What you told us: Jul – Sep 2021

What you told us: Jul – Sep 2021

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Between July and September 2021, we received feedback from 85 individuals from talking to people at face-to-face engagement events, telephone calls, emails, our website, social media, and other sources.

We signposted 35 of these people to services.

Read below to find out who we heard from this quarter, what people told us and whether their experiences of NHS and social care were positive or negative. We also outline what is working well for the people of Northumberland across care services and where there are areas for improvement.

What you told us: July to September 2021

Carers Rights Day 2021

Carers Rights Day 2021

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There are thousands of unpaid carers living in Northumberland. Carers UK estimates that carers save the UK economy £132 billion per year – an average of £19,336 per carer – demonstrating the vital role carers play in our community. The care provided by families just over the course of the pandemic was valued at £135 billion, and this amount is still climbing.

Carers Northumberland is passionate about supporting and empowering unpaid carers across Northumberland.

This year’s Carers Rights Day campaign will focus on raising awareness of the rights of unpaid carers. The pandemic has had a massive impact on the lives of carers, affecting access to services, the ability to juggle work and care and much more. That’s why it’s more important than ever that carers are aware of their rights.

In a recent survey of nearly 6,000 carers, Carers UK found that:

  • 4 in 5 unpaid carers are providing more care for relatives
  • 78% reported that the needs of the person they care for have increased during the pandemic
  • Two thirds worried about how they will cope through further lockdowns or local restrictions.

This Carers Rights Day Carers Northumberland wants to:

  • ensure carers are aware of their rights
  • let carers know where to get help and support
  • raise awareness of the needs of carers.

Debra Blakey, CEO for Carers Northumberland says “It’s as important as ever that carers are aware of their rights.  Having a caring responsibility shouldn’t mean that you no longer have choices.  Carers have rights in the workplace, as well as having the right to decide what level of care they are comfortable providing without external support.  Throughout the pandemic carers and the person they care for were often unable to access some of their usual services, and some are still unavailable.  Carers need to be fully supported if they are they are to continue caring effectively.  We want carers to know they are being listened to and that they have rights which are being respected and addressed appropriately. We are always here to champion carers when they need us, but carers need to know what their rights are so they can feel confident in their caring role.”

 

Join Carers Northumberland and a variety of other service providers at a free Carers Rights Day 2021 Information Event at: The Community Hub, Cramlington NE23 6YB (next to Concordia Leisure Centre)

10:30am – 12.00pm: Live Know Your Rights Carers Workshop – booking is essential for this part- call 01670 320025 or visit the website.

1.00pm – 4.00pm: Carers Rights Day Information Fair – this is a drop in event so no booking necessary. Support, advice and live demonstrations from organisations including Healthwatch Northumberland, Alzheimers Society, Northumberland Parent Carer Forum, PALS, Citizens Advice, Northumberland Fire Service, Health Trainers, Northumberland County Blind Association, Escape Family Support, Age UK Northumberland and more.

 

Tell us your experiences of using NHS and social care services as a carer

Arthritis Action online event

Arthritis Action online event

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If you live or work in Northumberland, join us at a free, online public event to hear from Ruth Smith of Arthritis Action.

Ruth will be joining us to talk about arthritis, self-management, and resources for people living with the condition. She will cover topics including keeping active, pain management and diet.

The event is suitable for people who live or work in Northumberland and are living with or working with any form of arthritis, including osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthritis and gout. The presentation may also be useful for those with other conditions causing joint pain such as fibromyalgia.

There will also be a chance to ask questions.

and we will send you a link to join closer to the event.

Join us at our AGM/Review of the Year!

Join us at our AGM/Review of the Year!

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Healthwatch Northumberland AGM 2021

Thursday 4 November, 2021, 10.00am -12.00pm

 

If you live or work in Northumberland, we’d love you to join us at our AGM and Review of the Year 2021.

This free, online event is a chance to find out more about our work as health and social care champion for Northumberland.

We’ll be reviewing our work over the last 18 months and letting you know our priorities for the coming year.

The event will be opened by Cllr Wendy Pattison, Portfolio Holder for Adults’ Wellbeing.

This is also a chance to hear from the new Northumberland Recovery College.

Offering free courses, workshops and activities across the county and online, the Northumberland Recovery College is here to promote and improve the wellbeing of all residents of Northumberland.

The team will be telling us about the growth and future plans of the college along with showcasing some short tasters of what the college can offer to support mental health and wellbeing.

Taster session 1: A Guided visualisation- using imagery to support your wellbeing

Guided imagery involves listening to someone’s voice, relaxing the breathing and directing the ability to imagine. Research has shown that guided imagery can help to manage stress, reduce fear and anxiety, as well as reduce the occurrence of headaches.

Taster Session 2: Building Resilience:

Resilience: our ability to bounce back when we get knocked down, just like a Weeble. This taster session will introduce the concept of emotional resilience, answer some questions from our dear friend Bob and look at a skill we can all use in everyday life to improve our wellbeing.

There will be an opportunity to ask questions at the event but if you’d like to raise a question now, to be asked at the AGM please email info@healthwatchnorthumberland.co.uk.

Read more about our work

Menopause Day: A tale of two Tinas

Menopause Day: A tale of two Tinas

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World Menopause Day: A tale of two Tinas

On World Menopause Day this year we wanted to highlight the differences in treatment from healthcare services in Northumberland that two women have experienced as they go through the menopause.

‘A tale of two Tinas’ is two women’s experience of healthcare treatment for perimenopause and menopause, told from their own point of view.

Given that almost half of the population of Northumberland are going to go through the menopause at some stage in their lives, we would hope that Tina R’s story, outlined below, would be the most common experience.

A Tale of Two Tinas: World Menopause Day 2021

Read more about the symptoms and treatment of menopause at the NHS website.

Miss Menopause is a Facebook group for working women in the north east.

 

Why don’t you tell us your story of the healthcare services you have used during the menopause, and help us build a picture of what’s happening across the county.

Felton Surgery engagement

Felton Surgery engagement

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Earlier this year we helped Felton and Widdrington GP surgeries to get feedback from residents and patients about the proposal to merge the surgeries. We held two online forums and heard from 12 people about the proposed merger, the practice’s plan for a new surgery in Felton and the potential temporary relocation to Widdrington Surgery should the practice need to move out of Felton before the new build is complete.

We will publish our findings and recommendations based on the feedback we received in due course.

The report will form part of the surgeries’ business proposal being considered by NHS Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group.

 

Tell us about your recent experiences of any NHS or social care service

Parkinson’s Research Interest Group

Parkinson’s Research Interest Group

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Newcastle University is working with Parkinson’s UK to develop a North East and Cumbria Parkinson’s Research Interest Group (NEC-RIG). They have designed a survey to get the opinions of people with an interest in Parkinson’s research about what this group might look like and how it might work.

The aim of the group is to bring people who have an interest in Parkinson’s research together to provide opportunities to take part in all stages of research. This can include helping researchers in universities and/or the NHS to identify important questions or issues to people with Parkinson’s, designing research studies that will help people who want to take part or identifying what the best ways are to tell people about the results.

To complete the survey or find out more, click the link below.

For more information contact Rachael Lawson: rachael.lawson@ncl.ac.uk or Rosie Morris: rosie.e.morris@northumbria.ac.uk.

Virtual appointment Hubs Northumberland

Virtual appointment Hubs Northumberland

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Virtual Appointment Hubs for Northumberland

Patients across Northumberland and North Tyneside are being encouraged to make the most of digital hubs, set up to help them access online healthcare.

Community hubs are being set up across the county by the Public Health Team at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with Northumberland County Council and North Tyneside Council to offer confidential spaces for individuals to access virtual appointments who may not have the technology or don’t feel confident in doing it themselves at home.

Since the start of 2021, the Ashington hub has supported 70 outpatient appointments online and the trust is putting arrangements in place to support people from other areas too, including Wooler/Glendale, Belford, Blyth, Longbenton, Meadow Well and Wallsend.

Already, 35% of all appointments per month at the trust are via telephone or online, saving unnecessary hospital visits, travel and parking costs and the need for people to make work or childcare arrangements.

There are also huge environmental benefits. Over the past year, patients at the trust travelled over two point six million fewer miles than the year before.

Marion Dickson, executive director of nursing midwifery and allied health professionals and executive director of surgery and community at the trust said “I’m so pleased we are able to offer this support closer to home for our patients.

“Since the start of the pandemic we have seen a huge shift to online appointments which can be hugely beneficially for both our local residents and our staff. Less footfall in our hospitals also means less opportunities for infections to spread – which will help keep our patients and staff safe.

“But we know not everyone is able to readily access the internet and there are lots of people who struggle to get online. This can be for a number of reasons such as living in an area with poor quality broadband or personal situations which make it difficult.”

According to The Good Things Foundation, nine million people in the UK are unable to use the internet independently and seven million people do not have the internet at home. These hubs aim to tackle these inequalities in digital literacy, digital poverty and digital connectivity to improve health outcomes for local populations.

Marion continued “We are now operating at a level where the most appropriate type of appointment can be offered to a patient, and they can be safely seen in the outpatient department when necessary. We want to make sure everyone has the ability and the skills to access their healthcare in a way which works for them.”

Clinic details

  • Wooler/Glendale area, Cheviot Centre, Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm, 01668 282406.
  • Ashington, Being Woman at YMCA Northumberland, Tuesday – Thursday, 0778647233. or 0800 9991876. Please note: this service is not just available for women.
  • North Northumberland, Belford, Bell View, 01668 219220.
  • Longbenton, Oxford Centre, 0191 643 2750.
  • Wallsend, LD: North East, 0191 262 2261 Please note: this centre is for people with learning difficulties and learning disabilities only.
  • Meadow Well Connected, call 0191 341 0033 between 9am – 3pm to arrange an appointment.
  • Blyth Horizons North East, Community Lounge, 01670 359465 (option 4) 9am – 5pm Monday – Friday.

Please note: patients need to call in advance of their appointments to book in and all premises have been COVID-19 risk assessed.

 

If you or someone in your family has used one of these hubs, tell us about your experience.

Spotlight on: GRACE

Spotlight on: GRACE

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GRACE (Northumberland Rape Crisis)

Grace is part of Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland. It supports women and girls aged 13 upwards who have experienced any kind of sexual violence at any time in their lives. Their services are for all women and girls; this includes those who identify as Lesbian, Bi, Trans and/or Queer and black and minority ethnic women and girls.  Also, refugees and those seeking asylum, and disabled women and girls as well as those with additional learning needs.

There are many forms of sexual violence including: rape, sexual assault, online sexual abuse, sending sexual images without consent, stalking, partner and stranger sexual abuse. Grace supports women and girls whether the abuse they experienced was recent or historic.

What is on offer:

  • Counselling; from women counsellors who are accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. There are a number of confidential outreach bases across Northumberland where counselling takes place.
  • Practical and emotional support; specialising in supporting women and girls to navigate the criminal justice process and also offering support with housing, finances, employment, education, health, or just having someone to talk to who can provide reassurance and encouragement.

Telephone: 0191 222 0272 (general enquiries and referrals)

Helpline & Email Support: 0800 035 2794 or emailsupport@rctn.org.uk (Mon, Tues, Wed & Thurs 6pm – 8:30pm and Fri 11am – 2pm)

Visit the GRACE website

 

Find more support for domestic abuse and sexual violence at our Find Services page.

Care homes: keeping in touch with loved ones

Care homes: keeping in touch with loved ones

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We are holding another public online forum via Zoom for anyone who would like to share their current experiences of visiting loved ones in care homes.

At our previous forums we have heard from people whose loved ones live in care homes about the impact of visiting restrictions and ways they have been keeping in touch. We also ran a survey and heard from care home staff and relatives of those living in care homes. All feedback received has resulted in our recent care home report which has been welcomed by providers and commissioners.

The forum will take place on Monday 8 November, from 10am to 11.30am.

We also want to produce some information and guidance to support people whose loved ones may be moving to a care home and would appreciate your help and experience to develop this.

If you would like to register for our forum please contact Helen Brown by email: helenb@healthwatchnorthumberland.co.uk or call us on 03332 408468 (option 3). Once registered, we will send you the Zoom link before the event.

If you can’t make the forum but would like to tell us your story, or would rather speak to one of our team in confidence please get in touch.