The Big Health Chat

This report is by Healthwatch Slough. Four engagement events were held around the local area with a view to gathering the opinions of local people. Two questions were asked.

1. What things would help you to improve your health and wellbeing?

2. What could make your neighbourhood a happier and healthier place to live?

Healthwatch Slough heard that health and care experiences are varied, but that there are common themes. Slough residents told us that the town centre environment and lack of community spaces had a negative effect on their health and wellbeing.

The top five themes obtained during our conversations with residents were:

• GP access

• Town centre amenities

• Community centres or hub’s

• Public parks or recreation spaces

• Hospital outpatients

There are recommendations in this report.

GP Access:

• Slough GP practices have access to cloud-based telephony systems and improved websites which should make contacting a practice easier for the patient. More needs to be done to communicate the capabilities of the new systems and monitor patient satisfaction.

• Triaging of patients to nurses or other medical professionals is possible when a GP appointment is not necessary. The government have set out the Primary Care Access recovery plan to improve access. Some initiatives are already underway, e.g. improving telephone systems so they are digital, this will enable patients to hear where they are in the queue and the option to leave a message and get a call back the same day. Other initiatives are in the pipeline e.g. being able to book more services via GP website. The government has said all patients should see their GP within 2 weeks depending on clinical need. Government press release May 2023. “If their need is urgent, they will be assessed and given appointments on the same day. If it is not urgent, appointments should be offered within 2 weeks, or patients will be referred to NHS 111 or a local pharmacy”. Communicating these changes so patients understand their options is important.

• Support Refugees with GP appointments and ensure they know how the English healthcare system works. Inform them of their rights and the responsibilities of the system.

• Continue the work of the multi-generation household support team, helping to improve health outcomes in families who do not access care in the traditional way

Mental Health:

Mental Health support for adults and young people is being developed in Slough as part of the Mental Health Transformation Plan. Public and patient involvement should be central to the introduction of new services and changes to existing services. 

Public Parks or recreational areas:

Council to carry out an audit of parks and recreation spaces to ensure children's park equipment is safe and in use. Consider safety in parks and take any steps necessary to restore public confidence. 

The Slough Central website mentions ‘New green routes and connections’. Information about these plans needs to be clearly communicated with residents. People should be involved in consultation and development of plans.

Town Centre:

Regularly communicate plans for town centre re-generation clearly with residents. Consider the needs of those people who are not digitally enabled. 

Involve local people in the planning stage and consultation for any community spaces, listening and responding to their concerns. Consider using empty shops as community spaces while work continues on planning and development of the town centre.

LGBTQ+ Community:

Review the community support groups available in Slough to identify gaps in provision. Publicise existing support offered to Thames Valley residents including Support-U and national helplines. 

Safety:

Share communications with residents on how to stay safe, what to do and how to report crimes. Utilize the Slough Co-production group to help generate and disseminate information within their community. Keep neighbourhood policing teams involved with community groups to enable sharing of information. 

There are follow up actions in the report. The work will be shared with the health and wellbeing board as well as the place committee and the council. There is a response from the local ICB at the end of the report..