Local Perspectives on Unplanned Hospital Admissions: Blackpool Priority wards

This is a report by Healthwatch Blackpool. The project looks at certain priority wards where it has been found there are higher inequalities in terms of deprivation and unplanned hospitalisations.

In 2020, the National Health Service (NHS) in England closely examined unplanned hospitalisations that could have been prevented with earlier intervention. They discovered areas with higher socio-economic deprivation experienced higher rates of unplanned hospital visits. The NHS England analysis also revealed that at a ward (LSOA) level, there were some wards that had levels of unplanned hospitalisations above the expected correlation between socio-economic deprivation and poorer health outcomes. Wards that met this criteria, along with being identified as one of the 20% most deprived wards in England (using the Office for National Statistics’ Index of Multiple Deprivation), are recognised as “Priority Wards.” Within Blackpool, there are five specific areas which are "Priority Wards". These wards are Bloomfield, Talbot, Tyldesley, Claremont and Park. 

The project, commissioned by the Population Health Team at Lancashire Integrated Care Board (ICB), aims to understand why these Priority Wards in Blackpool have a high number of unplanned hospitalisations. The project aimed to learn from local residents living within the Priority Wards identified, in order to increase understanding and uncover the specific challenges the community faces that impact health outcomes. Our objective is to utilise the knowledge gained from conversations with local residents, to co-produce plans for change within Priority Wards. Through actively listening to people's experiences and involving our community, we can work towards creating a healthier and more equitable future for residents in Priority Wards.

A total of 383 responses were gathered. Representatives knocked on local residents doors to gather feedback as well as community events.

There are recommendations in this report.

There are a set of recommendations for each ward in the report.

There are also some overarching recommendations.

Every contact counts: It is of paramount importance that a conversation is initiated with all individuals who have contact with a statutory or community service to determine what support they would like in order to improve their health and wellbeing. During this conversation, there will preferably be immediate action and a comprehensive approach to instil confidence in the individual. Restrictive services that raise barriers and do not react quickly to the needs of the individual lead to a lack of trust and consequently, dis-engagement from support. A system that is agile and proactive is crucial to building positive relationships with the community.

Empowering individuals to understand and prioritise own health: Some individuals have a comprehensive understanding of their own treatment, the triggers that exacerbate their condition and the plan going forward to maintain positive wellbeing. To reach this point, professionals have provided thorough explanations in a way that is tailored to how each patient can understand the information. Every individual should be empowered to have ownership over their own health and wellbeing, and the decisions made surrounding this. 

Cost of living support: The feedback shared illustrates the current financial strain of the cost of living crisis, and the impact this is having on health and wellbeing. In order to adopt a proactive approach to preventing ill health, referrals by healthcare professionals will be required into housing and cost of living support to address such issues, alongside healthcare intervention. Doing one without the other appears to currently be counterproductive, so a joined-up approach between the community sector and statutory health services is crucial. Explicit conversations between professionals and patients are required regarding the social determinants of health, to highlight areas of concern that are exacerbating health and wellbeing. 

There are no follow up actions in this report.