Annual Report 2017-2018

Wessex Voices (Healthwatch Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton) set otu their key achievements for 2017/18.  They have continued to support NHS England – South (Wessex) commissioners in the Public Health and Primary Care teams and the Clinical Networks to involve people in the design and delivery of their services. They were also supporting the Hampshire and Isle of Wight (HIOW) and Dorset Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STPs) and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) to improve their patient and public involvement. 

Some of work this year has included:

• 'Kick cancer out of Boscombe' event with the Wessex Cancer Alliance, raising awareness about cancer in an area with lower than the national average uptake of cancer screening. This event reached over 600 people.
• 'WESFIT: Patients experience of exercise and cancer' focus groups', which was hosted with the Wessex Cancer Alliance. One key thing that will change is that patients in the WESFIT pilot will be given some support to return to exercising after their surgery.
• Established an Empowering Engagement Programme, which works intensively with a small cohort of participants over six months to transform their confidence to plan and involve people in their work. EEP delivered an 80% increase in confidence around patient and public engagement for the North East Hampshire and Farnham CCG cohort of participants.
• worked with Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Sustainability and Transformation Partnership colleagues to provide public and patient involvement advice, guidance and support to their workstream leads for mental health; children and young people; and digital. Their June event brought together local Healthwatch, CCG Lay Members and NHS Communications and Engagement leads from across the area for the first time to discuss how they can connect engagement activity around the sustainable transformation of health services.