September—October Newsletter 2014

Join us and read on to find out what we have in store

for September & October 2014

HEALTHWATCH NEL—SEPTEMBER—OCTOBER NEWSLETTER 2014

September—October 2014

Newsletter

Healthwatch North East Lincolnshire Newsletter September—October 2014

CONTENT

Page 1

Welcome

Discharge Arrangements

Page 2

Partner Arrangements

Friendship at Home

Page 4

East Midlands Ambulance Service

Page 3

Healthy Lives Healthy Futures (HLHF)

Page 5

Office

Staffing

Page 7

Meet the team

Page 6

Volunteering

Healthwatch North East Lincolnshire Newsletter September—October 2014 1

We welcome Michael as the latest recruit to our Board. Michael writes:

Born and educated in Grimsby, I have lived in Cleethorpes all my life.

I have over 23 years’ experience in the NHS, having been a Senior Manager for the local Trust in a Technical and General Management capacity across a range of services. I am passionate about my local health services.

Having worked mostly locally at Ross Foods, Youngs Seafoods, Scunthorpe Council, Laura Ashley, Grimsby Hospital, Scunthorpe Hospital and finally the new combined hospital services of Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals. I am interested in the delivery of high quality health services to the community utilising the latest technology available delivered in a caring and compassionate manner.

It is imperative to me that all health service inequalities are challenged. I believe Healthwatch is an organisation that can give a voice to all. I am proud to have been selected to serve on the Board for the benefit of my community.

Welcome

Discharge Arrangements

We have recently contributed to the national enquiry led by Healthwatch England into discharge

arrangements. This enquiry looked at discharge from hospital and other establishments with

particular reference to older people, mental health and homeless. Our contribution was based on

some of the stories you have been telling us about, especially about unsatisfactory hospital

discharge at inappropriate times and without relatives or friends knowing or without support

services being put in place. We have spoken to some of our partner organisations and have

highlighted some of the issues encountered when agency do not work together well and

particularly the problems faced by homeless people in accessing treatment and care. You can

read our submission by going to our website.

Healthwatch North East Lincolnshire Newsletter September—October 2014 2

Friendship at Home

Friendship at Home is a small volunteer led

charity based in St. Aidan’s Vicarage in

Cleethorpes. Here at Friendship at Home we

provide services for individuals over the age of

60 to help reduce social isolation. We hold

numerous social clubs throughout the week

and also offer a one to one befriending service

for those who may not be able to access our

clubs. We have a new and exciting project

called Independent Living. The aim of this new

service is to provide low level tasks such as

cleaning, preparing light meals, assisting with

appointments, dog walking and gardening. If

you feel you could benefit from some help with

these tasks or have a spare hour a week to

help please don’t hesitate to contact us on

01472 694055 or email supportwork-

er@friendshipathome.org.uk (Please note the

Independent Living Service is a chargeable

service at £5 per 30 mins)

Partner arrangements

The number of other organisations who have signed up to our Partner Programme has risen to

nine with a few others considering joining. The Partner Programme is mainly aimed at

organisations that try to speak on behalf of `seldom heard voices’ but other organisations will

also be considered. Under partnering we enter into a mutual agreement to promote the other

organisation’s objects and activities but Healthwatch particularly looks to opportunities to use

the community contacts of the partner agency to find out people’s views on health and social

care issues. You can find more details about one of our partners below in this newsletter. The

Partner Programme does not suit every organisation but that does not stop them entering into

partnership with Healthwatch on the basis that together we can achieve much more than by

operating in isolation.

Healthwatch North East Lincolnshire Newsletter September—October 2014 3

Healthy Lives Healthy Futures (HLHF)

We met with representatives of the North East Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group on 30

July 2014 and would want to thank the fourteen individual and partner representatives that came

along to what was lively and full discussion and debate. The notes of that meeting have since

been passed to those that attended and have been posted on our website. An online submission

based on the points raised has been separately made.

What is Healthy Lives Healthy Futures? Healthy Lives, Healthy Futures is a review of all services in the Northern Lincolnshire region being led by North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Groups. The review aims to make sure the services available to people in our area will be safe and of high quality for years to come. There are going to be some important decisions to make in the coming months and HLHF want to do this with the people who live in Northern Lincolnshire and use these services. They need to look at emergency care, urgent care and planned care services which will include those delivered from hospitals, health centres and out in the community. They need to take decisions about what services should look like in future including their size, their location and their ability to deliver high quality care safely. The review launched in July 2013 with a three-month public engagement period, where HLHF shared the reasons for change, their vision and the proposed programme process. A second phase of public engagement ‘Moving the conversation on’ took place during February and March 2014. This was to communicate in more detail plans around our vision of self-care; delivering care closer to home and providing specialist hospital services. As a result of your feedback from these engagement exercises, a number of important issues were raised that HLHF will be addressing.

Healthwatch North East Lincolnshire Newsletter September—October 2014 4

East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) mystery shoppers

Do you use the East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) Patient Transport Service in North East Lincolnshire, for transport to hospital appointments? If you use the service would you be willing to take part in the EMAS mystery patient programme which will provide valuable feedback to EMAS managers with a view to improving the service that they provide? Following your hospital appointment EMAS would ask you to complete forms which score how well you feel the ambulance staff have looked after you. You will be provided with some training before your hospital appointment. If you want to help EMAS to potentially improve the service they provide please contact Karen Long whose contact details are below. Please note that Karen is on holiday from 29 September to 14 October 2014 so please contact Shannon Wright (details below) who will pass on your details to Karen who will then contact you on her return. Karen Long PALS and Service Improvement Coordinator Tel: 01522 832628 Mobile: 07773793008 Email: karen.long@emas.nhs.uk Shannon Wright Nursing and Quality Administrator Tel: 0115 8845107 Email: shannon.wight@emas.nhs.uk

Healthwatch North East Lincolnshire Newsletter September—October 2014 5

Office

We want you to be aware that our normal office hours are from 9.00 a.m. to 4.45 p.m. Monday to

Thursday and 9.00 a.m. to 4.15 p.m. on Fridays. However, because of the nature of our work, we

cannot always guarantee a presence during those hours. If you therefore plan to visit us, it may

be worthwhile giving us a ring in advance to avoid disappointment.

One point we wish to make clear is that we have not made any outlay in the redevelopment of

146 Freeman Street. This was all financed by Foresight and we remain tenants with them. You

will also note that, as a temporary security measure, we have introduced a doorbell at the

entrance to the office which you should press and one of the team will unlock the doors. This will

continue at least until all the other tenants are using the building on a regular basis.

Staffing

Some of you will already be aware that

Karry Stones left her position as Research

and Development Officer on 7 August

2014. We want to thank Karry for her

contribution to the team over the last 16

months and also her previous work with

LINk. We have taken the opportunity to

review staffing arrangements and have

been able to offer Tayo a developed role

as Communications and Engagement

Worker full-time but to also retain a

full-time post of Project Support Officer.

This post has recently been advertised

internally and through partner links with a

closing date for applications of 5th

September and we hope to announce an

appointment shortly.

Healthwatch North East Lincolnshire Newsletter September—October 2014 6

Volunteering

In his new role, Tayo has been reviewing the position of people who have previously expressed

an interest in supporting the work of Healthwatch. We have particularly focussed on those who

want to provide administrative support to the team and are very grateful for those who are starting

to help us out in the office. A key area for development is around community engagement. We

suspect that a lot of people are put off by that phrase `community engagement’ but it is simply

about people who are willing to talk to others in part about Healthwatch but mainly to hear

people’s views about their experiences of health and social care services. These stories provide

the ammunition we need to identify gaps and weaknesses in current provision so that we can

influence the future direction and shape of services. We are now encouraging all

`Healthwatchers’ , with the exception of Board and Enter and View where specific training is

required, to see themselves as volunteers with maybe a particular interest in one area but being

willing to consider helping out in other areas of need like joining the staff team at events and, in

time, being able to talk to individuals and groups on their own. If this is something you feel you

can help with, please contact Tayo or Paul.

Healthwatch North East Lincolnshire Newsletter September—October 2014

Contact The Team

Paul Glazebrook

Partnership Co-ordinator

Meet The Board

Kathleen Young (Chair) Malcolm Morland Esther Smith

Sam O’Brien Jane Mansfield

7

Michael Bateson

Sean Snelson (Co-optee)

Tayo Davenport

Communications &

Engagement Worker

Healthwatch North East Lincolnshire

146 Freeman Street, Grimsby,

North East Lincolnshire, DN32 7AN.