GP online services

Click and Connect: GP online services report

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GP online services report

GP online services can cover a range of different functions, for example, booking appointments online, ordering repeat prescriptions and viewing medical records, test results and medicines. Many people find it more convenient to register for online services rather than having to rely on telephone or in person contact with their surgery. This has been magnified by the Covid-19 pandemic, due to social distancing restrictions.

We were contacted by someone who told us about the difficulties they had experienced trying to register for GP services online. They found the process complicated, particularly as they were asked to visit the practice in person with ID, in the middle of the pandemic. We decided to do some work to look at how people in Northumberland could register for online services at GP practices across the county.

Click and Connect: GP Online Services Report

Healthwatch Northumberland Feedback Report April to June 2021

What you told us: April to June 2021

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Healthwatch Northumberland Feedback Report April to June 2021

Between April and June 2021, we received feedback from 63 individuals from talking to people at face-to-face engagement events, telephone calls, emails, our website, social media, and other sources. We signposted 20 of these people to services.

This quarter we received feedback and enquiries from:

  • Telephone calls (42%)
  • Emails (23%)
  • Website (19%)
  • Social media (12%)
  • Engagement event (5%)

Each quarter we look at who we are hearing from across the county, including location, gender, age, and whether the respondent is sharing their own health and social care experience or speaking on behalf of a friend or relative.

We also look at the general sentiment of comments, with specific reference to the service type, for example whether that’s primary care (doctors, dentists, pharmacies), secondary care (hospital services), mental health or social care, as well as whether the feedback relates specifically to quality of the care or access to services.

Find out more about who we heard from and what we were told, below.

Feedback Report April – June 2021

Healthwatch Northumberland Annual Survey 2020-21

Annual Report 2020/21

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Find out what we got up to in the last 12 months in our Annual Report. Read about the highlights of our year including our work on care home visits and how we worked with others to get results.

There are also examples of how our Information and Signposting service helped individuals, and how our fabulous volunteers continued to support us and our communities through the pandemic.

There are lots of fantastic Northumberland photos inside too!

If you’d like to tell us about your experiences of care or have a query for our Signposting and Information Service, please get in touch.

 

Healthwatch Northumberland Annual Report 2020/21

We’re back on the road! Find us in your area

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We getting out and about again in communities across Northumberland this summer! We’ll be heading to the venues below with our Annual Survey, goodie bags and information and signposting service, so do stop by to say hello, pick up a survey and some freebies.

 

Find us at:

  • Cafe @ Burn Lane, Hexham: Monday 21 June, 11.00am – 1.30pm
  • Outside the Co-op, Prudhoe: Wednesday 23 June, 9.30am – 12.00pm
  • Merton Road, Ponteland: Friday 25 June, 9.30am – 12.00pm
  • Market Square, Haltwhistle: Monday 28 June, 11.00am – 1.30pm
  • Outside Morrisons, Bedlington: Thursday 1 July, 9.30am – 12.00pm
  • Ashington Market: Tuesday 6 July, 9.30am – 12.00pm
  • Berwick Market: Wednesday 7 July: 10.00am – 12.30pm
  • Outside Bellingham Library: Friday 9 July, 2.00pm – 4.00pm
  • Morpeth Market: Wednesday 14 July, 9.30am – 12.00pm
  • Outside Morrisons, Amble: Thursday 15 July, 9.30am – 12.00pm
  • Outside Concordia Leisure Centre, Cramlington: Monday 19 July, 1.00pm – 3.30pm
  • Outside The Cheviot Centre, Wooler: Thursday 22 July, 1.00pm – 3.00pm
  • Blyth Market: Friday 23 July, 9.30am – 12.00pm

 

Our Annual Survey is a chance to tell us about the health and social care services you and your family have used over the last 12 months

With services working to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic, your views have never been more important and can play a crucial role to help us identify and address issues that affect the quality of people’s care.

You can also help us decide where to focus our work in the year ahead.

If you can’t get to one of our events, you can tell us about your experiences at the online survey or you can get in touch to ask for a paper copy and freepost envelope. If you would like to complete the survey over the phone with one of our friendly team please call 03332 408468 or text 07413 385275 to arrange a call back.

 

NHS and social care feedback

Tell us your story – in our Annual Survey 2021

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Our Annual Survey is a chance to tell us about the health and social care services you and your family have used over the last 12 months.

Your views and experiences continue to help professionals understand key local issues and how well services are working for you, your family and our communities.

With services working to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic, your views have never been more important and can play a crucial role to help us identify and address issues that affect the quality of people’s care.

You can also help us decide where to focus our work in the year ahead.

You can tell us about your experiences at the online survey or you can get in touch to ask for a paper copy and freepost envelope. If you would like to complete the survey over the phone with one of our friendly team please call 03332 408468 or text 07413 385275 to arrange a call back. Closing date is 23 July 2021.

We will be back in towns across the county this summer with our first ‘live’ events since last spring. Come and say hello if you can – we’ll have copies of the survey, our information and signposting service and some goodie bags to give away. See where we’ll be over the next few weeks: Healthwatch Northumberland – back on the Road

This survey has now closed.

Northumberland County Blind Association

Spotlight on: Vision Northumberland

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As part of our Spotlight on… series we are shining a light on Vision Northumberland, formerly Northumberland County Blind Association.

Vision Northumberland is a local charity based in Morpeth which provides advice and support services to blind and visually impaired people to enable them to gain the knowledge, skills and confidence to live a fulfilled and independent life. It offers a home visiting service, clubs and support groups, telephone counselling, volunteer drivers to help clients get around, computer training, help with energy bills, low vision aids assessments and much more. Clients can also benefit from regular phone calls with the charity’s telephone support service, Client Connect (formerly Sightline).

Vision Northumberland’s volunteers based across the county have recently been honoured with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK.

The award recognises the vital support that the charity provided to the community in response to the pandemic by setting up a telephone befriending service with 91 volunteers making telephone calls. At the height of the pandemic over 600 visually impaired people were contacted to reduce isolation, loneliness and provide a lifeline during unprecedented times. Our very own Healthwatch staff team and volunteers were happy to be involved in this project.

You can get in touch by calling 01670 514316 or email info@visionnorthumberland.org.uk

GP

GP data sharing

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NHS Digital has recently announced plans to allow an NHS system to extract patient data from doctors’ surgeries in England. The new data-sharing system was due to start in July but has now been pushed back to 1 September.

If you DO NOT want your GP records to be shared, there are two ways to opt out:

  1. Stop your GP record data being shared anonymously with other NHS services for planning and development. This would prevent your data being used in the anonymous information local NHS service commissioners and decision makers use to plan services. You will need to complete the form called Type 1 Opt out form and return it to your GP practice before 1 September. Find the Type 1 Opt out form here.
  2. Agree to share your information with the NHS planners but NOT with external research organisations. You can do this online here, via the NHS App or by calling 0300 303 56 78.
Healthwatch England has joined forces with leading patient groups to respond to the Government’s plans around GP data sharing.
NHS Digital has recently announced plans to allow an NHS system to extract patient data from doctors’ surgeries in England. The new data-sharing system was due to start in July but has now been pushed back to 1 September.
Responding to the announcement today by Jo Churchill, Minister for Primary Care, on the Government’s plans around GP data, Healthwatch England has released the following statement with other patient groups – National Voices, the Patients Association and the Richmond Group of Charities.
“We welcome today’s move by the Government to extend the deadline for the GP data opt-out and allow NHS Digital and colleagues across the NHS, particularly those in primary care, to have the time and space to engage properly with patients and the wider public on these plans.
“In previous engagement work the public have told us that they are in favour of the NHS using their data for medical research if they understand how this information will be used and can opt out if they so wish. However, ongoing public support for this depends on complete transparency and clear communication from the NHS when things change.
“Over the next few months we need to see a proper nationwide campaign on this, reaching out to people so they can make an informed choice about how their own individual medical records are used to support research. This is a complex issue, and so we will all be working with the NHS to help build awareness and understanding.”
You can help make health and care services better by sharing your experiences and ideas.
end of life care Northumberland

End of life care survey

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End of life care

We are working with NHS Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group to find out what is important to people living in Northumberland when thinking about end of life care. This feedback will help with the development of an end of life strategy, or plan, and the creation of an agreement between Northumberland residents and end-of-life care providers, such as doctors, nurses, carers etc.

This research is being carried out by independent agency  Explain Market Research.

To take part in this research please complete the online survey below by 5pm on Friday 25 June. 

As a thank you for taking part you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 Amazon voucher – just remember to leave your name and email address at the end of the survey.

 

Northumberland End-of-Life Online Survey

This survey is now closed.

 

Felton and Widdrignton surgery proposals

Proposed changes at Felton and Widdrington surgeries

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Changes are planned at the Felton and Widdrington surgeries and patients have 12 weeks to give their views and ideas on the proposals. If you are a patient of either surgery you should have received a letter and an information sheet explaining the proposals and how you can share your views.

Healthwatch Northumberland is supporting the surgeries by holding two online engagement sessions via Zoom for patients who would like to discuss any concerns or ask a question.

The sessions will take place on Wednesday 9 June at 2.00pm-3.00pm and Thursday 17 June at 6.00pm-7.00pm.

This is an opportunity to give your views on the following:

  1. The proposal to merge both Felton and Widdrington surgeries
  2. The practice’s plan for a new surgery in Felton and the permanent relocation to these premises at a later date
  3. The potential temporary relocation to Widdrington Surgery should the practice need to move out of Felton, before the new build is complete.

Please email helenb@healthwatchnorthumberland.co.uk if you wish to attend and an invitation will be sent.

If you can’t make these sessions there are other ways you can get in touch:

  1. Write to the practice manager and mark it ‘Engagement Feedback’ – the address can be found at the top of your letter.
  2. Contact the practice manager by email at Felton.Surgery@nhs.net or Widdrington.Surgery@nhs.net with the title ‘Engagement Feedback’
  3. Ask the reception team at either practice for a feedback form. This can be filled out anonymously if you wish. You do not need to give any personal information if you choose not to.
  4. Contact Healthwatch Northumberland, the statutory independent champion for patients on 03332 408 468 (local call rate) or email info@healthwatchnorthumberland.co.uk.

The surgery will write a report based on this feedback in the late summer. The report will form part of the formal application to the Primary Care Commissioning Committee which will meet in August to decide if the proposals can go ahead.

Engagement how has now ended.

Volunteers’ Week 2021

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