Agenda item

11:10

The attached regular report (HWO6) from Professor George Smith, Chairman of Healthwatch Oxfordshire (HWO) and Rosalind Pearce, Executive Director updates the Committee on the activities of HWO since the last meeting and gives the views from residents/patients on particular issues. The report itself is that which was presented to the Oxfordshire Health & Wellbeing Board on 9 November. Professor Smith and Rosalind Pearce will give an oral report on matters pertinent to this Committee which have arisen since the last report to this Committee.

The Committee welcomed Rosalind Pearce, Chief Executive Officer, Healthwatch Oxfordshire (HWO) to present the regular update of issues/activities since the last meeting (JHO5). She offered her Chairman, Professor Smith’s apologies as he had been delayed. Rosalind Pearce highlighted the following:

·         There would be a stall on Stroke Awareness at Thame Market on 28 November. She reported that despite the usual practice of working with HWO Buckinghamshire, unfortunately they would be unable to join in on this occasion. Cllr Champken - Woods thanked her for arranging this as it was at the request of the Committee. She added that a stall was also planned in a town in the Vale of White Horse area in April next year;

·         A key recommendation coming out of the recent Forum meeting was that the Oxfordshire Health & Wellbeing Board (HWB) needed to have better ways of engaging with the voluntary sector. Dr McWilliam responded that this had been taken on board and a review of HWB Board governance was taking place. This matter would be on the HWB Agenda for the next Board meeting on 22 March 2018;

·         HWO would be facilitating a meeting to establish a project fund in January 2018 to enable research on Health Inequalities.

Questions and responses received from the Committee were as follows:

-       In response to a question about whether issues had been raised with HWO about the restricting of day services, Rosalind Pearce stated that people had contacted HWO post change. Many were unhappy that they were unable to access services that they would have to travel further to. Age UK had been doing a significant amount of work in the community with the people affected, as had HWO following their concern about social isolation amongst older people. She added that HWO was planning to try to understand the longer-term impact of this and then to embark on a piece of work starting in September 2018, for report in February 2019;

-       Rosalind Pearce was asked if there had been any work done by HWO on waiting times for GP practices, as this tended to increase numbers attending Accident & Emergency departments. She stated that HWO had found that people were not happy if people had to wait for longer than one week and there was significant dissatisfaction after two weeks. It was the view of HWO that there was a need to re-educate the public in order to change the way they booked appointments. For example, to encourage them to book a further appointment on their way out from an appointment, if appropriate, or to encourage them to see an alternative doctor sooner rather than later with their preferred one. Nowadays patients could see the practice nurse or the local pharmacist depending on the problem. She added also that now there was a GP service operating in the acute hospital;

-       In response to a question about what HWO planned to tackle next, she stated that HWO had a rolling annual plan in place. She added that HWO tried to state what they had heard from patients and the public and action taken by HWO as a result, together with any action implemented by an organisation as a consequence. This assisted in HWO gaining a better feel of its impact and the difference made;

-       Rosalind Pearce confirmed that HWO would accept anonymous accounts from the public, often of their experiences of the administration of services, not generally on the delivery of care. Ideally, this would come from the patients themselves, as the patients’ story was the most powerful voice. She added that often people did not understand that HWO was an independent body and felt there needed to be a way of disseminating an understanding that what they had to say would not affect their care in any other way but a positive one;

-       Rosalind Pearce was asked how could HWO engage in the reduction of poverty and in raising wages? She responded that whilst HWO was pleased that Oxfordshire was looking at and tackling health inequality issues, it had not been engaged in a campaign to reduce poverty as it was outside its remit of listening about existing services. However, HWO had recently appointed a project officer with a public health background who could assist with demand management. For example, HWO would be looking at the 111 service and its impact in a bid to understand the alternative ways to help people in providing their own support;

-       In response to a question to Rosalind Pearce about whether HWO had a policy on home visits to patients by GPs, Paul Roblin, Local Medical Council, who was in the public gallery, informed the Committee that it was inappropriate to have a policy as each individual practice and GP had to make an assessment as to what was required. Over time there had been a move away from routine visiting. It was the best option if the patient could attend the surgery to access not only the GP but the equipment and support staff, but if not, the patients and triaging staff needed to use their own judgement on when a home visit was necessary. A member put forward the view of a Chipping Norton PPG which expounded the benefits of connecting people and letting them know what was the usual practice used by the surgery, via its website. He encouraged all GP forums to be much more active in a similar manner. He believed that HWO could apply some leverage on PPGs; and

-       A member asked Rosalind Pearce for a view by HWO of the need to pre-book a place at a workshop on future planning of primary care in Witney and its surroundings, which had resulted in a feeling of exclusion. She responded that she understood it was due to the size of the venue.

The Committee thanked Rosalind Pearce for the report and for her attendance. It was AGREED to note the report.