Annual Report 2015/16

Healthwatch Barnsley report on its key achievements for 2015/16.  It:

• Influenced improvements to Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Feedback from young people, parents and carers informed Barnsley’s Mental Health Strategy and CAMHS Transformation Plan, while the service reduced assessment waiting times and committed to further improvements in access, support and communication. 
• Led a major review of Mental Health Crisis Care Services, gathering feedback from service users and carers about access, support and crisis response. The local Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat adopted actions arising from Healthwatch’s recommendations to improve services. 
• Worked with the Deaf community to secure the commissioning of a one-to-one British Sign Language counselling service, responding to concerns about access to assessment, care management and mental health support. 
• Improved support for unpaid carers through the Carer Identification Scheme, securing funding for a pilot with a GP practice to identify carers more effectively, train staff, improve registration processes and develop better information and support for carers. 
• Influenced improvements in hospital care for people with Parkinson’s by raising concerns about delays in receiving medication. This contributed to new staff training, medication reminder systems and a practice note for the treatment of people with Parkinson’s in hospital.
• Conducted 19 Enter and View visits to GP practices, mental health services and CAMHS as part of work on the Friends and Family Test and service quality, helping inform the development of a nationally recognised toolkit for primary care. The project was shortlisted for three NHS England awards. 
• Increased community engagement significantly, engaging with more than 3,000 residents, growing membership to 2,325 people, undertaking targeted work in GP practices, residential care homes and mental health services, and ensuring local experiences informed commissioners and providers.