How can Healthwatch Westminster make a difference? Our priorities for 2022-23
Here's a snapshot of what Healthwatch Westminster will be working on over the coming months.
Re-ablement services: Meeting with commissioners to better understand what the re-ablement service is commissioned to offer, and what feedback has been received about the service.
Establishing how we can engage with service users and carers to report on their experiences.
A&E/urgent care: Working with commissioners to ensure Healthwatch Westminster is embedded in the planning and evaluation of access to same-day emergency care services in the bi-borough, with a particular focus on Westminster.
Ambulance services: Working with the system to understand how the ambulance service contract is monitored, what the areas of concern are, and understand their patient engagement.
Podiatry: Addressing challenges accessing podiatry, chiropody and nail care by working with the service to include patients and the public in their transformation process.
Access to talking therapy: Working with commissioners and mental health engagement networks to understand what is known about talking therapies, and agree how we can bring additional insight to support improvements.
In addition to these priority areas, we will work in partnership with Healthwatch Kensington & Chelsea to address issues that affect patients across the bi-borough:
- Mental health: Impact of changes to the Gordon Hospital
We are undertaking Enter & View visits to inpatient wards St Charles Hospital to understand whether the service offers culturally appropriate support, that there is parity of therapeutic activity across the wards, and the impact on carers visiting their cared for person. We will also be doing the visits with Healthwatch Brent who will be visiting Park Royal Hospital, with the same objectives. Visits will be in November 2022.
- Learning Disability
Our host organisation The Advisory Group wants to ensure we investigate the experiences of people with a learning disability using health and social care services. The Advocacy Project delivers a health equality service with people with learning disabilities in the bi-borough, and so we are working with them to understand which services they have heard are working well and where there are challenges.
