and View services offers a way for Healthwatch to meet some of their statutory functions and allows them to identify what is working well with services and where they could be improved. -
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NHS health and social care services care are legally required to follow the Accessible Information Standard 2016. This includes doctors, dentists, hospitals, pharmacies and social workers. The Standard sets out a specific, consistent approach to identifying, recording, flagging, sharing and meeting the information and communication support needs of patients, service users, carers and parents with a disability, impairment or sensory loss. Healthwatch Sandwell have explored with people with disabilities, sensory loss, or impairments
whether health and social care services are meeting their information and communication needs as required under the Accessible Information Standard 2016. -
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Healthwatch Sandwell listen to what people say about their health and care services.
We tell health and care services what people said and how they can make things better. -
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NHS health and social care services care are legally required to follow the Accessible Information Standard 2016. This includes doctors, dentists, hospitals, pharmacies and social workers.
The Standard sets out a specific, consistent approach to identifying, recording, flagging, sharing and meeting the information and communication support needs of patients, service users, carers and parents with a disability, impairment or sensory loss.
Healthwatch Sandwell have explored with people with disabilities, sensory loss, or impairments whether health and social care services are meeting their information and communication needs as required under the Accessible Information Standard 2016. -
Report -
Healthwatch Sandwell is your independent consumer champion for health and social care services in Sandwell. Our job is to champion the consumer interests of those using the services and give local people an opportunity to speak out about their concerns. We listen to views, concerns, and compliments about services to help shape and improve them so that people are accessing the most quality and appropriate care. -
News -
Healthwatch England published the second piece of research on GP referrals, which was based on the experiences of 1,518 people who have asked for a GP referral for tests, diagnosis or treatment. Nearly one in five (18%) of those people required four or more GP appointments to get a referral. Healthwatch England have called on decision makers to do more to understand the referral process eg. collect national data, and to improve communication with patients.
They secured an exclusive article with the Times to highlight the issue of referral delays. -
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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. -
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Healthwatch Sandwell will be visiting premises throughout 2023. Keep up to date on the latest Enter and View reports on our website or following us on socials media! -
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9.9% of the Sandwell population have diabetes, which is higher than the National average at 7.1%. and the West Midlands at 8%. NHS G.P. Practice data 2020-21 for Sandwell indicates an overall upward trend. Sandwell also performs poorly on inter-related health conditions, has lower healthy life expectancy and higher mortality rates from preventable deaths. (Sandwell Trends - Public Health England statistics)
Healthwatch Sandwell would like to collaborate with health, care and support services to ensure patients voices are heard. To help inform and improve services Healthwatch Sandwell would like to hear from Sandwell residents living with diabetes. -
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Healthwatch Sandwell (HWS) have the power to visit health and social care services, where health and social care is publicly funded and delivered. This power to Enter and View services offers a way for HWS to meet some of their statutory functions and to collect evidence of what works well. HWS use this evidence to make recommendations to commissioners and providers of health and social care services and to inform changes both for individual services as well as system wide and to improve people’s experiences. -
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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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Diabetes clinic at Sandwell General Hospital gives patients the chance to meet a range of different members of staff who have specialised and have years of experience looking after people with diabetes who can check that they are as healthy as possible and give them highly specialised advice on how to look after their diabetes. Most referrals come via the GP.