Healthwatch Staffordshire Update Healthwatch Advisory Board Meeting 19th July 2017

Enter & View Update

Recent Enter and View Activity: Visits Completed and Report Published Outcome Vicarage Court Nursing Home, Chasetown 4 Recommendations Lawnswood Avenue, Burntwood Further visit recommended Beechdene, Leek – follow up report Rock Cottage, Brown Edge – follow up report 1 Recommendation Wall Hill Care Home, Leek Visits Completed – draft report sent to provider for feedback Rowan Court, Newcastle – follow up visit Abbey Court Care Home, Leek Essington Manor Care Home, Essington Ashcroft Hollow Care Home, Cannock Wheaton Aston Care Home Chemo Unit, County Hospitals Branston Court (BUPA Care Home), Burton on Trent

Work in Prisons Visit to HMP Swinfen Hall has been completed A visit to HMYOI Brinsford is to be confirmed

Volunteer Update

Volunteer Update Recruitment and Training New Champion Applications are being progressed Induction and Equality & Diversity Training is being held in early September

Advocacy Update

Advocacy Update Cases in Staffordshire 01/04/17 – 30/06/17 No. of new cases 83 No. of Cases referred to the Parliamentary Ombudsman 8 No of Closed Cases 27 Cases in Stafford 01/04/17 – 30/06/17 New cases 20 No. of Cases with the Parliamentary Ombudsman No of Closed Cases 4

Case Study Mrs E was concerned about a large lump that had appeared on her face and she had visited her GP several times, over a period of months, only to be told by her GP that the lump was a cyst and nothing to worry about. Mrs E was not referred to hospital for further investigations, although she had requested this several times. There was a history of cancer in Mrs E’s family, and this caused her further concern that the lump was sinister. Mrs E approached Healthwatch Staffordshire Complaints Advocacy Service seeking an advocate to support her to make a complaint about the GP’s reluctance to refer her to a dermatologist for proper investigations. The advocate supported Mrs E to write a letter of complaint to NHS England. Within 2 weeks of the letter being sent to NHS England, Mrs E received a call from the practice to say the GP had made a referral to a dermatologist. Mrs E is sure that this is a direct result of her making a complaint, and is pleased that she has achieved a good outcome. However, Mrs E still expects the GP to respond to her complaint, as she wants an explanation as to how the GP could diagnose a cyst without clinical investigation, and also an explanation for why the GP kept refusing to refer her to a specialist.

Healthwatch Projects update

Neurology Focus on Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neurone Disease + Parkinsons In depth interviews with 52 service users across Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Interviews based on NICE Guidance + Quality Standards

Next Steps Focus on Diagnosis Red Flag Tool for GPs Evaluation of MND Red Flag Tool

Red2Green Reducing the number of days people are in hospital when they don’t need to be Red day = a delay to a persons care, treatment or discharge Green day = where a hospital has made progress towards discharge and an improvement in the patients health

4 patient questions 1. What is the matter with me? 2. What is going to happen today? 3. When am I going home? 4. What is needed to get me home?

Drug and Alcohol Longitudinal Impact Assessment What impact has the reduction or removal of Drug and Alcohol services had on people with drug and alcohol dependencies or those vulnerable to drug and alcohol addiction. To what extent has drug and alcohol addiction affected an individuals life and what wider services have they accessed as a result

Funding for the Future Gathering service user stories about changes to services and what impact this has had on their ability to remain independent and have a good quality of life How can money be spent more efficiently

Contact us Research@ecstaffs.co.uk