1. Advice and Information -

    Four questions staff should ask you or a loved one about your oral health if you’re a care home resident, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence quick guide.
  2. Advice and Information -

    Do you or a loved one need help with social care? Read the article below and find out answers to key questions about who can access adult social care and how to pay for it.
  3. Report -

    Our authorised representatives conducted short interviews with three members of staff at the care home. Topics such as quality of care, safety, dignity, respecting and acknowledging the resident’s and families’ wishes and staff training were explored.
  4. Report -

    Healthwatch Sandwell often hears from patients saying that it is very difficult to get an appointment at a GP Surgery.
  5. Report -

    Work by Healthwatch Sandwell has helped to inform a new national report on peoples’ experience of care homes. Healthwatch Sandwell have visited 6 homes in the last 2 years.
  6. Report -

    Brunswick House was chosen to be visited randomly as part of our program to examine the delivery and quality of care provided at Residential and Nursing homes in Sandwell.
  7. Report -

    The proprietor of this service is Inshore Support Limited. The service is located in Trinity Street in Cradley Heath which is a mid-terrace property located within a residential street. The service provided is for people with learning difficulties and complex needs.
  8. Report -

    Ascot House care home is a large detached Victorian property, situated in Joining's Bank in Oldbury.
  9. Report -

    Ash Lodge is a residential and nursing home for adults with dementia, physical disabilities and frail residents with social care needs. Ash Lodge also provides detailed palliative care for a number of residents.
  10. Report -

    Beechcroft is a residential home for adults with dementia, and frail residents with social care needs.
  11. Report -

    El Marsh Care Home is a small residential home providing transitional care to young people with learning disabilities in a safe and homely environment. The purpose of this is to prepare residents for independent living or if required a transition to another home.
  12. Report -

    The Poplars Nursing Home provides residential nursing care to predominantly elderly people over 65’s with some respite care also made available. The home accommodates a number of residents with varying degrees of Dementia. The Poplars also provides palliative care in conjunction with the Palliative Care Team.
  13. Report -

    Pegasus Care Home is situated at 65-67 Beeches Road, West Bromwich. It is registered to provide accommodation and support to 12 people with a learning disability, a mental health condition, physical disability, and sensory impairment
  14. Report -

    Karam Court has a capacity for 47. At the time of our visit there were 45 residents. All the residents have some form of dementia or Alzheimer’s or schizophrenia.
  15. Report -

    Alphonsus House provides leading person-centred support and facilities for 19adults over the age of 18 with mental health requirements, autism and learning or physical disabilities.
  16. Report -

    Parkside Health Care Limited is registered to provide accommodation, nursing or personal care for up to 20 people, who have a mental health or physical health condition.
  17. Report -

    As a registered adult’s residential home, Wellcroft House provides ongoing support for young people. Focusing on enabling greater independence for those with moderate to severe learning difficulties and complex disabilities. It supports a maximum of six residents.
  18. Report -

    The Heart of Sandwell Day Hospital is situated at Rowley Regis Hospital. The service was previously provided at Bradbury House, on the Wolverhampton Road in Oldbury but relocated to its present location on 1st April 2017.
  19. Report -

    Bloomfield Court is a modern building sited within a residential area in Central Avenue in
    Tipton.
  20. Report -

    Pedmore House is a small residential home that caters for people with severe physical and complex learning disabilities. It has a capacity for 11 residents, but currently 9 reside there.
  21. Report -

    Hilltop Lodge is a modern large nursing home situated at the junction of Hill Top and Coles Lane in West Bromwich. It has a capacity to provide nursing and residential care for 85 residents who are elderly or dementia patients.
  22. Report -

    Bearwood Nursing Home is situated on the Bearwood Road in Smethwick. It is registered to provide care for 63 service users, supporting care for Alzheimer’s, Dementia and Physical and Sensory impairments.
  23. Report -

    The Day hospice is for anyone with a life limiting illness that requires specialist palliative care support and provides support with physical, emotional, spiritual and social concerns, which come with a life limiting illness, over a structured 12-weekprogramme.
  24. Report -

    Wellcroft House is a small residential home that caters for people with profound learning disabilities.
  25. Report -

    Wood Green Nursing Home caters for elderly residents with dementia, end of life care and rehabilitation. It has a capacity for 40 residents .It is part of the Friendly Care Group.
  26. Report -

    McLaren House is a three-storey property situated on Bratt Street, West Bromwich. It accommodates and supports residents with a mental health condition. It has a capacity of 9 residents
  27. Report -

    Waterside is a care home for 59 people providing nursing, convalescence, palliative and respite care.
  28. Report -

    Charnat Care is a day service for people with learning disabilities and or autism. The service is accessed by people from Sandwell and Dudley. The service is open Monday to Friday from 9.00am until 5.00pm
  29. Report -

    Championing what matters to you - To make sure people’s experiences help make health and care better.
  30. 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.
  31. 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.
  32. 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.
  33. Report -

    Here are our January Insights from the Healthwatch Sandwell Team!

    Click the link below to see what we have been doing.
  34. Advice and Information -

    Health issues unfortunately don't leave us alone at the weekend and people are often in need of medical assistance out of hours. Using NHS guidelines, we have provided some advice and information on where you can go for help when your GP is closed.
  35. Report -

    This pharmacy operate ‘Pharmacy First’ which means the team can give clinical and practical medical advice or over-the-counter medicines to help safely manage minor health issues such as: sore throats, coughs, colds, tummy troubles, teething problems and aches and pains.
  36. Report -

    Al-Shafa Pharmacy is a dispensing chemist providing a service for local people.
  37. Report -

    Sidhu Pharmacy
    369 High Street
    West Bromwich
    West Midlands
    B70 9QL
    A visit was planned but the Owner refused the visit – no explanation given.
  38. Report -

    Pharmacy 365 Churchv View is a dispensing chemist providing a service for local people.
  39. Report -

    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.
  40. News -

    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.
  41. Report -

    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.
  42. News -

    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.
  43. Report -

    Take a look at this months Insight Report, which will give you a snap shot of what our team have been doing during July.
  44. Report -

    Healthwatch Sandwell Insight Report - September 2023

    Take a look at what the team have been doing during September!
  45. Report -

    The Department of Foot Health cares for a wide range of foot and lower limb problems amongst the population of Sandwell and West Birmingham community, with the primary focus on preventative care to minimise the risk of complications which are associated with, but are not exclusive to, diabetes. A number of specialist clinics are provided, tailored to the needs of each patient. These include: nail surgery, neurological foot service, biomechanics, diabetic foot care and specialist wound care management, rheumatology, podopaediatric clinics and Peripheral Arterial Disease.
  46. Report -

    Information for our Health Advisory Board Meeting to be held 4th July 2023.
  47. 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.
  48. 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.
  49. Report -

    Here is a snapshot of what the team have been doing in March!