Healthwatch West Sussex Annual Report 2013/14
Š Healthwatch England 2014 The text of this document (this excludes, where present, the Royal Arms and all departmental and agency logos) may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium providing that it is reproduced accurately and not in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as Healthwatch England copyright and the document title specified. Where third party material has been identified, permission from the respective copyright holder must be sought. Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to us at enquiries@healthwatch.co.uk You can download this publication from www.healthwatch.co.uk
Annual Report 2013-14
Contents
Contents 2
Who we are...
4
How We Support Our Community
6
Case Study - The Impact of Our Helpdesk
7
The Healthwatch CAB Walk-in Service: The Consumer Experience
8
The Healthwatch Independent Complaints Advocacy Service
10 Case Study - ICAS
11 Main Issues Reported 12 The Importance of Volunteering 13 Case Study - PLACE Audits
14 Our Reports 16 Strategic Relationships 18 Communicating Our Services 20 About Us 22 360-degree Review 23 Marketing Collateral 24 Moving Forward 26 Our Team 28 Legal & Compliance 29 Appendices
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Annual Report
2013 2013-14
About Healthwatch
Who We Are...
Have you ever been in a situation in which you have needed to access health or social care services for a loved one or for yourself, but were unable or unsure of how to do so? Or maybe you wanted to make a complaint about the care that you received, but didn’t know who to speak to? Healthwatch West Sussex is an organisation that provides advocacy and advice on health and social care provision for all residents in the county. Our vision is that the consumers’ voice is always heard and helps sharpen and improve the provision of health and social care in West Sussex. Our goal is to ensure that Healthwatch West Sussex is the recognised consumer champion for all health and social care services and to ensure the consumers’ voice enhances and improves the delivery of these services.
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Foreword: Frances Russell, Chair, Healthwatch West Sussex Establishing Healthwatch West Sussex, particularly at a time of great change for the health and social care sector, has not been without its challenges. However, following a lot of hard work and dedication, I believe that in our first year we have already succeeded in creating a strong organisation that is both fit for purpose now, and will be adaptable in the face of future challenges, as we continue to establish Healthwatch as the consumer voice for health and social care in West Sussex. We have recruited a board of very capable people with a diverse set of skills and experience, an expanding group of trained and enthusiastic volunteers, and outstanding teams providing services and support from our partners in Help & Care and Citizens Advice Bureaux. I would like to thank our staff and volunteers for their hard work, as well as our commissioners, West Sussex County Council for their support.
Executive Summary This report details our key activities from June 2013 until May 2014, including: • Suggestions for improvements in the quality and standards of health and social care provision in West Sussex • Details of the range of activities we have undertaken • Consumer engagement since our public launch in October 2013 • Our support of individuals through information, advice and advocacy The report also details our achievements, and has helped us to develop our first strategic plan. Details of priorities for our future development are also mentioned.
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Annual Report
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How we support our community
How We Support Our Community During our first year we answered more than 900 calls
Members of the community looking for help and advice can obtain it: • In person at any Citizens Advice Bureau in West Sussex. • By calling our free Helpdesk number – 0300 012 0122 • On our website www.healthwatchwestsussex.co.uk
We have assisted callers who: • Needed help to navigate their way around the complex NHS system • Wanted non-clinical information about local health or social care services • Wanted to find out more about their local Healthwatch • Were keen to provide feedback, comments or experiences of local health and care services • Were looking for support to find out about services available • Wanted guidance or help to make a complaint • Needed ‘signposting’ to another organisation If an enquiry is of a complex nature, our Information Support Workers research the best solutions to the query and the caller is re-contacted on average within 45 minutes.
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We have recommended the services of organisations including: • West Sussex Carers Support • Impact Advocacy • Me Association • Epilepsy Society • 111 Service
Since June 2013, Healthwatch Helpdesk Advisors have helped to signpost or make referrals for more than 260 people to appropriate organisations, able to offer further specialist information and support.
• UK Border Agency • Gatwick Detainees Welfare Service
Calls vary considerably, from helping an individual with communication problems make contact with their GP to make an urgent appointment, to helping those with more complicated needs.
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Case Study - The Impact of our Helpdesk
CASE STUDY The Impact of Our Helpdesk 1. A caller was looking for urgent funds to cover costs incurred whilst her home was being adapted for her medical needs. She called the Healthwatch West Sussex Helpdesk to enquire about charitable organisations that could help her, having already exhausted funds from the local authority. The caller required urgent additional funding due to exceptional circumstances and Healthwatch put her in touch with carer support organisations, the Margaret Champney Fund and Turn2Us, for expert funding advice. The caller was particularly appreciative of the information she received from Healthwatch. 2. A lady was concerned about changes due to take place concerning NHS Continuing Healthcare and the ‘right’ to ask for a personal health budget, so called the Helpdesk for advice. We were able to advise her to contact her Clinical Commissioning Group and pointed her towards relevant NHS information. 3. We were contacted by a member of the public who was seriously concerned about the treatment a relative had received in a local care home. We helped talk through these concerns and advised them to raise the issue with the Safeguarding Team. We then supported them through this process to ensure their concerns were taken seriously.
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The Healthwatch CAB Walk-in Service: the Consumer Experience
The Healthwatch CAB Walk-in Service: the Consumer Experience East Grinstead The following West Sussex CAB centres provide a walk-in service for Healthwatch:
Crawley Horsham Haywards Heath Burgess Hill
Chichester Littlehampton Wo rt
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Our receptionists at these centres have been trained to spot potential Healthwatch clients. Depending on their individual needs, the receptionists can provide information about Healthwatch services, hand over leaflets and encourage an initial assessment with one of our Gateway Assessors.
Sometimes a client may not want advice, but they are keen to share their experience (good or bad) of a health service. Our Gateway Assessor is able to take details and ask the individual for permission for a Healthwatch advisor to contact them to discuss the matter further.
If the individual’s requirements are deemed to be complex and cannot be solved by providing relevant information and self-help materials, an appointment with a generalist adviser will be made. The waiting time for appointments is usually around one week, but if the matter is urgent, we can arrange for the client to be seen that day.
There are occasions where a client wishes to pursue a complaint against an NHS funded service. In this situation a referral (with case notes) is made to the Healthwatch Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS), based at our Horsham office. This has proved an excellent referral pathway internally to the ICAS team, to support individuals with sensitive, complex and serious issues.
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The Healthwatch ICAS
The Healthwatch Independent Complaints Advocacy Service Healthwatch West Sussex set up an Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS) in April 2013, in conjunction with the Central & South Sussex CAB. The overall aim of the ICAS is to provide support for consumers to empower them to articulate concerns about a care provider and navigate the NHS complaints system. The service provides self-help information for individuals looking to lodge a complaint; the ICAS is able to allocate a trained advocate to assist and support consumers to write letters of complaint, fill out relevant paperwork and attend meetings with care providers.
The ICAS Team The Contract Manager oversees the delivery of the service; managing a team comprising a full time team leader, a full time advocate and an administrator, who is employed for 25 hours per week. The administrator has also been employed to provide 15 hours per week of support to the wider Healthwatch team.
Service Delivery and Promotion of Service On the 1st April 2014, the ICAS team took over 60 cases of consumer complaints from the previous provider, SEAP (Support, Empower, Advocate, Promote) – the independent advocacy organisation. Some of the cases were particularly complex and lengthy, with many at a critical stage of the complaints process. During the past year we have also assessed 149 individual cases and from these have taken on 96 clients. In order to promote the service, we have created a series of marketing literature, which also aims to assist the client with the process of making a complaint. We have also been utilising the Healthwatch West Sussex Twitter page (@healthwatchws) to raise awareness of the ICAS. Twitter was instrumental in helping us gain agreement for a free parking voucher for people with complaints attending a local resolution meeting at a hospital.
During the past year we have assessed 149 individual cases and from these have taken on 96 clients.
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Our Partners The Healthwatch West Sussex ICAS team has begun building relationships with all the NHS trusts in the county, as well as organising meetings with charities including MIND and Age UK, health and wellbeing boards and ICAS providers, Brighton Impetus and Hampshire Healthwatch.
Our Achievements Quality and monitoring measures It is vital that we encourage feedback, so we developed a form that is sent to the consumer once our team has concluded support for their complaint. The form captures their comments and feedback on the service. We are currently working with Brighton Impetus to create a peer support group for advocates, which will be launched next year. Finally, we have our own complaints process; we advise our consumers about the process to be used should they wish to make a complaint regarding the ICAS service. This year we received one complaint about the delivery of the service, which was dealt with accordingly.
The ICAS team has worked hard to ensure a seamless service has been delivered to consumers throughout the transfer of provider. Our employees have received in-house professional development training that has enabled them to increase their knowledge and expertise for delivering excellent support to the consumer. We have implemented some integral partnerships to date with health and care services in West Sussex, with the positive outcomes already being appreciated. The feedback we have received from consumers has been predominantly positive, including the below comments regarding the ICAS service: “Thank you to you Ben, who is doing a fantastic job – he is logical, unflappable, intelligent and interested, with the ability to listen to us despite ongoing huge stress levels whilst our daughter was unwell. His advocacy and support, brilliant communication and experience helped us so much.” “Could not have been more helpful.” “The Advocate was empathetic, courteous and easy to confide in.”
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Case Study - ICAS
CASE STUDY ICAS Mr. C rang the ICAS in distress, following surgery at a local hospital for an enlarged prostate, which was discovered to be cancerous. Before being discharged from hospital, staff had tried to remove Mr. C’s catheter without success, so Mr. C was re-catheterised and discharged, having been informed he would receive an appointment in the post for his catheter to be removed and radiotherapy treatment commenced. After four weeks Mr. C had not received any information from the hospital, so he rang to see what was happening. He was then provided with an appointment with the consultant and for radiotherapy. When Mr. C saw the consultant he requested an urgent appointment for his catheter to be removed. He then attended his radiotherapy appointment, but the treatment was refused as he couldn’t have radiotherapy with a catheter in. Mr. C then contacted us, understandably very distressed, as nobody had been able to help him. Having already waited three months for his cancer treatment, he was aware this was now an emergency. ICAS contacted the complaints department at the hospital in question and two days later Mr. C. was sent an appointment for one week’s time to have the catheter removed. He was also notified of an appointment to start his radiotherapy.
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Main Issues Reported
Main Issues Reported Since our public launch in October, we have been collecting information and stories that people have been sharing with us. Just over half of the information we have recorded has come to us from people who have contacted the Healthwatch West Sussex Helpdesk by phone, email, via the website or by post. The remainder has been collected from visitors to Citizens Advice Bureaux in West Sussex. The data has been input into our Customer Relationship Management database – a sophisticated tool that stores all of the feedback that Healthwatch West Sussex receives. The database enables us to analyse information in order to spot trends and identify issues. During this initial period, most comments were received about hospital services, GPs and Primary Care. The most common topics were quality of treatment and staff attitudes. Most comments related to hospital services (37%) or GPs/Primary Care (32%). The feedback also revealed that mental health services received the highest proportion of negative comments (81%) with no positive feedback at all. The evidence suggests that while some issues are particular to certain types of services, others appear to be occurring across a number of services, including failures of diagnosis, delays in obtaining appointments, and referrals between services. By ‘drilling deeper’ into the data, Healthwatch can learn where to focus its attention in order to influence change. And the more data collected the better informed we can be to what consumers of our health and social care services are experiencing.
Hospital and GPs got most mentions 6%
7% Hospital service
Hospice Service 37%
7% 11%
GPs & Primary Care Mental Health Social Care service
GPs & Primary care 32%
Community Other
Top seven issues Waiting times Medicines management Access to a service Co-ordination of services Diagnostics Staff attitudes Quality of treatment 0
Negative
Positive
20
40
60
80
Neutral/Mixed/Unclear
Most comments related to hospital services (37%) or GPs/Primary Care (32%). The feedback also revealed that mental health services received the highest proportion of negative comments (81%) with no positive feedback at all. 11
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The Importance of Volunteering
The Importance of Volunteering Not only do volunteers make up the majority of our board members, but they also help deliver the information and advice service provided by CAB centres as well as Help & Care’s ‘influencing’ role with commissioners and providers of services. Initially, we recruited 10 experienced volunteers from the Local Involvement Network and we now have more than 40 trained team members with varying areas of specialism. These range from ‘Enter & View’ service assessors to quality accounts experts, who comment on the performance of the NHS Trusts from a consumer perspective. In addition, liaison representatives maintain strategic relationships between the Healthwatch West Sussex board and various NHS and local authority bodies in the county by reporting on feedback of various health and social care topics at relevant meetings. An exciting recent development is the participation of three young volunteers in Healthwatch awareness-raising campaigns, and the recruitment of a Youth Engagement Officer, who can co-ordinate their activity as required. We have delivered or commissioned general and specialised training for all our volunteers to ensure they are fully qualified and equipped to undertake their required activities.
Volunteer training includes: • ‘Representation training,’ delivered by PPI Solutions Ltd • Adult safeguarding training, with the Adult Safeguarding Independent Chair • PLACE (Patient Led Assessment of the Care Environment) at the Princess Royal Hospital
Volunteer activities: As well as taking part in regular liaison meetings with the NHS, West Sussex County Council and other bodies, volunteers have: • Participated in five Healthwatch West Sussex launch events throughout the county, during September and October 2013 • Undertaken an ‘Enter & View’ survey of GP Practices across West Sussex (report published February 2014) • Attended 25 sessions at Princess Royal, St Richard’s and Worthing hospitals, to carry out the A&E Departments’ ‘Enter & View’ survey (during Jan/Feb 2014). Report to be published June 2014 • Engaged with four NHS Trusts, enabling more effective commentary from Healthwatch on NHS Trust Quality Accounts • Carried out 17 PLACE audits with four NHS Trusts, in situations ranging from small mental health units to regional hospitals, plus involvement in follow-up review meetings with individual Trusts
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Case Study - PLACE Audits
CASE STUDY PLACE Audits Our Enter & View volunteers are integral to PLACE Audits, which identify where improvements need to be made in the patient environment and recommend accordingly. One NHS Trust told us the PLACE report enabled them to make improvements to the patient environment. They said: “The unit has had quite a lot done since last year. Verandas are now clear of rubbish, we have a new cooker, all chairs are now wipeable, the chipped table has been replaced and the art room tidied up. Still outstanding is the decoration and refurbishment of floors.�
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Annual Report
2013 2013-14
Our Reports
Our Reports Healthwatch West Sussex has researched and published two important and topical reports during 2013/14 and is following up on the issues raised and feedback received. A third is due to be published imminently. The reports are:
Can’t Complain? The ‘Can’t Complain’ report asked whether health and social care service providers are doing all they can to provide useful information to people who might have a complaint or wish to give feedback. It found that information was not always detailed or easy to find. However, patients should never be put in a position of having to ask a health or care provider for information on how to complain. Complaints are always useful; they enable care providers to understand how they can improve their services. This could be communicated better to patients and more could be done to provide reassurance that a complainant’s treatment will remain unaffected. The views of people who wouldn’t otherwise come forward need to be more proactively sought. Commissioners were asked to be more transparent about complaint handling. Particular concerns were raised about a poor response to requests for information from care homes.
The report had many positive findings, including the high levels of satisfaction with the quality of care given to patients, and innovative schemes to provide parking and transport.
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Complaints are always useful; they enable care providers to understand how they can improve their services. GP Report Our volunteers conducted a review of GP services, carrying out a survey of patients at practices across the county. The report had many positive findings, including the high levels of satisfaction with the quality of care given to patients, and innovative schemes to provide parking and transport. However, while practices rated their appointment booking systems highly, not all patients agreed. A quarter of patients said they were unable to get a same-day appointment if something was urgent. Just over half of patients wished to see opening hours extended to evenings and weekends. Practices were advised to actively review the needs of people with a range of disabilities, and some needed to improve the privacy of reception areas. While almost all practices said they have some sort of patient group, the vast majority of patients were unaware of their role and importance.
A quarter of patients said they were unable to get a same-day appointment if something was urgent. A&E Survey We have undertaken a survey of people attending Accident & Emergency units at three hospitals in West Sussex. The project aims to understand what information people use when they make the decision to attend A&E; this is due to be published in June 2014.
Communication of the reports We have secured a regular Healthwatch column in the West Sussex County Times weekly newspaper. Our initial reports; ‘Can’t Complain?’ and ‘GP Report’ and their findings were the subject of the first two contributions.The findings of the report formed the basis of subsequent media releases to titles across the county. The value of our known coverage from wider press activity is detailed below.
Healthwatch West Sussex - Media Coverage 2013-14 Date
Headline
Publication
Type
Reach
Size cm2
AVE
EVE
25/07/2013
New healthcare watchdog gets CAB support
Chichester Observer
Newspaper
81,280
84
£439.32
£1,317.96
Oct 13
Major health event at Drill Hall Horsham, Friday
West Sussex County Times
Newspaper
51,870
28
£49.28
£147.84
Oct 13
Healthwatch West Sussex - Your Voice Counts
West Sussex Connections
Newspaper
910,000
153
£361.08
£1,083.24
Oct 13
Healthwatch West Sussex in Queens Square - Video
Crawley & Horley Observer
Website
6,176
n/a
£396.00
£1,188.00
03/10/2013
Team gives health system its check-up
Worthing Herald
Newspaper
70,655
266
£843.83
£2,531.21
03/10/2013
Team gives health system its check-up
Shoreham Herald
Newspaper
8,750
266
£843.83
£2,531.21
03/10/2013
Team gives health system its check-up
Littlehampton Gazette
Newspaper
24,742
266
£843.83
£2,531.21
04/10/2013
Healthwatch West Sussex takes to the streets
The District Post
Newspaper
60,000
323
£167.96
£503.88
10/10/2013
Health watchdog seeks new views
Chichester Observer
Newspaper
81,280
210
£1,098.30
£3,294.90
17/10/2013
New health and social care watchdog urges us to call
West Sussex County Times
Newspaper
51,870
1,008
£1,774.08
£5,322.24
25/10/2013
New health and social care watchdog bids to give patients a new voice
Horsham Weekend Herald
Newspaper
74,725
1,008
£1,774.08
£5,322.24
27/10/2014
Grateful patients or savvy consumers?
West Sussex County Times
Newspaper
51,870
1,008
£1,774.08
£5,322.24
04/04/2014
Does being a patient mean being patient?
West Sussex County Times
Newspaper
51,870
420
£739.20
£2,217.60
13/04/2014
Share your surgery experiences from a GP patients perspective
Crawley & Horley Observer
Website
6,176
n/a
£396.00
£1,188.00
£11,500.87
£34,502.67
Total Generated Media Coverage
The Editorial Value Equivalent (EVE) of media coverage measures how much a piece of coverage is worth in comparison to the Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE). AVE refers to the cost of buying the space taken up by a particular article, had the article been an advertisement. The editorial value of press coverage is higher than its advertising value, as the audience is more likely to connect with a piece of engaging editorial content than with an advert. The industry standard places editorial content at three times the value of advertising content.
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Strategic Relationships
Strategic Relationships Healthwatch West Sussex has established, and is further developing, a strategic relationship with local trusts and commissioners, which is being established by our Volunteer Liaison Representatives (VLRs). Reporting mechanisms have been developed so that VLRs of the various committees and networks provide regular feedback to us along with their recommendations. We have engaged with a variety of local community groups, from large charity organisations such as Carers Support, as well as smaller, localised groups such as the Sangam Women’s Open Day Group. Other relevant stakeholders that we have engaged with include local service provider teams, including the Sussex Community Trust Carers Health Team.
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Mental Health Action Group Healthwatch West Sussex hosts a Mental Health Action Group in collaboration with Sussex Partnership Trust (SPT), the local provider for mental health services, which is recognised for giving their users a significant voice. The Mental Health Action Group comprises local bodies such as MIND and Southern Housing Group and their users. Two of those users chair the group voluntarily; their aim is to gather evidence of any issues. The collated information is then presented to providers or commissioners of health and care services, with the aim of improving overall service delivery. The South East Coast Strategic Clinical Senate has already shown interest in meeting the group to hear the views of service users. As a result, other local Healthwatch schemes are now looking to replicate the model.
Consultation Events As part of our ongoing strategy to promote Healthwatch’s services to the local community, we have attended a number of consultation events held across the county by providers and commissioners of services. These included a Crawley, Horsham and Mid Sussex CCG event concerning children and young people’s services, and a joint workshop, hosted by West Sussex County Council and three local CCGs, on a joint dementia strategy for the county.
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2013 2013-14
Communicating Our Services
Communicating Our Services Our community engagement activities have aimed to raise our profile with service providers and users, commissioners of services, the voluntary and community sector and the general public. Back in September and October 2013, we launched a roadshow that travelled the county’s high streets. We commandeered the use of a hospital bed as a prop, whilst our volunteers and staff entered into the spirit of the campaign by dressing up as doctors and nurses. We attracted the attention of both the public and the local media, which gave us the opportunity to gather feedback from the public of their experiences of health and social care. On the evening of 7th October 2013, we took the hospital bed to the Council Chamber in County Hall, Chichester and presented to the county’s Youth Cabinet about our services. Alongside the roadshow, we have raised awareness about Healthwatch’s services through community events including railway station promotions and wellbeing events across the county. We also hosted an information event at Northbrook College – a further and higher education college which resulted in our board member, Cherry Cannon, being interviewed by students on their local community radio station. We were interviewed, photographed and videoed by local press at almost every location we visited. We also tweeted regularly from the hospital bed and featured as ‘story of the week’ in the Healthwatch England Newsletter.
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WSCC’s Connections magazine featured a piece which we supplied, introducing Healthwatch West Sussex. The magazine was distributed to every household in West Sussex during the period that we were on the road with the bed. The engagement activities were particularly well received by our stakeholders. We handed out leaflets and talked to some 800 – 1000 people, captured feedback from over 200 people and took detailed information from around 20. There was a measurable spike in the activity recorded by CAB and the Healthwatch Helpdesk during and immediately after the launch, which even inspired other local Healthwatch organisations to imitate our hospital bed campaign! The enthusiastic involvement of the CAB staff and volunteers throughout the launch events not only helped the Healthwatch team get to know each other better, but as importantly it allowed the public to really understand what we do. To enable us to reach out to the widest possible demographic, we have created an engaging and interactive website that offers information, news and ways for people to share their experiences with us. It displays a daily digest of local health and social care news and shows our Twitter feed, which has attracted more than 400 followers.
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About Us
About Us Healthwatch West Sussex is governed by a board of directors, who work in partnership with Help & Care and Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB).
Help & Care Help & Care provides information and advice on health and social care issues, through a Healthwatch West Sussex Helpdesk telephone service, which we have worked together to establish. The Helpdesk team responds to requests for information from consumers of health and social care, and also logs issues or contact made by email. As well as providing a Helpdesk, Help & Care’s team delivers support in respect of outreach and engagement, research, volunteer co-ordination and marketing and communications activities.
Citizens Advice Bureau Citizens Advice Bureau provides information and advice on health and care issues and runs the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service for consumers. With CAB’s support, we have gained knowledge and understanding of the issues consumers face. This feeds into our research and reports, which help to influence commissioners and providers of health and social care services.
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What We Do We are currently in the process of implementing a strategic plan for the future development of Healthwatch West Sussex. The plan will ensure that Healthwatch West Sussex continues to listen and talk to as many people in our community as possible, in particular: • Patients in West Sussex, including the seldom heard (such as those with learning difficulties) • The general public in West Sussex • Third sector organisations and community groups that have a health or social care focus • Local CAB clients, staff and volunteers • Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) and Patient Reference Groups (PRGs) • The Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), West Sussex County Council and the West Sussex borough and district councils • NHS Foundation Trusts and community health service providers • Providers of social care services • The Health and Wellbeing Board • Health and Adult Social Care Select Committee • Quality Surveillance Group
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360-degree Review
360-degree Review During February and March 2014 a consultation was carried out to seek the views of both our key stakeholders and additionally people who had cause to contact the Healthwatch West Sussex Helpdesk.
Constructive observations have been expressed and will be acted upon, including: • Raising awareness of the Healthwatch West Sussex services to the local community • Making it clearer to the community what we can and cannot do • Offering further training to staff in order to deal with the complex needs of consumers • Ensuring Healthwatch West Sussex is able to provide comprehensive and beneficial information to consumers
The early stages of the launch of Healthwatch West Sussex were exciting and innovative, with high quality engagement with the Youth Cabinet. The input was dynamic and embraced risk, in that the hospital bed and display were brought into the Council Chamber at County Hall in Chichester. I was impressed by the effort Healthwatch staff put into researching the suitability of this exercise, so that such a high-impact display could be used to motivate and inspire young people. Pandora Ellis, Countywide Manager - West Sussex Youth Cabinet
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Marketing Collateral
Marketing Collateral In addition to our website and social media presence, Healthwatch West Sussex ssex has distributed more than 30,000 leafl eaflets to GP surgeries, hospitals (via the NHS Trusts), libraries and other WSCC help points throughout the county, explaining ng what we do, why we need volunteers and how to contact us. We continue to hand out leaflets ts at public events, on the street, at railwayy stations and other locations.
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Moving Forward
Moving Forward Healthwatch West Sussex prioritises activity to optimise value and impact. Where Healthwatch West Sussex makes an intervention, the intervention is based on our vision and is firmly rooted in evidence and research. Using these factors, our priorities for 2014 and beyond are the following: • To continue to raise awareness of Healthwatch West Sussex in the local community, including community groups, patient or user groups, Clinical Commissioning Groups and local authorities. • To build our engagement and reach by developing our relationship with the voluntary and community sector, monitoring social media and signing up volunteers and representatives in local communities so that people know how they can contact us and work with us to ultimately achieve our objectives. • To establish Healthwatch West Sussex as a high quality provider of impartial, non-clinical health and social care advice and information. • To consider and use the strategic priorities of decision makers such as the West Sussex Health and Wellbeing Board, local authority and NHS commissioners, the local area team(s) and Clinical Commissioning Groups, NHS Trusts, NHS community services providers and social care service providers to help us focus our work. We will balance priorities against the messages we hear from local people to make sure these strategic priorities are meeting the needs of local people. • To monitor how people’s experiences are being heard and used by decision makers when priorities are set and work with decision makers to put the consumer voice right at the top of their agendas.
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Young People We recognise that more should be done to encourage young people to engage with Healthwatch West Sussex and as a result we have created an opening for a Youth Engagement Officer to raise awareness, gather feedback and recruit volunteers under the age of 25. A dedicated Twitter account for young people has been set up (@HWYWestSussex) and there are plans to meet with youth groups across the county. Partnerships have already been made with WSCC (Your Space), the Youth Voice Network, WSCC Young Carers, Horsham and Crawley Voluntary Action and FindItOut centres.
Valuing Difference Healthwatch West Sussex is an equal opportunity employer. When recruiting, we positively encourage applications and interest from people who live in and represent all parts of the community and guard against any possible prejudices. The Board (and all associated with Healthwatch West Sussex) maintains our projects, surveys and representations to be inclusive, respectful and dignified. We recognise and celebrate difference. Our work is underpinned by awareness of, and guarantees for, anti-discriminatory practices ensuring accessibility to everyone. The Healthwatch West Sussex team will rigorously challenge any form of bullying, harassment, victimisation or inappropriate behaviour through formal policies and procedures. Equality of opportunity and anti-oppressive practice is thread throughout our work.
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Annual Report
2013 2013-14
Our Team
Our Team
Healthwatch Board Members and Partners Healthwatch West Sussex is a Social Enterprise and Community Investment Company (CIC) formed of nine independent and member nominated directors. The majority are independent directors; volunteer lay people selected by an Independent Appointments Panel for their outstanding knowledge and skills.
*Frances Russell – Chair
Frances Russell, Mike Burdett and Helen Ralston were appointed in June 2013, and Cherry Cannon and Martin Farrow in October. Helen resigned later in the year for personal reasons, and there remains a vacant role on the board.
Mike Burdett – Vice Chair
Cherry Cannon
Martin Farrow
*Photo of Frances Russell courtesy of West Sussex County Times
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The member nominated directors representing the Healthwatch partners, and who deliver the statutory activities, were also appointed to the CIC in June 2013. They are: • Mark Sharman (Help & Care) • Peter Munns (Help & Care) • Mike Link (Central and Southern CAB) • Howard Ewing (Arun & Chichester CAB) Howard Ewing resigned in February 2014 and was succeeded by Alan Laybourn (Arun & Chichester CAB) who was voted on in March. Healthwatch West Sussex Business Manager, Stephen Hughes, supports the board in respect of governance arrangements and legal obligations of the company.
CAB Management Team The West Sussex CAB consists of two separate bureaux; Arun & Chichester and Central & South Sussex CAB
Arun & Chichester CAB team:
Healthwatch Help & Care Team • Diane Ruban Community Engagement and Outreach Officer • Gareth Jones Research Officer • Mark Habibi Volunteer Support Officer • Malcolm Gates Media Relations and Marketing Officer • Heather Martin Manager of the Healthwatch West Sussex Helpdesk telephone team We have recently hired a West Sussex Locality Manager, a Youth Engagement Officer and a Community and Outreach Officer.
• Carol Groves CEO • Debbie Dawe Operations Manager • Ray Fowler Operations Manager
Central & South Sussex CAB team: • Sarah Hyde CEO • Julie Martin Contract Manager •
Nicky Shute Area Manager, Mid Sussex & Crawley
• Lee Furlong Area Manager, Horsham, Lancing, Shoreham and Worthing
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Annual Report
2013 2013-14
Legal & Compliance
Legal & Compliance The Healthwatch Trademark Healthwatch West Sussex use the Healthwatch Trademark when undertaking work on our statutory activities as covered by our license agreement with Healthwatch England.
Healthwatch CIC Registered office Citizens Advice Bureau, Lower Tanbridge Way, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 1PJ. Company number: 08557470. Telephone: 0300 012 0122
Partner registered offices • Central and South Sussex Citizens Advice Bureau. Registered office: Citizens Advice Bureau, Lower Tanbridge Way, Horsham, and West Sussex RH12 1PJ. Company No 05551406. Telephone: 0300 3038 536 Registered Charity, No. 1116660 • Arun and Chichester Citizens Advice Bureau. Registered office: Citizens Advice Bureau. 14 / 16 Anchor Springs, Littlehampton, West Sussex, BN17 6BP. Company Number: 4787378 Telephone: 01273 866233 Registered Charity, No. 1116660 • Help and Care. Registered office: 896 Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, BH7 6DL. Company Number: 3187574Telephone: 0845 4500418 Registered Charity, No. 1116660
Making the Report available to the public This Annual Report will be made available to the public through a variety of means and formats including: • The Healthwatch West Sussex website • Printed copies available at local events • Dissemination through stakeholders
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Appendices
Appendices Financial Statement We receive a total funding from West Sussex County Council of £584,000
April 2013 - March 2014 Healthwatch West Sussex
Full Year Budget
Actual to Date
Variance
1. Staffing Costs
327,328
356,598
-29,270
2. Mangement, Training & Supervision
97,313
85,131
12,182
3. Overheads
95,411
91,469
3,942
4. Promotion/Marketing
10,200
10,174
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5. Volunteer Costs
25,533
20,564
4,969
6. Community Engagements
27,815
14,275
13,540
7. Other
400
1,092
-692
Totals
584,000
579,304
4,696
Helpdesk – Information Standard accreditation Help & Care has been certified as a provider of safe, reliable, high quality health and social care information by the Information Standard scheme. Help & Care has met the scheme criteria of producing safe and reliable health and social care information and has consequently been awarded The Information Standard quality mark (supported by the Department of Health); illustrating to the public that our information can be trusted. The Information Standard has been established to help patients and the public make informed choices about their lifestyle, conditions and treatment/care options, by providing a recognised and trusted quality mark that will indicate reliable sources of health and social care information.
Helpdesk – Sources of information All our Information Support Workers abide by quality standards and research protocols to maintain the quality and consistency of the information provided. The following sources of information are used when providing information to the public on Healthwatch matters:
Primary sources NHS Choices (Information Standard), Healthwatch England, gov.uk, Care Quality Commission, General Medical Council
Secondary Sources – examples: CAB (Advice Guide), Shelter, Mind, FirstStop, ICIS Service Directory
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Healthwatch West Sussex Citizens Advice Bureau, Lower Tanbridge Way, Horsham, RH12 1PJ Tel 0300 012 0122 helpdesk@healthwatchwestsussex.co.uk www.healthwatchwestsussex.co.uk