Feedback & Consultations

Why is the LINk is referring the NHS Wandsworth decision on the Battersea polyclinic hub to the Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee? 

 Wandsworth LINk has now sent Wandsworth Council its reasons for referring the recent NHS Wandsworth decision to create a split-site polyclinic hub for Battersea, to its health Overview and Scrutiny Committee for further analysis. 

Wandsworth LINk considers the new plan to be a substantial change from the previous one and should therefore be exposed to public consultation.  The split-site service will inconvenience patients, sometimes requiring attendances at both sites to deal with a single problem.  The availability of capital finance is being given as the recent for the change of plan.  There was a solution for this in 2008.  Is that solution not available today?  For the full reasons for referral please see attached note.  The Committee will be held in public at Wandsworth Town Hall at 7.30 pm on Tuesday 16th February.

Why are Wandsworth LINk referring the NHS Wandsworth Polyclinic decision to the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee

At its meeting on Monday evening, the Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee discussed a report on “Information for Choice” in the NHS. This report identified the various sources of information available to local residents who want to find out more about the quality of different local healthcare services in order to help them make a sensible choice about where they should go fro treatment. In an appendix to the report, Wandsworth LINk provided comments about some of the gaps in the information provided by NHS Wandsworth and the NHS Choices website about local services. These gaps were generally due to missing or misleading information. NHS Wandsworth, in its reply to the report, noted the issues and stated that most of the problems would be overcome when their new website was launched later this year.

To read LINk’s comments click here Informed Choice

2 reports and an important consultation are the main items of interest for Wandsworth people in the CQC November newsletter.We have already published information on the ratings the Commission gave our local healthcare suppliers in our piece dated 20th October.

GPs feature in both reports.

How did you get on with taking the pills after leaving hospital? Were you given enough help?

The first report looks at how well patients’ medication is managed after patients leave hospital. The CQC visited 12 primary care trusts (PCTs), and surveyed 280 of their GP practices.

During our visits, the CQC saw some evidence of good practice, but also found the following concerns:

* Information shared about patients moving between GPs and hospitals is often patchy, incomplete and not shared quickly enough
* GP patient records are not always updated by clinical staff
* Too few patients are offered discussions with their GP about managing their medication
* GPs are not consistently reporting medication incidents and errors, and PCTs are not always monitoring them.

Worries about out of hours services from GPs

On the basis of its work with five trusts, the CQC believes there might be a widespread problem with PCTs across the country not monitoring GP out-of-hours services closely enough.

It says PCTs must look at details like the quality of clinical decisions, the efficiency of call handling, the adequacy of staffing and doctors’ training in order to rigorously monitor performance.

The work was triggered by the tragic case of Mr David Gray, a patient treated by an out-of-hours locum doctor from Germany who died following the administration of 100mg of diamorphine.

The CQC’s enquiries continue.

The CQC Strategy Plan 2010-15

The CQC is asking for your views on how best it should be going about using its powers and resources to achieve the best possible for people in England. Find out how you can get involved here.

Wandsworth’s Carers’ Strategy

Back in July we posted an item telling you about the new Carers’ Strategy consultation being undertaken in Wandsworth.

There are some 19,000 carers living in Wandsworth and the new Carers’ Strategy will cover how the statutory and voluntary agencies will help carers over the next 5 years.

At that time, Wandsworth LINk welcomed the initiative of the Adults Services Department to begin a dialogue about how to extend involvement and engagement of service users and is keen to work in partnership to implement the proposals. We fully support of the values and philosophy underpinning the Adult Services User Engagement and Involvement Strategy.

Our Response

We have now published our response to the Strategy and you can see it in the Resources Section of the website as the LINk Response to Consultation on Wandsworth’s Carers’ Strategy (PDF). Our response is based on the content of the Strategy and Action Plan documentation, the views expressed by 25 people who attended the two consultation meetings and anecdotal evidence from carers who have approached LINk. Thank you to all those who contributed.

LINk’s focus is on services for adults so comments are not offered about services to children and young people.

LINk recommendations for priority action

Ownership of the Strategy

The strategy is clearly a collaborative project across health and social care agencies. It would be further strengthened if ownership could be extended across all health and care commissioners and providers within the Borough.

Carer Participation

It is appreciated that this strategy was developed with the participation and involvement of carers looking after people from different user groups as well as young carers. Implementation will be strengthened with the development of specific good practice guidelines for involving an even wider range of carers, especially reaching those who need support with financial and practical problems of finding alternative care for their service user in order to participate.

From discussions about the consultation process, it emerged that Wandsworth does not currently have a data base of all carers who have received a carers’ assessment not is there a way of identifying carers via records on service users. It seems that more work could be done to identify and communicate with carers who may be unaware of what is available, even before work is done to identify carers not currently involved with services.

Information

Establish and publicize a multi-lingual help line specifically dedicated to supporting carers with an option for carers to be referred for an individual discussion.

Quality personalized care

Adopt and implement a policy whereby carers are always consulted and listened to

1. in the assessment and review of individual care
2. where services are planned to be changed or closed

Recognition and Respect

Provide carer-led training and involvement in recruitment for relevant professionals to ensure that they fully understand the vital role played by carers as partners in care and their entitlement to be involved and to have a carers’ assessment.

Good Communication

Establish a data base of carers in Wandsworth, inform them of their rights and entitlements and consult them about developments that may affect their lives.

Quality Breaks

Extend and publicize readily accessible affordable high quality respite care, including emergency respite and respite using the Crossroads model.

Health and well being

Extend and publicize counselling, support group and recreational services for carers, including provision at evenings and weekends taking into account the need of carers to find/pay for alternative care for their service user.

Economic well being

Ensure that the Carers’ Help Line can provide relevant benefits advice, debt counseling and information about employment entitlements.

NHS Wandsworth is running some diabetes focus groups in September/ October to give patients an opportunity to have their say about the diabetes services and to inform and influence future service planning.  Come along and be asked about:

1) Access:

Did you get the right information? How was the service delivered?  What was your experience of the GP service and of hospitals? Could you get to the clinic easily?

2) Attitudes of the Staff you meet – doctors, nurses, reception staff

How would you describe their dealings with staff? What effect did your relations with staff affect the service you got and what suggestions do you have to improve things?

3) Pathway of Care:

What does this mean to you? Has this approach to care improved things for you?

Anything else on your mind? Bring it up at one of the meetings. Check with the group organiser that your views will be treated in confidence and not associated with you or any other individuals in any report.

The Meetings

They will be about 2 hours long and about 6-8 people are expected at each. Snacks will be provided and travel expenses will be reimbursed.

The dates, places and times are:

1. 15th September – Balham Park Surgery – 2-4pm

2. 16th September – Queen Mary’s Hospital in the Richmond Room – 1-3pm

3. 21st September – Balham Park Surgery – 10am to 12noon

4. 22nd September – Doddington Health Centre – 10am to 12noon

5. 24th September – Doddington Health Centre – 10am to 12noon

6. 9th October – Queen Mary’s Hospital in the Barnes Room – 10.30am to 12.30pm

Sign up by contacting Sue Fleming on 020 8812 7946

Following a presentation and discussion at the LINk Executive meeting on 8 June and a joint public meeting organised by the LINk and the Furzedown project on 27th July, the LINk has now published its response to the Wandsworth NHS consultation. You can read the consultation documents on NHS Wandsworth’s website.

The LINk’s response comments on the consultation process itself and responds to the issues raised in the consultation document.  Download the response from Wandsworth LINk to the Consultations with Wandsworth NHS on Improving Health (Word 50Kb).

NHS Wandsworth is currently reviewing Adult Community Nursing Services, including District Nursing, Community Matrons and Specialist Nursing Services (Diabetes Nurses, Heart Failure Nurses, Leg Ulcer Nurses, and Respiratory Nurses)

If you have received any of these services or are a carer of someone who has received these services, NHS Wandsworth would like to hear from you!

Please take the time to complete this short questionnaire and return it to NHS Wandsworth (not the LINk office).

• View the Service User Survey, July 2009 (opens in Microsoft Word, 127Kb)
  (Either click the link above, or right click and select ‘Save As’ to save it on your computer)
• or view the survey in PDF format

Please return completed surveys by Friday 28th August to:

Suzanne Lawler
Long Term Conditions Commissioning Manager

By email: suzanne.lawler@wpct.nhs.uk
By post:

Wandsworth PCT HQ
3rd Floor, Wimbledon Bridge House
Hartfield Road
London
SW19 3RU

The Members of the Primary Health and Social Care Sub Group would like to hear comments and get views from anyone who has attended one of the South Wandsworth Health Consultation meetings recently.

Did you think the main questions were put over clearly? Did they address the main issues? Did you manage to have your say? Do you think you were listened to?

Even if you put your own points directly to the NHS Wandsworth at the time, the LINk is here to take the representations made by individuals and use them to strengthen our submission to NHS Wandsworth on this important development in health services.

Susan Wheeler-Kiley at the LINk Host Office will pass what you say to us on the sub-group.

She can be reached at the usual address:

Wandsworth Care Alliance, Bedford House, 215 Balham High Road, Balham SW17 7BQ.

Phone: 020 8682 7263.
e-mail: freechoice@wandcareall.org.uk

or just leave us a comment by clicking on the blue comment link at the top of the news item and Susan will see this.

.

In this edition of their newsletter, the CQC announces the publication of its Voices Into Action manifesto – their commitment to giving people a bigger say in how health and social care services can be improved. They consulted widely when putting it together and have given good feedback (in line with one of their Voices in Action commitments) on the action they took. telling us for example that the title of the document was changed as a result of feedback at events. The section on governance was clarified and decisions made about which advisory groups the CQC was going to have initially.

The full report of the consultation is available via their news release.

Looking for independent committee members

The Commission is looking for independent members to serve on its Audit and Risk Committee and you can see how to apply here.

You can sign up for the CQC newsletter online.

Wandsworth LINk and the Furzedown Project are jointly arranging a meeting as part of the current NHS Wandsworth Consultations about GP Services, the future of Primary Health Care, and the setting up of Polyclinics in the South Wandsworth area.

Come and discuss these issues on Monday 27th July 2009 at Mitcham Lane Baptist Church, 230 Mitcham Lane, London, SW16 6NT at 6.00 to 7.30pm

Your views are being sought on the plans being presented by the local NHS, and we would like to invite you to come along to the above meeting and participate in the consultation. Refreshments will be available at the meeting and the venue is fully accessible.

Are your GP services especially important for you?

If your local GP services are especially important to you, for example, if you have a long term health condition, or disabilities, or care for someone, then we would like particularly for you to be at the meeting and have your say.

Plans to be presented

There will be presentations from Dr. Seth Rankin, a GP from Wandsworth Medical Centre, and Di Caulfeild-Stoker, Chief Operating Officer of Community Services, Wandsworth, on the plans for the development of services, followed by time for questions and comments from the audience.

This consultation by NHS Wandsworth is part of the shaping of local health services in London over the next 10 years, and the full documents and survey of your views will be available at the meeting. You can also find the information on www.wandsworth.nhs.uk and click on to ‘Improving Health in South Wandsworth’, or you can request a copy prior to the meeting by contacting the Wandsworth Care Alliance office – details below.

Please let us know if you can be there on the 27th and help influence an improved health service in your area for the future.

Please also let us know whether you have any support or transport needs.

Please reply to: Susan Wheeler-Kiley, Wandsworth Care Alliance, Bedford House, 215 Balham High Road, Balham SW17 7BQ. Phone: 020 8682 7263.
e-mail: freechoice@wandcareall.org.uk