Annual Report 2022/23

Healthwatch Waltham Forest report on its key achievements for 2022/23.  It:

• Influenced improvements to GP services by gathering feedback from more than 1,000 residents about access, appointment systems and patient experience. Findings informed GP hub development, digital access improvements and primary care transformation plans. 
• Improved maternity services by working with women from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities to understand barriers to care. The findings informed plans for cultural competency training, improved communications, multilingual advocacy and better maternity support.
• Helped improve care for care home residents through a review of GP support in care homes, leading to better coordination between healthcare providers and care homes, more personalised care and reduced hospital admissions. 
• Raised concerns about NHS dentistry and helped ensure local experiences contributed to national and regional work to improve access to NHS dental services and reform dental funding arrangements.
• Led work on ambulance service experiences, gathering local feedback which informed the London Ambulance Service’s five-year strategy and highlighted concerns about ambulance waiting times and service capacity.
• Improved patient information and discharge processes at Whipps Cross Hospital following an Enter and View visit to Elizabeth Ward, leading to new patient information materials and further work on discharge planning and community care. 
• Ensured the voices of underrepresented groups were heard, including ethnic minority communities, care home residents, refugees and asylum seekers, and women experiencing maternity services, helping shape local NHS and council decision-making.
• Published 44 reports and used insights from more than 3,500 residents to influence decisions across primary care, hospital services, maternity care, dentistry, ambulance services and integrated care planning.