Annual Report 2016/17

Healthwatch Brighton and Hove report on its key achievements for 2016/17.  it:

• Influenced major improvements at the Royal Sussex County Hospital by reviewing A&E and Children’s Emergency Department services. Healthwatch’s recommendations led to changes around patient communication, waiting areas, access, service design and emergency care pathways. 
• Helped improve patient transport services by gathering evidence from service users, highlighting failures in the existing system and contributing to changes in service provision and future monitoring arrangements. 
• Carried out a major review of hospital discharge, following patients from hospital to home and identifying gaps in communication, discharge planning and follow-up support. The NHS and commissioners produced an action plan in response to Healthwatch’s recommendations. 
• Improved care for care home residents through an in-depth review of oral health provision in 20 care homes, highlighting shortcomings in dental access, training and oral health checks, and influencing local service improvement and commissioning discussions. 
• Amplified the voices of young people through Young Healthwatch, helping identify improvements needed in school wellbeing support and sexual health services, including work with young people from Black and minority ethnic communities. 
• Strengthened scrutiny of hospital services through regular visits, environmental audits and patient engagement, making over 200 recommendations that led to improvements in cleanliness, safety, privacy, information provision and dementia-friendly environments.
• Influenced local decision-making by representing patient and public views on major NHS and social care programmes, including hospital recovery plans, GP service changes, mental health services, safeguarding and wider health and care transformation.