Trends report April 2017 to September 2017

Healthwatch North Tyneside produced a report setting out the trends from feedback received between April 2017 and September 2017. The aim of the report is to provide commissioners and providers of health and social care services the opportunity to reflect and take action on the feedback gathered where appropriate.

The report covers:

- the main issues arising from feedback received directly from service users

- organisational updates

- updates on thematic priorities

- engagement and outreach activity

- work with other bodies including CQC, local Healthwatch and Healthwatch England

- a volunteer update

- communications

855 pieces of feedback were received from the public mainly through surveys and outreach activities. The top five service areas of feedback were: GPs, Hospitals, Other, Community Services, Mental Health. Some of the main trends arising from the feedback include:

- concerns over waiting times for appointments at A&E, foot care appointments, musculoskeletal operations and physio appointments;

- difficulties accessing public or hospital transport to the Northumbria Hospital and difficulty parking and North Tyneside General Hospital and the Freeman Hospital;

- carers’ concerns relating to the lack of facilities for carers during hospital stays, long delays in planning admissions, lack of availability of respite and social care in wards and lack of information for carers;

- comments on poor communication between providers and service users in relation to two care homes;

- concerns over accessing GP appointments;

- new trends relating to concerns over staffing of GP Practices following retirements and also the handling of referrals between primary and secondary care;

- concerns over lack of access to aids and adaptations where there have been refusals to support necessary changes, waiting times and lack of communication about planned support and in some cases inability of the team to source the required equipment. HWNT have made two safeguarding referrals relating to this;

- growing number of concerns relating to crisis mental health services;

- comments on poor quality of care at care homes which have already been raised as safeguarding issues with the Council;

- comments on waiting times for prescriptions at pharmacies due to stock levels.

Other highlights in the report include:

- publication of reports: Making mealtimes matter in care homes, Local people’s experiences of using pharmacy services, Annual Report;

- engagement of 1019 people through 55 outreach and engagement activities;

- report on the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) being promoted to the national Healthwatch network as an example of good practice;

- an update on impact of care home report recommendations relating to activity coordinators and mealtimes;

- signposting people on 162 occasions mainly to PALS.