Priority Wards Engagement Report

Healthwatch Blackburn with Darwen undertook research into the health inequalities experienced by  11 priority wards in the area.  They were inspired to do so by a review in 2021 into Covid-19 and health inequalities which identified a number of electoral wards in Lancashire and South Cumbria with high levels of deprivation and with higher-than-expected rates of urgent and emergency admissions - these wards are referred to as “priority wards”.  They used a variety of methodologies, including focus groups and surveys to speak to people living in the wards and to stakeholders. Altogether they spoke to 105 people.

From the engagement, it was evident that local residents are not clear on what each different health service offers – increasing awareness will result in people accessing the right help at the right time and the right place, thus taking pressure off Emergency Department.

Greater education on how to manage symptoms at home, particularly for new parents, is needed to reduce inappropriate attends and admissions at Emergency Department.

The importance of lived experience and having someone to talk to ‘who is just like me’ amongst health professionals came through strongly in discussions with residents.

There were very varied levels of self-care amongst the groups Healthwatch engaged with – both from a lack of knowledge and from not seeing this as important. Linked to this is a lack of ‘patient activation’ with people putting off going to the GP and accessing Emergency Department as default. Lack of employment and lack of engagement also resulted in residents attending Emergency Department as ‘something to do and a story to tell’.

Feedback from residents was mixed around being able to make a GP appointment, with digital and telephone being difficult or not an option still for members of our community and their needs should be met. Waiting times for the queue or call back system were frustrating for patients, with some giving up trying to book an appointment.

Alongside a need for education on self-care is a mistrust or wariness of services amongst Blackburn residents. However, there is an openness amongst residents they engaged with to accessing services differently particularly for routine checks and medication reviews.

Residents reported feeling ‘passed from pillar to post’ between services and felt that pathways of support did not work effectively or have them at the centre of that care pathway.

Reframing the language used by professionals could result in better engagement with services by residents. People did not understand ‘social prescribing’, there was a lack of respect for ‘receptionists’ within GP practices because of a perceived lack of training associated with such a role and ‘wellbeing’ is viewed as a very personal issue and linked to mental health amongst members of the South Asian community.

Some of residents face significant barriers to accessing services due to low literacy levels and English not being their first language.

It was apparent from discussions with residents that people put off accessing health care services because they feel judged, not listened to and not seen as experts in either their own bodies or as parents of their children.

Whilst some residents had heard of annual health checks, these were in the minority of residents Healthwatch spoke with and none of the over 75s had heard of care plans.

The report contains 11 recommendations.