Message from our Chair As we look forward to the year ahead, Sandwell’s health and social care services continue to face changes and some unique Welcome to Healthwatch Sandwell’s challenges, and we will endeavour to Annual Report for 2017-18. The last year has seen us continue to engage with ensure that your voice is being considered patients, carers and the public about the and listened to, and to support and bring health and social care issues that really forward these views when needed. Fellow matter to them. We have continued to Board members, staff and myself have been reach out to listen to people’s issues, active in addressing changes to oncology with extra efforts to reach the seldom (cancer) services at Sandwell and West heard, and produced real change through Birmingham Hospital Trust. This has been our investigations and reporting. an ongoing issue for several years and Healthwatch Sandwell has had an ongoing role in bringing forward the consumer Our staff have continued to be busy with voice; and a public consultation is currently public meetings, Enter and View visits, underway. We are pleased with efforts so responding to individual requests from far by NHS England and Sandwell and West patients, carers and families, publishing Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group several reports into services and getting out to engage with service users and their and about. One example of a report is that families, and we hope that all of the into the day hospice service at Rowley service providers respond positively to the Regis. Our staff and volunteers visited the results in formulating an offer that service and found an excellent facility, addresses these views. We will continue to whilst identifying minor improvements that play an active role in trying to see that this the palliative team have been able to happens. incorporate into their service. We have There are also challenges beyond continued our dialogue with the team and Sandwell’s borders that affect us. The Black are now exploring how we can work Country Sustainability and Transformation together to enable patients and their Partnership will have increasing influence experiences to play a greater role in on our services, and even though it has now improving services. been running for some years, it is still
Message from our Chair Welcome to Healthwatch Sandwell’s Annual Report for 2017-18. The last year has seen us continue to engage with patients, carers and the public about the health and social care issues that really matter to them. We have continued to reach out to listen to people’s issues, with extra efforts to reach the seldom heard, and produced real change through our investigations and reporting. Our staff have continued to be busy with public meetings, Enter and View visits, responding to individual requests from patients, carers and families, publishing several reports into services and getting out and about. One example of a report is that into the day hospice service at Rowley Regis. Our staff and volunteers visited the service and found an excellent facility, whilst identifying minor improvements that the palliative team have been able to incorporate into their service. We have continued our dialogue with the team and are now exploring how we can work together to enable patients and their experiences to play a greater role in improving services. As we look forward to the year ahead, Sandwell’s health and social care services continue to face changes and some unique challenges, and we will endeavour to ensure that your voice is being considered and listened to, and to support and bring forward these views when needed. Fellow Board members, staff and myself have been active in addressing changes to oncology (cancer) services at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital Trust. This has been an ongoing issue for several years and Healthwatch Sandwell has had an ongoing role in bringing forward the consumer voice; and a public consultation is currently underway. We are pleased with efforts so far by NHS England and Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group to engage with service users and their families, and we hope that all of the service providers respond positively to the results in formulating an offer that addresses these views. We will continue to play an active role in trying to see that this happens. There are also challenges beyond Sandwell’s borders that affect us. The Black Country Sustainability and Transformation Partnership will have increasing influence on our services, and even though it has now been running for some years, it is still
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