Annual Report 2018/19

Healthwatch Southwark report on its key achievements in 2018/19.  It:

• Completed a major project on mental health crisis care, interviewing service users and carers and presenting findings to local NHS leaders. The work highlighted gaps in crisis support, A&E experiences and access to talking therapies, helping shape future improvement work.
• Carried out detailed Enter and View visits at Tower Bridge Care Centre following concerns about conditions in the home. Recommendations led to improvements including enhanced security, repairs, improvements to identification systems, volunteer opportunities and changes to pest control arrangements. 
• Investigated the impact of caring on unpaid carers, gathering evidence from carers and young carers about the effect of caring responsibilities on their physical and mental wellbeing. The findings informed ongoing work with Southwark Council and carers' services. 
• Completed a large LGBTQ+ community consultation involving 210 respondents, highlighting inequalities in healthcare access and experiences. The findings were shared with commissioners, providers, councillors and community organisations to inform future service development. 
• Led the Faith and Health project with local faith groups, supporting community-led health initiatives, strengthening engagement with seldom-heard communities and promoting public health messages through faith organisations. 
• Influenced integrated care and service redesign through commissioned projects on coordinated care, social prescribing and the NHS Long Term Plan, ensuring patient experiences informed local health system planning. 
• Secured continued impact from previous work, including influencing GP access, intermediate care redesign, older people's hospital care, sexual health services and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).