Annual Report 2014/15

Healthwatch Bolton report on their key achievements in 2014/15.  It:

• Expanded community engagement through 87 outreach and engagement activities, including community events, corridor events in hospitals and clinics, member forums, and a large public celebration that engaged more than 1,000 local residents. 
• Established Healthwatch Bolton’s first Enter and View programme, visiting three care homes to examine personalised care and meaningful activities for residents and producing reports to support service improvement. 
• Influenced improvements to patient transport services through a Greater Manchester-wide research project. The work led to changes by the provider, including new patient information, a revised complaints process, additional staff training and changes to future contract specifications. 
• Highlighted problems with access to oral healthcare in care homes through research with Healthwatch Kirklees. Findings prompted local dental and public health organisations to begin developing plans to improve access to dental care for care home residents. 
• Strengthened information and advice services, supporting 204 enquiries, publishing a health and care services directory, producing practical guides on accessing healthcare services, and undertaking outreach with refugee, faith, homeless, carers and ethnic minority community groups. 
• Ensured local people’s views influenced major health service changes by gathering over 200 comments and submitting detailed evidence during the Healthier Together consultation on specialist hospital services across Greater Manchester. 
• Developed new ways of gathering and using public feedback, including launching community reporters, creating a quarterly evidence bulletin, and providing intelligence directly to the Health and Wellbeing Board, commissioners, regulators and service providers.