Annual Report 2014/15

Healthwatch Liverpool report on its key achievements for 2014/15.  It:

• Gathered extensive public feedback on health and care services through 370 patient stories, 84 community events, 12 public drop-in sessions and targeted engagement with older people, people with learning disabilities, people with mental health issues, and communities whose first language was not English.
• Influenced improvements in GP services through a major investigation into GP access. Findings led to additional appointment capacity, clearer information about confidential discussion spaces in surgeries, and confirmation that triage decisions should only be made by clinical staff rather than administrative staff. 
• Conducted Enter and View visits across hospitals, care homes, GP services and community healthcare settings, resulting in practical service improvements and highlighting examples of good practice, including changes to patient information and service-user experience. 
• Led significant research into access to dental services after receiving high volumes of public enquiries, gathering evidence through questionnaires and focus groups and producing recommendations aimed at improving access to care. 
• Helped thousands of residents access health and social care support, responding to 3,036 information enquiries and signposting or referring people to more than 8,000 services and activities, including support relating to dentistry, GP services, mental health and patient transport. 
• Promoted prevention and self-care through the "Finger on the Pulse" programme, engaging more than 200 people in stroke prevention and atrial fibrillation awareness events delivered with healthcare and voluntary sector partners. ]
• Developed and maintained major health information resources including the LiveWell Liverpool, Wellbeing Liverpool and Ralfy directories, providing public access to information on more than 1,700 health, social care and community services. 
• Strengthened community involvement through a volunteer programme involving 39 volunteers, supporting Enter and View visits, patient experience gathering, information services, research projects and engagement with young people through schools and university partnerships.