Welcome to our February newsletter
This month our newsletter includes:
|
|
|
On the brink of retiring from East Sussex Community Voice (ESCV) in March 2023, John Routledge our outgoing Executive Director shared the following message:
|
|
|
"I would like to say how much I have enjoyed my time at ESCV and Healthwatch East Sussex over the past five to six years and what a huge debt of gratitude I owe to the ESCV staff, board members and volunteers in supporting me over this time.
|
|
|
I would also like to thank all the partners I have worked with from the public and voluntary sectors, without you I would not have been able to play my part in making positive changes to public engagement in health, care and other services that Healthwatch [ESCV] has helped achieve over the past few years."
Last week, Veronica Kirwan started with ESCV as our new Executive Director and commented:
|
|
"I would like to introduce myself as the new Executive Director, I’m delighted to be joining ESCV and to be working with the team of committed staff, volunteers and partners to continue the excellent work already underway to engage the local community in the design and delivery of services. I look forward to meeting many of you over the coming weeks.
I would also like to thank John and the team for their warm welcome in my first week."
|
|
|
Healthwatch Poll: Where would you go for advice about care for you or a family member?
This month we are looking to hear more about people’s experiences of getting information about finding care or support with care for themselves or a loved one. Where would you go?
To share your experience with us please take our one question poll below.
We’ll share the results in our next newsletter.
|
|
|
Healthwatch in Sussex: Access to GP appointments across Sussex – public opinion
Healthwatch in Sussex finds 56% of people have chosen not to make a GP appointment despite having a need.
|
|
|
A survey of 851 people from across Sussex undertaken in December 2022 by the three Sussex Healthwatch, found that 56.3% of people had delayed making a GP appointment following the COVID crisis.
The research also found:
- When controlling for the influence of other factors (gender, ethnicity, etc), people with disabilities and younger people were more likely to have ever delayed an appointment with a GP since the pandemic.
- Those reporting a mental health condition had increased from 17.9% in 2020 (among those reporting a disability) to 28.7% in 2022.
- Around 1 in 6 people objected to all remote options and preferred exclusively face-to-face appointments with GPs.
- Online booking (for example through Patient Access or the NHS App) is not always available or preferred even if people have the necessary digital skills.
- Differences by age were a consistent theme in the data. Older people were less likely to use an online booking system, less likely to prefer remote appointments, and saw less importance to being able to book a phone and/or video appointment via an online booking method.
The report findings, conclusions and recommendations are being shared with local health and care decision-makers to help raise awareness of patient and public preferences and inform the provision of services.
|
|
One-stop cardiology service opened at Bexhill Community Diagnostic Centre.
A one-stop cardiology service is now ‘live’ at Bexhill Community Diagnostic Centre.
The service provides the full range of support for patients needing cardiology diagnostics and outpatient care, including echo-electrocardiogram (ECG), fitting of wearable blood pressure monitors and consultant appointments.
|
|
|
This new centre in Bexhill is purpose-built and is a brand new state of the art centre.
For more information, click here.
|
|
The Integrated Care System in Sussex sets out its strategic and operational priorities
Improving Lives Together sets out the ambition across health and care services in Sussex over the next five years.
|
|
|
Its aim is to improve the lives of local people by supporting them to live healthier for longer and making sure they have access to the best possible services when they need them.
Partners across health and care have agreed three key areas for change that will bring about the greatest benefit to local people:
- Building integrated community teams and local partnerships across Brighton & Hove, East Sussex and West Sussex – to allow services and organisations to work in a joined-up way to better meet the needs of each local community.
- Growing and supporting our Sussex health and care workforce – to attract more people to work in health and care, as well as supporting and developing the skills or careers of our existing staff.
- Improving the use of digital technology and information – to help join-up our services and enable people to access advice or care more easily.
|
|
Healthwatch East Sussex - Impacts of the rising cost-of-living on health and wellbeing Survey
|
|
|
Healthwatch East Sussex is working to gather the latest insight into people’s experiences of the rising cost of living, including any direct impacts on your day-to-day life and changes in your behaviour.
We want to hear from anyone who has or is being affected by these changes, especially where they impact on your wellbeing, including the use of health and care services.
Have you been impacted? Have you changed your behaviour?
Your feedback will help us tell decision-makers how things currently are for local people.
Please spend 10 minutes to complete our short survey so that we can hear how things are for you.
|
|
Finding an NHS dentist near you?
At Healthwatch one of our most regular enquiries is from people trying to find a dentist accepting new NHS patients.
|
|
|
|
One issue for many people has been that the NHS ‘Find a Dentist’ website has not been a particularly user-friendly platform.
The ‘Find a Dentist’ website has now been updated, allowing you to see dental practices in specific locations and those near where you live.
Listings should now make clear in a visible way whether practices are accepting new NHS patients and any identify restrictions that apply e.g. children (under 18), but not adults.
Please be aware that information changes regularly, and the website might not keep pace. Therefore, we suggest anyone looking for a new NHS dentist contacts practices in the first instance.
|
|
Need support with ongoing symptoms of COVID-19 or long COVID?
Whilst most people who have had a COVID-19 infection feel better within a few days or weeks of their first symptoms, for others this can last longer.
|
|
|
Anyone whose symptoms last more than 4 weeks may be described as having ‘long COVID’.
Symptoms may include but are not limited to:
- Extreme tiredness
- Shortness of breath
- Muscle ache/joint ache
- Difficulty concentrating
- Loss of smell or taste
- Headache
- Trouble sleeping
- Worry/Anxiety
- Fast heart rate
Getting support for long COVID
If you are experiencing ongoing symptoms then further information and advice can be found at the NHS ‘Your COVID recovery’ webpage.
If you have new or worsening symptoms following a COVID-19 infection, especially for if they are present for 4 weeks or longer then contact your GP surgery. They will assess you and provide support that is best for you – this may include a referral to the Post COVID Assessment and Support Service (PCASS).
You do not need to have had a positive COVID-test result to get help.
|
|
|
|
