Welcome to the Healthwatch Lancashire monthly newsletter.
Winter is well and truly here but that isn't stopping our team from getting stuck in with various events in Lancashire and visiting healthcare organisations across the county. Here is everything we got up to this month👇
Our Engagement: St John's Hospice, Lancaster
This month, Sue headed to St John’s Hospice in Lancaster where she spoke with 17 people who were visiting loved ones and/or calling in for coffee or lunch at the Courtyard Café as well as raising awareness of Healthwatch and our role in helping shape future services.
At this event, the main issues that people raised were appointment bookings and waiting room conditions.
You can read more about this event below.
We Want Your Feedback
As we approach the end of the year we would really appreciate some feedback on how you truly believe Healthwatch Lancashire is doing.
We've sent up a short, anonymous questionnaire on our website which will allow you to share your thoughts and how you think we can improve our work across Lancashire.
Our Enter and View at Whittle Surgery
Recently, Healthwatch Lancashire visited Whittle Surgery in Chorley.
An enter-and-view is when our team visits a healthcare setting and evaluates it by talking with patients and staff, producing a report with any necessary recommendations.
At Whittle Surgery, our team talked to 10 patients, and 17 members of staff about how they feel about using the surgery and working at the surgery.
One patient told us that they had received a text message from the surgery asking them to call to make an appointment. They called the surgery and got straight through and received an appointment the same morning.
Another patient commented on the use of the online triage system. They explained that they found it difficult to use, which meant they called the surgery and did the triage with a member of staff.
“I have tried the online triage but can’t get my head around it so I just called the surgery, and they did the form for me.”
Healthwatch Lancashire made several recommendations to Whittle Surgery to improve things like appointment booking and continuity of care.
You can read the full report below.
Thank you.
We want to thank every one of you who took the time to complete our Disability Voices survey.
We had over 100 responses and each one will help inform critical recommendations for health and social care services across Lancashire to better suit your needs.
Where Are We in December 2024?
Although Christmas is calling, our team will still be doing their best to get out and about in the local community this December! Come see us and share your views on health & social care in Lancashire👋
Discover our December calendar.
"Every voice counts when it comes to shaping the future of services and improving them"
Share your experiences of accessing local health and care services by visiting our online Feedback Centre.
Thanks for reading, see you in November!
From everyone at Healthwatch Lancashire, we hope you have a happy and healthy month.