Agenda item

10:10

Rachel Coney, Director of Healthwatch Oxfordshire and Dermot Roaf, Vice - Chair of the Board will give an update on recent projects (JHO5).

Dermot Roaf, Deputy Chair of Healthwatch Oxfordshire (HWO) and Rachel Coney, Chief Executive, presented a report on their recent projects and findings (JHO5).

With regard to paragraph 2.2(c), they reported that, to date, 210 members of the public had completed a survey online, 80 face to face interviews had taken place, and 60 GPs, 26 pharmacists and 28 care providers had responded to professionally specific questionnaires.

With regard to paragraph 2.3 - Lay involvement in decision making – PIN representatives had been interviewed in time for the forthcoming Children’s Trust Board meeting.

With regard to paragraph 2.5 – Events – the countywide Hearsay! event had been arranged to take place on 20 June at the King’s Centre. They agreed to ensure that all members receive details of the events with times and locations.

The Committee noted that there had been no safeguarding issues arising from their discharge from hospital project and that HWO would be working with care providers in relation to their dignity of care project later on in the year.

Rachel Coney, when asked about HWO’s view concerning the proposed closure of the kitchen at the John Radcliffe Hospital, commented that they had not yet formed an opinion. She added that HWO may choose to add it to a range of possible issues to be included in their work programme. The Chairman also reported that the issue had already been brought to the Committee’s attention and information had been duly sought. Moreover, that although the Agenda for this meeting had been very full, the issue could be included on the Agenda for the next meeting should a request to do so be made.

Rachel Coney was asked if the County Council was contributing helpfully to their requests for information. She responded that HWO had been very pleased with the calibre of partnership working with all their partners and this aspect was monitored on a daily basis.

In response to a question about how HWO had been working with the six locality GP Forums, they reported that the Forum Chairs had agreed that HWO would provide them with administrative and marketing support for their patient and public involvement work, beginning initially with the West Oxfordshire Forum. If this arrangement was found to work well, it would be rolled out to the other 5 forums. They reported a concern of the PPG Forum Chairs, which had been escalated to NHS England, which concerned a perceived lack of monitoring of the self- declaration required in the new GP contract for GP practices to self-declare whether they operated an effective Practice Participation Group.

With regard to a question about HWO’s concerns raised with the Care Quality Commission about the quality of inspections carried out at Campsfield House, they reported that Healthwatch England had written giving their assurances that their concerns had been passed on. This would be take place once evidence had been gathered to assure themselves that all the relevant detail was to hand.

It was AGREED to note the report and to thank Dermot Roaf and Rachel Coney for their attendance.