Long Term Plan Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Report

The three local Healthwatch have undertaken engagement with local people as part of the NHS Long Term Plan (LTP) network-wide project. 433 responses were collected for the general survey, 183 for the specific condition survey, and five focus group discussions were held.

It was found that people want easier, more timely access to help, treatment and information when they need it, particularly of GP services. They also valued individual responsibility when looking after their health and preventing illness but need help to do this through increased investment in, and availability of, public health interventions and information. People want to be involved in making decisions about their care and treatment and want to live in their own homes for as long as possible. People were open to the potential  of technology but have concerns about data sharing, security and privacy of information. Overall feedback about Cancer services was positive, however Learning disabilities and autism services need to provide better support including for carers, faster diagnoses, improvement in joined up services for people with multiple conditions and more, better trained staff. People want to be asked for feedback more regularly following the end of treatment/support, and should also be involved from the beginning when co-designing services.

A response from the local sustainability and transformation partnership Healthier Together is included.