Online event – Crohn’s & Colitis UK

Online event – Crohn’s & Colitis UK

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Join us on Friday 14 June at 1pm to hear from Ben Rutter and Jess Turner of Crohn’s & Colitis UK. They will talk about Crohn’s and Colitis, and the support available for people living or working with these conditions.

They will cover topics including recent campaigns, policy and research and will also share results from the recent Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) UK local reports in the North East.

This session is suitable for people who live or work in Northumberland and are living with or supporting someone with Crohn’s or Colitis. There will be a chance to ask questions after the presentation.

This event has now passed – watch the recording on YouTube.

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Have your say on the NHS Constitution

Have your say on the NHS Constitution

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The Government has launched a consultation on the NHS Constitution, which sets out your rights as an NHS patient. It also includes the commitments the NHS aims to achieve so you get high quality care.

The Government is planning to make several changes to the NHS Constitution. You can tell the Government what you think about the proposals, as well as any other changes you think should be made.

What is the NHS Constitution?

The NHS Constitution outlines the founding values of the NHS and details the rights, commitments, and obligations of patients and staff, as well as their roles in ensuring the NHS works effectively.

The NHS Constitution plays a vital role in helping the NHS set the right culture and focus on what matters most to the public. It also tells you about your rights. For example, if a GP needs to refer you for a physical or mental health condition, in most cases, you have the legal right to choose the hospital or service you’d like to go to.

What is the consultation about?

The Government must update the Constitution via a public consultation every ten years to reflect what people value most when it comes to their health and social care services. The Government is planning to make several changes to the NHS Constitution. For example, they want to introduce a new right for patients and their loved ones to be able to request a second opinion when a hospital patient’s condition deteriorates.

The Government wants to hear your views about their proposals, as well as other changes you think should be made.

What are the proposals?

The proposals include:

Getting a second opinion: Changes that would empower patients and their families to ask for a second opinion on treatment if their condition or the condition of their loved one deteriorates. The rule would see more power put in the hands of patients.

Carer rights: A new right to involve unpaid carers as early as possible when a patient is discharged.

Patient communication: A commitment to ensuring the NHS communicates information about appointments in a clear and timely way to help patients meet their responsibility to keep or cancel appointments.

Health inequalities: A plan to strengthen the NHS focus on health inequalities by committing services to work with partners to understand the needs of their local communities.

Why is the consultation important?

We should all expect high standards of care, whether for emergency care, a dentist appointment, or a check-up with a GP. However, many people don’t know their rights under the Constitution. The consultation is your opportunity to learn more, tell the Government what you think about their proposals, and say if they should make other changes.

 

Have your say on the NHS Constitution: 10 year review

The consultation is now closed.

Harbottle update

Harbottle update

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Harbottle mobile health unit proposal

We recently helped Northumbria Primary Care, working with North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, to hear what local people think of the proposal to move the GP/nurse clinic, which is currently provided from Harbottle Village Hall, into a mobile healthcare unit. A  survey was designed by Northumbria Primary Care, and distributed to patients of The Rothbury Practice, other local residents plus the local councillor, parish council and also more widely. Several meetings and drop-in sessions gave people the chance to ask questions and feed back on the proposal. The results of this can be found in our engagement report. North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board will make the final decision on whether the proposal will go ahead.

 

Harbottle mobile health unit proposal engagement report

Online event – Sorted

Online event – Sorted

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Online event – Sorted

Join us on Friday 10 May, 1pm-2pm, to hear from Helena Swarbrook from Sorted (Northumberland’s Substance Misuse Service for young people).

Helena will talk to us about substance misuse, general substance awareness, harm reduction and the first steps in making changes. She will also outline the information, advice and support provided by Sorted across Northumberland for under 18s.

There will be a chance to ask questions after the presentation.

This session is suitable for anyone concerned about their own or a loved one’s drugs misuse or professionals supporting people where drugs may be a concern.

This event has now passed – watch the recording on our YouTube channel.

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Water fluoridation plans

Water fluoridation plans

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There are plans to extend water fluoridation in the North East to help tackle preventable tooth decay.

Tooth decay is the most common oral disease affecting children and young people, causing pain and distress, preventable hospital admissions, sleepless nights and missed days from school. Ensuring drinking water contains the recommended level of fluoride is an effective way to help prevent tooth decay.

Some areas of the North East already have tap water which contains fluoride at these recommended levels and this has been very effective at reducing dental decay for the population living in these areas. In Northumberland, around 101,000 people are already supplied with artificially fluoridated water.

In the East and North of the county, fluoridated communities include Alnwick, Alnmouth, Howick, Embleton, High Newton by the Sea and Seahouses. In the West of the county, fluoridated communities include Haltwhistle, Henshaw, Haydon Bridge, Corbridge, Heddon on the Wall and Prudhoe. These fluoridation schemes have been in place since 1968.

The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) would like to hear your views on expanding water fluoridation in the North East, including those areas of Northumberland without fluoridation.

This consultation is now closed.

 

 

Your feedback March 2024

Your feedback March 2024

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Health and social care feedback Northumberland March 2024

In March the top issues we heard about were difficulties getting an appointment with a GP or a dentist, and the distance to travel to hospital appointments. Like the previous month we had a lot of positive comments about the quality of care received in hospitals. For the first time since we started providing these monthly reports, we also had a handful of positive comments about getting an appointment at a GP surgery in a reasonable timescale

What did we get up to?

We held our Here to Hear drop-in sessions in Bedlington, Alnwick and Morpeth and also attended the Prudhoe Health and Wellbeing event, Northumberland Parent Carers’ Forum Annual Conference, Vision Northumberland’s technology event and the Locality Coordinator’s event at Dalton Village Hall. Our online talk was delivered by Harrogate and District Foundation Trust on the Growing Healthy Northumberland 0-19 service.

Find out more in our March 2024 feedback report

What you told us February 2024

What you told us February 2024

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Health and social care feedback Northumberland February 2024

In February there were three main areas of concern, with roughly equal amounts of feedback about difficulty getting an appointment with a GP or a dentist, and the distance to travel and lengthy waiting lists to be seen at hospitals.

There were also a good proportion of positive comments about the good standards of care received from GPs and hospitals.

What did we get up to?

In addition to our usual Here to Hear sessions, we did a number of one-off sessions across the county.Some of these were to support our health visiting services project and we heard from parents and carers at Bellingham Family Hub and Haltwhistle Hub. Other sessions were an opportunity for us to join existing events, such as the CarersNorthumberland group meeting, the Thriving Together network event in Berwick and the Longhoughton Health and Wellbeing event.

We also were commissioned to hear from the residents of Coquetdale about potential changes to primary care services including the use of a mobile health unit.

We held two online sessions this month, from the British Liver Trust and Coping with Cancer. The Coping with Cancer talk was rescheduled from January when we experienced technical issues. The cancer event was very well attended, with more guests than had signed up for the original session.

Find out more in our February 2024 feedback report

 

Tell us what you think!

Tell us what you think!

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Healthwatch Northumberland Annual Survey 2024

Every year we ask you to rate the NHS and social care services you and your family have used, in our short annual survey. Your answers help us to see how satisfied people living in Northumberland are with their experiences of care over the last 12 months, and if people are more, or less happy with services compared to previous years.

We’d also like your thoughts on where we should focus our work in the coming year. In previous years we’ve asked the open question, ‘Which services do you want us to focus on?’ This year we’re asking you to choose two from a list of services we hear about regularly, that you’d like us to focus on. We haven’t included GPs, dentists and mental health services as we know these will stay a priority for at least the coming 12 months and we will continue to focus on these services.

The services we’d like you to choose from are:

  • Audiology
  • Support coming out of hospital (hospital discharge services)
  • Pharmacies/Pharmacy First scheme
  • Care in the home
  • Physiotherapy
  • Issues affecting carers
  • Hospital services

Thank you for telling us your thoughts. Together we can make a difference to local health and care services.

This survey is now closed. Please get in touch if you would like to leave feedback about a health or social care service.

Caring for carers: Debra’s story

Caring for carers: Debra’s story

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Debra Blakey is the Chief Executive Officer of Carers Northumberland and one of our organisational board members. Debra has been on the board for six years, providing invaluable experience and insight. Debra spoke to us about the work of Carers Northumberland and the important relationship with Healthwatch Northumberland.

Debra says “Carers Northumberland is a charity that aims to improve the lives of unpaid carers in the county. We support unpaid carers of all ages, including adult carers of adults, young carers (aged under 18 years) and parent carers (caring for someone who is under 18 years with additional needs). Unpaid carers sometimes don’t see themselves as carers, as they are often a husband, wife, mother, father, brother, sister, neighbour, or friend, but they are providing vital support to someone who would struggle to manage without their help.

We offer advice, information and support to our 7000+ registered carers. We do this in a variety of ways, including via our telephone information line, carer groups, workshops and training, benefits and financial support, grants to enable carers to take a break from caring, support to navigate social care and health provision, plus trips, events, and activities.

I have worked for Carers Northumberland since 2008 (almost as long as it’s been going!) when I joined as an Administration Officer, and I’ve been in the role of Chief Executive Officer since 2018. I have a degree in Criminology and worked in both private organisations and for Northumbria Police before starting in the voluntary sector at Carers Northumberland. I am passionate about making a difference to people’s lives and having worked for a charity for over 15 years I couldn’t see myself working in any other type of organisation now.

I enjoy reading, going out to eat, and love visiting new places. I’m also a keen runner (well I run so that I can enjoy eating cake) and I believe in the benefits of exercise for mental wellbeing. I actually think I enjoy how good I feel about myself after a run more than the actual run itself.

Probably the achievement I am most proud of is securing funding to pilot a Young Carer Support Service to run alongside our existing service for adult carers.  We launched the service in 2020 during a global pandemic, but it has gone from strength to strength, and we are now working very closely with schools in the county to raise awareness of young carers in education to encourage early identification and provide tailored support.

Carers Northumberland has been an organisational board member of Healthwatch Northumberland since its inception, which highlights how valuable our relationship is. Both organisations are striving to improve the health and social care landscape for service users, patients and their families and carers and we have collaborated on several major pieces of work over the past ten years. Being able to feed the views of carers into Healthwatch Northumberland ensures that the carer voice is heard by key decision-makers in the county is invaluable.“

Carers Northumberland supports all carers of all ages and can be contacted by telephone: 01670 320025, email: info@carersnorthumberland.org.uk or visit the website.

Online event – Health Trainers

Online event – Health Trainers

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At our next online lunchtime event on Friday 12 April, 1pm-2pm, you can hear from local Health Trainers Jack and Kirsty.

They will give an outline of what support is on offer to help to improve and maintain health and wellbeing, plus details of 1:1 clinics, healthy lifestyle programmes, Weigh & Go programmes, health checks, Health Walks and more.

They will also share some top tips for keeping well and there will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the session.

This session is free to attend and open to anyone who lives or works in Northumberland.

This event has now passed – watch the recording

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