First Circle MSK Enter and View report
and
NHS Winter Communications evaluation
First Circle MSK Enter and View Report
Circle Health went live with the new musculoskeletal service on the 1st April. Healthwatch Greenwich visited their new community hub at Eltham Community Hospital on the morning of the 7th June.
During the visit we carried out an observation of the clinic and spoke to a number of patients waiting for appointments.
The feedback we received was generally very positive, and we made a number of recommendations for improvement, mostly with regards to the physical space.
Following the recent well publicised controversy, concerns over the change of provider for MSK services, and recommendations from Royal Borough of Greenwich's Healthier Communities and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Panel, Circle MSK commissioned Healthwatch Greenwich to work with them and ensure patient experience was gathered effectively and regularly to help shape the implementation and improve the experience of people using the service. This Enter and View visit was the first of a number of visits and focus groups we're carrying out over 2017/18.
Circle MSK Focus Group
On the 13th September we are holding the first of four focus groups for people who have used or been referred to the MSK services in the last six to twelve months.
Earlier this year, the six South East London Healthwatch (Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark) were asked to provide independent support to assist NHS London region with the evaluation of the effectiveness of the Transforming Primary Care Programme’s winter communications programme.
The communications programme was designed to help ensure people receive treatment and support at the places most appropriate to them, to ensure the NHS could meet the expected winter demand for services, and to reduce the pressure on A&E and urgent care services.
Over the course of six weeks, we spoke to 500 people across the six Boroughs. Some of the key findings included:
Only 30% of people had previously seen the NHS111 images (like the one above).
However, 78% of people had heard of NHS111, with 68% being aware of what it is for.
78% of people had not heard of the Health Help Now app and website, with the highest awareness amongst the 16 to 34 age bracket.
The vast majority of people kept up to date with information about health services through their GP practice, followed by local Healthwatch (of course!).
Perhaps most concerning for Greenwich, only 19% of people in the Borough had heard of the GP Access Hubs, where Greenwich residents can access out of hours GP appointments.
Due to a lack of baseline data, it was difficult to draw conclusions about the impact of the NHS winter communications programme, but there is clearly more work to be done to raise awareness of available services like NHS111 and the GP Access Hubs.
To download the full report, click the pink button.
Healthwatch Greenwich are periodically commissioned by providers and other organisations to support their work. In addition to our core contract, we have currently been commissioned by Circle MSK and the Royal Borough of Greenwich to provide additional support and engagement throughout 2017/18. This includes additional Enter and Views, surveys, and a number of targeted focus groups.
Our work is designed to better understand the patient and service user experience, and reflect that experience back to commissioners, decision makers and providers, with the sole intention of improving the quality of services and the patient and service user experience.
Healthwatch Greenwich is an independent organisation with no contractual obligation to deliver anything other than those objectives set out under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. All of our board meeting minutes, annual accounts, policies, procedures and governance mechanisms are either published on our website or available on request. Each project, whether carried out under our core contract or commissioned separately, will be clearly identified, published on our website and held to the same level of scrutiny and objectivity.
Every report we produce is sent to the relevant provider for comment, factual accuracy checks and a formal response. No provider, commissioner or elected member can veto our reports or recommendations.
What do you think of this email update. Do you prefer the shorter, more frequent emails, or would you prefer longer, less frequent ones? Is the content relevant or interesting to you?
We strive to communicate in a way that works for you.
NHS Winter Communications evaluation report 
