Healthwatch across Cheshire: Care Communities

Over a nine week period, Healthwatch Cheshire visited 52 venues across the county and had conversations with 1,140 people about health and care services.

The most common theme raised by people in every Care Community was a difficulty in accessing GP appointments. People felt frustrated at not being able to access face-to-face appointments when the perception was that other services were now offering this. In some instances, people were unhappy that they were being asked to wait weeks ‘just’ for a telephone appointment. Another issue was that people are experiencing long waits on the telephone whilst trying to get through to a receptionist to try to make an appointment. People preferred the option of a call back service rather than waiting in a queue – a service that had previously offered at some GP practices but was no longer an option.

People are reluctant to tell the receptionist about why they wish to make an appointment, saying that they believe the receptionist is unqualified and does not need to know that information. Some found pre-recorded voice messages on the telephone when they called their GP Practice to be too long, negative, and one comment labelled it as “passive aggressive”, with parts of the message relating to the pandemic no longer relevant.

People’s experience of GP appointments was also mixed. When people were able to see a GP or nurse face-to-face, they were generally positive about their experience. However, people also told of long waits for referrals to other services, and that they often had to chase these up, along with results and follow-up appointments they were waiting for.

People were concerned when they were asked by the GP to send a picture when they felt it was “inappropriate”. Other individuals said that they were not given a specified time for telephone appointments or were called hours after the time window that was given to them, occasionally resulting in them missing the call. This represents a barrier to accessing remote appointments, in contrast to face-to-face appointments which provided a set time.

There was lots of positive feedback about the COVID-19 vaccination rollout and subsequent booster programme, with people feeling it has been well organised, well communicated, and efficient. Similarly, the flu vaccination programme also received a lot of praise. In particular, the role of local pharmacies in providing vaccinations was spoken of positively, with pharmacies being the subject of many positive experiences

In terms of hospitals, many people praised the attitude and approach of staff in providing them with positive experiences at all of Cheshire’s main hospitals. Outpatients appointments were described as running smoothly, but there were instances of people feeling that communications and administration around appointments has been poor in regard to letters, phone calls and cancellations. Some felt that communication between hospitals and healthcare services in other areas has been poor with services appearing to not be working in a joined up manner and sharing information. Accessing hospital appointments was also said to be difficult in some rural areas, with public or hospital transport not providing enough coverage for people to attend appointments if they do not drive.

People have also raised concerns about access to NHS dentistry – an issue that has been common throughout the pandemic, with people unable to register with NHS dentistry or been told they could receive treatment if they went private.

Other comments included criticism of mental health services in various settings, particularly with regard to referrals and waiting times. Long waits and poor experiences were also noted with Education and Health Care Plans (EHCP). People told us they felt that there was a lack of support for carers generally, but there was praise for community groups that provided support for a variety of conditions and situations.