Annual Report 2015/16

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

• Influenced primary care policy, with its findings on GP services being reflected in the Coventry Primary Care Strategy, and prompted NHS England to follow up 10 local GP practices that did not have practice leaflets available for patients. 
• Improved local mental health services through visits to inpatient wards, rehabilitation and day services, leading to commitments to improve activities, outdoor spaces and patient experience, with further recommendations considered as part of service reviews. 
• Drove improvements in care homes through 13 Enter and View visits and 76 recommendations, resulting in changes such as dementia-friendly design features, new activities, better use of outdoor space, resident and staff meetings, and improvements to residents’ quality of life. 
• Improved access to information by reviewing GP practice websites and patient information, leading to action on outdated information, better practice leaflets, and improvements to the Coventry City Council website following a mystery shopping exercise. 
• Ensured local people’s experiences informed decision-making on patient transport services, mental health provision, primary care, orthotics services and health and wellbeing priorities across the city. 
• Reached 950 teenagers through school assemblies and gathered feedback from young people on health and wellbeing, identifying mental wellbeing as their top concern and establishing ongoing links with schools and colleges. 
• Supported people to navigate health and care services and raise concerns, providing information to 763 people and helping NHS complaints advocacy clients achieve outcomes including apologies, changes in practice, overturned treatment charges and faster access to care.