Annual Report 2015/16

Healthwatch Somerset reports on its key achievements for 2015/16. It:

• Conducted a major consultation on home care services, gathering views from people receiving care and care workers, and successfully influenced the redesign and recommissioning of local home care services. 
• Supported evaluation of the Early Supported Discharge service for stroke patients by running focus groups, telephone interviews and surveys to ensure patients' experiences informed service development.
• Completed 11 Enter and View visits across care homes and mental health wards, identifying good practice, making recommendations for improvement, and producing guidance to help improve care quality. 
• Produced six good practice guides for care homes covering areas such as hospital discharge, staffing, dignity in care, community involvement and resident engagement, helping providers improve services.
• Expanded its network of community organisations and stakeholders, creating a strong forum for sharing intelligence about health and care services and identifying emerging issues affecting local people. 
• Strengthened Young Healthwatch, engaging 185 young people through the National Citizen Service programme and supporting research on issues including healthy eating, mental health, sexual health, diabetes, and substance use. 
• Funded and supported community projects through its Community Pot scheme, including work to raise awareness of brain injury and improve understanding of the needs of people affected by polio. 
• Helped organise the “Mind the Gap” brain injury conference, bringing together service users, carers, clinicians and commissioners, leading to practical service improvements and increased awareness of brain injury needs. 
• Increased opportunities for public feedback by enhancing its website, introducing a service-rating function, launching regular feedback reports, and enabling people to share experiences through online and social media channels.
• Continued to provide information and signposting support through Well Aware, helping thousands of people access information on health, care, housing, transport, emotional support and community services. 
• Expanded and developed its volunteer network, with volunteers contributing to community engagement, representation on local forums, Enter and View activity, and intelligence gathering across Somerset. 
• Strengthened relationships with key decision-makers including Somerset CCG, the Health and Wellbeing Board, NHS England, the Care Quality Commission and advocacy services, ensuring local people's views influenced health and social care decisions.