Annual Report 2017/18

Healthwatch Greenwich report on its key achievements for 2017/18.  It:

• Engaged extensively with local residents, speaking to 1,538 people, conducting 76 outreach sessions and events, carrying out 34 Enter and View visits, and significantly expanding its reach through social media and community engagement. 
• Led major work on GP access and registration, identifying practices incorrectly refusing patients without ID or proof of address and successfully influencing the CCG to issue guidance, provide training, and support improvements in registration practices. 
• Investigated barriers to healthcare access for the Nepalese community, highlighting ongoing problems with translation and interpreting services and influencing action to improve awareness and use of language support services.
• Influenced improvements in adult social care, gathering extensive feedback from service users and carers that directly informed the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s adult social care transformation programme. 
• Strengthened patient and public involvement in service monitoring by training volunteers to undertake Enter and View visits and contribute directly to NHS contract monitoring meetings, ensuring local experiences informed service improvement and commissioning decisions.