Annual Report 2017/18

Healthwatch Suffolk report on its key achievements for 2017/18.  It:

• Completed the major My Health, Our Future project, gathering over 6,800 responses from young people about mental health and wellbeing. The findings directly informed Suffolk’s Emotional Wellbeing Transformation Plan, influenced support available in schools, and secured funding to expand the project to more schools. 
• Influenced improvements in maternity services by raising concerns about access to tongue-tie (frenulotomy) services. Local NHS leaders committed to redesigning the service, and hospitals increased staff training to improve diagnosis and referral pathways.
• Improved care for older patients at Ipswich Hospital by highlighting concerns about hospital discharge, communication with care homes and patient privacy. The hospital implemented a series of actions in response to Healthwatch feedback. 
• Helped secure the future of a community pharmacy in Southwold after raising concerns with NHS England about funding arrangements that threatened the service's viability. The pharmacy subsequently received additional support funding. 
• Influenced GP and primary care services through analysis of nearly 1,800 comments about GP practices, regular engagement in surgeries, support for Patient Participation Groups, and reports that were used by commissioners and the Care Quality Commission. 
• Played a significant role in improving mental health support across Suffolk through the Time to Change Suffolk Hub, helping secure funding for local mental health champions and supporting county-wide efforts to reduce mental health stigma. 
• Represented patients' interests in major system change programmes, including hospital merger plans, ambulance service improvement work, maternity transformation and sustainability and transformation planning across Suffolk.