The Big Conversation on women’s health

The Big Conversation on women’s health

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Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their views on women’s healthcare in The Big Conversation last year.

Thousands of women across the North East and North Cumbria had their say about NHS healthcare by taking part in an online survey and focus groups targeting specific groups of women, such as those who have additional health inequalities or barriers to accessing health care.

The report has now been published identifying key themes and recommendations.

Background

Women, making up 51% of the national population, live longer than men but spend more time in ill health and living with disabilities. There is not enough focus on women specific conditions or how conditions, that affect both men and women, impact on women differently.

In 2022, the UK Government published their first strategy focusing on women’s health inequalities. The 10-year ‘Women’s Health Strategy for England’ set out commitments to improve the health and wellbeing of women and girls and deliver better health outcomes.

In our region, the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB) is committed to driving forward the Women’s Health Strategy and making changes that will benefit local people and future generations.

During the ICB’s second annual Women’s Health Conference in July 2024, the ‘The Big Conversation’ was launched in partnership with the North East and North Cumbria Healthwatch network.

Headline findings

  • 61% of women said they feel confident to speak with a healthcare professional about their women’s health issues. However, many went on to say they aren’t confident they will be heard or get the help they need.
  • GPs have a critical role as the ‘gatekeepers to support’ for most women. We heard that many women are concerned that their GP does not listen to them, act on what they are told or doesn’t have up to date knowledge about many women’s health issues. Improving experiences in primary care will significantly improve confidence in women’s health care.
  • Women want the choice to have a female healthcare professional; this is a strong message from general engagement but particularly important in targeted work with underrepresented groups.
  • The GP (75%) and NHS website (75%) were selected as the most common place to find information on women’s health. A session with underrepresented groups highlighted the need for targeted accessible communications and the importance of peers in their communities and community support organisations.
  • It is important to women that their health records are easily accessible by healthcare professionals and kept up to date.
  • Women would like more research into women’s health concerns.

Top priorities

Overall, women said their top 5 priorities in relation to women’s health are:

  1. Mental health and wellbeing: including depression, anxiety and eating disorders.
  2. Healthy ageing and long-term conditions: including falls, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, dementia, bone, joint and muscle health, and bladder/urinary.
  3. Menopause, perimenopause and hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
  4. Screening services: including cancer screenings for cervical, breast and bowel.
  5. Menstrual and gynaecological health.

Read the full report and recommendations

If you would like to tell us about your experience of women’s health services please get in touch.

Spotlight on…Berwick Cancer Cars

Spotlight on…Berwick Cancer Cars

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As part of our information and signposting service, we’re shining a spotlight on organisations offering all kinds of support to people in Northumberland.

The Berwick and District Cancer Support Group, commonly known as Berwick Cancer Cars, was founded in 1992 by two women from Spittal, Violet Carter and Kathleen Horsburgh, who were having difficulty accessing their cancer treatment in hospitals over 60 miles away.

Over 30 years later the charity continues to grow and now has six cars to help transport patients to appointments. The service is run completely by volunteers.

If you need help getting to a cancer related appointment or treatment session, you can call Berwick Cancer Cars on 07780 795244.

The service is available to anyone who has received a cancer diagnosis and is registered with a GP practice in Berwick, Belford or Wooler (Clients living in the Cornhill area may be registered with a GP in Coldstream).

Berwick Cancer Cars website

Eye care costs

Eye care costs

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New research from Healthwatch England reveals costs of additional eye care services are likely to deter some people from visiting opticians altogether.

An estimated 50% of sight loss is avoidable. That’s why it’s vital that people can have their eyesight tested regularly and get the help they need if there is a problem. Yet new research from Healthwatch England found that costs associated with visiting opticians are deterring those on the lowest incomes from getting regular eye tests.

An online survey was carried out asking about people’s eye care experiences between July and September 2024. 14% of people who responded to the survey had avoided eye care due to cost in the last two years.

People who described themselves as ‘not at all comfortable financially’ were much more likely to say they avoided going to opticians than those who were financially very comfortable (39% vs 3%). Lack of awareness of the financial support available may also contribute to the high rate of people avoiding eye care.

Additional costs may put off patients

As people face rising eye care costs and lack of financial support, many high street opticians, which are private businesses, increasingly rely on generating income through offering services in addition to eye tests.

The survey found that of those who had attended an eye test in the last two years, 72% had experienced staff offering additional services at a cost. This practice has made some people reluctant to visit optician services at all. Those who said that opticians had offered them additional paid services were twice as likely to say they had avoided getting eye care in the last two years compared to those who had not experienced this.

84% of the respondents to the survey were eligible for free eye tests. However, as the results of the survey show, many people eligible for financial support for their eye care may find it difficult to afford additional costs. They may put off getting eye care because they are concerned about being pushed into paying for products or services they can’t afford.

Healthwatch England set out the following steps to protect people from the rising impact of eye care costs:

  • The Department of Health and Social Care should review support for the costs of NHS eye care for those on the lowest incomes.
  • The Government and the NHS should consider a targeted communications campaign through direct channels to low-income eye care patients.
  • The primary eye care sector should have clear guidelines for how staff should assist those on lower incomes without affecting their confidence in seeking care.

If you would like to tell us about your experiences of accessing eye care, please get in touch.

Here to Hear – at our monthly drop-ins

Here to Hear – at our monthly drop-ins

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Healthwatch Northumberland Monthly Drop-ins

Come and see us at one of our monthly drop-ins, which we hold in all five local council areas of the county. These sessions are a chance for residents to tell us, in confidence, about their experiences of NHS and social care services so that we can understand what is working well and what could be improved. You can also use our Signposting and Information Service to find out more about local support and services. Call in to speak to our friendly team at one of the venues below, or if you’d prefer to make a specific appointment for one of the sessions, please get in touch.

  • Hadston House, Bondicar Road, Hadston, Morpeth, NE65 9SR: Wednesday 14 May, 10am – 12pm.
  • Hexham General Hospital, Corbridge Road, Hexham, NE46 1QJ: Third Thursday of every month, next date 15 May, 10.30am – 12.30pm.
  • Hirst Welfare, Alexandra Road, Ashington, NE63 9HN: Wednesday 21 May, 10am – 12pm.
  • Morpeth Leisure Centre, Gas House Lane, NE61 1SR: Fourth Wednesday of the month, next date 28 May, 10.30am – 12.30pm.
  • Weavers’ Court, Swordy Drive, Alnwick, NE66 1SZ: Second Thursday of every other month, next date 12 June, 10.30am – 12pm.
  • Hexham Mart, Tyne Green, Hexham, NE46 3SG: Friday 13 June, 9am – 1pm.
  • Free online information session: Second Friday of the month, 1.00pm – 2.00pm. There will be a different topic each month – see our online events page or social media for details.

We also attend one-off events throughout the county. Please check our events calendar or social media for more details.

You can leave feedback at any time here on our website

Free event – Parkinson’s UK

Free event – Parkinson’s UK

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Find out more about Parkinson’s and the support available to people living with this long-term condition at our free online event on Friday 9 May, 1pm-2pm. Plus find out how you can help those with Parkinson’s who you may come across in daily life.

Delivered by Parkinson’s UK‘s Area Development Manager, Kirsty McDowell, and a local volunteer who lives with Parkinson’s, we will share personal experiences of Parkinson’s alongside information about the condition and details of support in Northumberland and beyond.

This session is suitable for professionals and the general public. There will be a chance to ask questions after the presentation.

This event has now passed.

Sign up to our newsletter to hear about future events or catch up with previous events on our online events page.

Eye care waiting times

Eye care waiting times

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New research from Healthwatch England has revealed people’s eye health often deteriorates while they wait a long time for specialist eye care.

They are calling for greater use of high street optician services, including optometrists working in optician services, to help cut waiting times.

Responses from 1,051 people currently waiting for specialist eye care appointments suggest that the vast majority (85%) of people support the idea of optometrists being able to refer patients without seeing a GP first. Over 65% are comfortable with them helping to monitor and treat eye conditions.

An optometrist’s role is to detect defects in vision, signs of injury, ocular diseases or other abnormalities. Optometrists often work alongside other professionals in primary eye care, supporting people with a range of eye problems and referring people for specialist care.

Expanding their role and responsibilities, such as being able to treat patients for a greater range of conditions, would help more people with the most serious eye conditions to be identified and referred for specialist care earlier.

The survey, which asked people to share their experiences of eye care between July and September 2024, found many people struggled while waiting for specialist care:

  • Of those currently waiting, 70% said they noticed some deterioration in vision.
  • People currently waiting for eye care reported that long waits affect their ability to continue their hobbies, 75%; mental health, 69%; ability to work, 52%; and relationships, 36%.
  • The most common type of support people reported needing was ‘knowing who to contact for further information’ about their care. However, only 14% of people said they knew who to contact.
  • Only 4% said they had been given advice and information to help them with day-to-day activities, such as working.

Eye care is the busiest outpatient speciality in the NHS in England, and with an ageing population, demand is set to grow further. According to NHS statistics, last December nearly 600,000 people were waiting for specialist eye care, a third of whom had been waiting more than the 18-week target set by the Government.

And getting referred for specialist eye care may be a long process for some. Of those currently waiting, almost a quarter (22%) had to have multiple appointments before being referred.

Healthwatch England calls for optician services to take on more responsibility for managing people’s eye care and referring them for specialist treatment to help cut waiting times. Additionally, actions such as those proposed in the Optometry First model are needed to improve communications and support for people waiting for eye care.

Read the full report at the Healthwatch England website

If you would like to tell us about your experiences of eye care services please get in touch.

Free online event – NDAS

Free online event – NDAS

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Free online event – An introduction to Northumberland Domestic Abuse Services (NDAS)

Come along to our next free lunchtime event on Friday 14 March, 1pm-2pm, to hear from Kerry Mulcahy from Northumberland Domestic Abuse Services (NDAS).

Kerry will talk about the charity, which was established in 2003, and about the support they offer to women, men and their children living in Northumberland, who are affected by abuse. She will also give an overview of the different types of domestic abuse.

This talk is suitable for both professionals and the public, and there will be time to ask questions after the talk.

This event has now passed. Watch the recording on our online events page.

Sign up to our newsletter to hear about future events.

Improving patient discharge

Improving patient discharge

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From hospital to home: Improving patient discharge

Every winter, the NHS is under pressure to free up beds. However, getting hospital discharge wrong can harm both patients and services. Healthwatch England looked at what people have told them about leaving hospital, and the lessons the NHS can learn to improve the support patients get.

In 2023, Healthwatch England’s research found worrying problems with people’s experiences of hospital discharge. People said the NHS didn’t give them proper support or information. Two years later, a review of people’s experiences of hospital discharge indicates that many of the same problems are still occurring.

Why safe hospital discharge matters

When the NHS correctly discharges patients from a hospital to their homes or another care facility, it can aid their recovery and free up beds for new patients. But for this to happen, hospitals are supposed to ensure that patients:

  • are medically fit to leave the hospital
  • have the information they need
  • have any care and support they need in place
  • are involved in the planning.

However, getting the discharge process wrong causes problems for both the patient and services. If patients are discharged too early without proper support, they may have to be readmitted to a hospital or seek help from GPs or pharmacies.

Meanwhile, delays in discharging medically fit people create issues for new patients needing beds, leading to longer wait times in A&E and treatment in corridors until beds are available.

The importance of being involved in plans

NHS guidance on hospital discharge states that the NHS should support patients and their relatives and carers in making fully informed decisions about the care and support they receive on discharge from a hospital, where appropriate.

However, people have told us about not being involved in discharge planning and the inappropriate decisions this can result in. Examples include:

  • Hospital staff taking patients with dementia at their word when they say they don’t need support at home.
  • Relatives not being consulted about moving patients to care homes when care packages were already in place.
  • Hospitals assuming relatives could care for patients on discharge or transport patients home without checking first.

The consequences of poor timing

NHS discharge guidance states that people should be discharged to the right place, at the right time, with the proper support to maximise their independence and lead to the best possible outcomes.

However, we have heard about people leaving hospitals without everything in place. People have told us the NHS has discharged them:

  • Before seeing a consultant
  • Before being properly diagnosed
  • Without any follow-up care in place
  • Without medication or information about how to manage at home.

As a result, some people experienced severe consequences, including further medical complications. In some cases, the NHS had to readmit people to the hospital.

In other cases, people described their discharge as delayed as they had to chase up the hospital for information on self-care and medication or because they were waiting for social care. This can have knock-on consequences.

The importance of clear information

People have told us about being given poor or limited discharge information on how to cope once at home and how to care for themselves. We heard about:

  • Information that was inappropriate to their needs or made outdated assumptions.
  • A lack of or limited information on administering medication by injection or changing catheters.
  • Discharge letters that gave inaccurate information about someone’s condition.

The impact of a good experience

Research from Healthwatch Oxfordshire found that people value support and care from health professionals, good communication, being involved in decision-making, and effective follow-up and aftercare.

Positive stories about discharge care include:

  • Appropriate and helpful information on how to care for themselves.
  • The post-discharge support they need, including equipment to help cope at home and visits from community teams.
  • Support from voluntary organisations, including a home visit on the day of discharge.

Steps that will improve hospital discharge

Current winter pressures and the high demand for hospital beds result from multiple factors affecting NHS and social care teams. However, several steps could help ensure more people have a safer hospital discharge experience.

  1. Follow existing guidance: NHS England’s next Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan should ensure that Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) ensure that services follow existing hospital discharge guidance.
  2. Review secondary care workforce: ICBs should also focus on workforce solutions in secondary care.
  3. More resources for social care: The government has announced plans to review social care challenges. However, in the short term, more resources are needed to ensure that councils and providers have the necessary staff, skills, and resources to support individuals in living independently.
  4. Better data on hospital discharge: To ensure people are not rushed out of hospital when they’re not ready and that processes are working for patients, we are calling on the NHS to restart the collection of daily emergency readmissions data and publish this data monthly. Minimum standards on transport waiting times and post-discharge contact times should also be introduced.

If you would like to share your experiences of hospital discharge please get in touch.

Interested in our focus groups?

Interested in our focus groups?

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Register your interest in Healthwatch Northumberland focus groups

Would you like to help improve health and care services in your area by taking part in Healthwatch Northumberland focus groups? We are looking for people who live in Northumberland and are interested in local health and care services to have their say in future focus groups.

Focus groups are a chance to share your thoughts and experiences within a small group environment.

Watch this video from our Project Coordinator Derry Nugent to find out more.

Register your interest and we’ll be in touch with future opportunities.

A pain to complain

A pain to complain

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A pain to complain: new research from Healthwatch England

Healthwatch England has shared a new report which looks at some of the barriers people face when making a complaint about NHS healthcare.

Read the findings and recommendations

Key findings

Very few patients complain

Almost 24% said they had experienced poor NHS care in the past year. Yet more than half (56%) of people who experienced poor care took no action, and fewer than one in 10 made a formal complaint.

Low confidence stops people acting

Of those who didn’t make a complaint after poor care, 34% believed that the NHS wouldn’t use their complaint to improve services, 33% thought organisations wouldn’t respond effectively, and 30% felt the NHS wouldn’t see their concern as ‘serious enough’.

A poor complaints experience is common

Over half (56%) of people who made a formal complaint were dissatisfied with both the process and the outcome of their complaint.

Falling investment in support to help people complain

The budget allocated to councils to arrange statutory NHS complaints advocacy for local people has declined by more than 20% over the last decade.

People experience long waits for responses

On average, integrated care boards (ICBs) took 54 working days to respond to complaints they handled as commissioners of NHS services. Response times ranged from between 18 and 114 working days.

The NHS is not effectively learning lessons

NHS organisations do not effectively capture the right data about who makes complaints, do not welcome complaints or fail to fully demonstrate learning from complaints. There is little national oversight and accountability over the complaints process.

Healthwatch England’s recommendations
  • Make the complaints process easier for patients and their families to navigate
  • Monitor and improve the performance of organisations that handle complaints
  • Develop a culture of listening to and learning from complaints

Read more on the Healthwatch England website.

If you would like to talk to us about a health or care service you have used as a patient or a carer, please get in touch.