The world of health and social care has never been more confusing.
If you’ve received treatment recently, tried to arrange care for a loved one, or attempted to find answers to a health concern, this likely won’t come as news to you.
Successive governments unintentionally create havoc by not working collaboratively, and while many of the ideas they all come up with have their merits, due to the short-termism approach – “political” term of office being five years – they all want to make their mark within a limited period of time.
The consequences are that we, the folk who need to access services, find it very difficult to navigate and wade our way through the complexities of who provides what, why something can’t be provided, and why waiting lists can vary from condition to condition.
Our region is currently going through a huge period of transition, and over the coming months, I’ll be talking you through this fluctuating health landscape, exploring what it means for you and looking into some of the more pressing issues facing patients.
Healthwatch was established back in 2012/13.
It is the successor of what was started way back in the 1970s – Community Health Councils.
The aim of your local Healthwatch is to act as the independent champion for people who use health and social care services.
Its purpose is to ensure that the voices of residents, patients, and carers are heard and used to improve the planning, commissioning, and delivery of local services.
So how do we do this?
• We Gather Public Feedback: Collecting experiences—both good and bad—from local people regarding NHS services and social care.
• We Influence Decision-Makers: Presenting this feedback to health and social care leaders to make sure services are designed around the needs of the public.
• We Challenge Services and Promote Improvement: Acting as a “critical friend” to challenge, scrutinise, and review local care provision, ensuring high standards.
• We Provide Support to Vulnerable Groups: Paying special attention to groups whose voices are seldom heard, ensuring equitable access to healthcare.
• We Provide Information and Signpost: Helping people find reliable information, advice, and navigate the complex health and care systems.
• We Use Statutory Powers: Employing powers like “Enter and View” to visit health and social care services and observe their quality first-hand.
Ultimately, local Healthwatch aims to create a health and care system that works for everyone by putting user feedback at the heart of change.
And there’s a lot of change taking place right now.
When the current government came into power, it published its 10-Year Health Plan for the NHS (“Fit for the Future”).
The aim is to modernise the health service through three major shifts: moving care from hospitals to communities, transforming from analogue to digital, and encouraging us to change our lifestyles and look at preventing illness in the first place.
If achieved, it is hoped that patients will have better outcomes, improved access to digital technology, and more chances to be dealt with closer to home with localised services provided in the community.
Most of us use health services sporadically.
As a child, we are usually born in a hospital, may go back in at some point when we are young to have, for example, our tonsils removed, and perhaps go back in when we are adults with, for example, a broken leg.
As we grow older – and we live in an area with the oldest population in the country – our needs may increase as we succumb to a range of illnesses.
Whilst the current plan is trying to address our health needs, it does not necessarily cover our social care needs, which are provided by local councils working as collaboratively as possible with our local health services.
All of these services are managed by various bodies, who despite what people may think, do talk to each other.
And the staff they employ are all being profoundly impacted by the changes taking place.
In health, many people have opted for voluntary redundancy, and whilst the final details are being worked on, more staff will be made compulsorily redundant.
This is very unsettling for all involved, and we need to be mindful of the loss that happens every time such decisions are made.
And whilst all of this is going on, Norfolk is also going to be replacing two of its hospitals – The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, and the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston – a seismic logistic and operational challenge which also offers exciting new scope and opportunities for the future.
As the months progress, I’ll be letting you know about the decisions that are being made as they happen and keeping you updated on how your involvement can make a difference.
Should you wish to contact us directly, you can do so by accessing our website www.healthatchnorfolk.co.uk or by telephoning us on 01953 856029.