Patient and unpaid carer engagement across South West London community services
Download (PDF 1.31 MB)Summary of report content
The South West London Integrated Care Board commissioned the six independent Healthwatch organisations in Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton, and Wandsworth to gather feedback from service users and their unpaid carers across a variety of adult and paediatric community services.
This report presents key insights drawn from 481 responses in five boroughs, capturing experiences from a diverse range of communities and services. An updated version of this report will be published later this year to capture engagement in Wandsworth.
Across boroughs, patients and unpaid carers valued the generally excellent staff and professionalism and most patients and unpaid carers felt that they had received high-quality, compassionate care. Most participants also said that the services - once they had progressed past often long waits for initial care - were timely and responsive.
In addition, the research identified eight areas around which patients and unpaid carers commonly raised concerns. Some services were better at addressing these than others, offering opportunities for collaborative learning. The eight thematic areas were:
- Communication and information sharing between the service and patients or unpaid carers
- Coordination and information sharing between services
- Involvement of patient and unpaid carers in decision-making
- Wait times
- Continuity of care
- Cultural competency and accessibility
- Support for unpaid carers
- End of life care planning
Based on patient and unpaid carer feedback, the report draws out specific opportunities for improvement to support the South West London ICB in elevating patient and unpaid carer experiences by enhancing overall care, reducing between-borough disparities, and addressing health inequalities.