Community engagement intelligence - U3A Middlesbrough

Healthwatch Middlesborugh and Healthwatch Redcare attended the monthly meeting of the U3A, which is a UK movement of retired and semi-retired people who come together to continue their educational, social and creative interests in a friendly and informal environment.

The purpose of the visit was to deliver a presentation about local Healthwatch, raising awareness of our role and giving the opportunity to attendees to share their experiences of local health and social care services. The meeting was attended by approximately 100 people.

The summary of intelligence from the meeting included; the GP extended hours service has been operational since 1 April 2017. From the information Healthwatch Redcar received while visiting the U3A, it seems that there is a lack of awareness of the service and how to access it. According to the literature distributed by NHS South Tees CCG, patients will be offered a choice of centre to attend, however the replies from this group do not support this. From the information Healthwatch Redcar received, GP surgeries do not seem to be offering this service to their patients. The extended hours service can alleviate pressures at surgeries and reduce the need for patients to call back the next day.

Healthwatch Redcar recommended: continued promotion of the service and for GP surgeries to inform patients of the service where appropriate and make appointments on their behalf.