Feedback November 2024

Over 100 people contacted us this month, to leave feedback, or use our Information and Signposting Service.

We heard the most about GP services with patients feeling that the quality of care was poor. Patients not being listened to, unhelpful reception staff, difficulties getting an appointment and issues with the online system being the most common complaints. However, just over a quarter of the contacts we had regarding GP practices were positive.

Patients contacted us equally about hospitals and pharmacies. For hospitals the main concern was around poor quality of care plus some feedback about living such a long way from the hospitals.

Almost three quarters of the comments regarding pharmacies were positive and the remaining quarter were concerns around prescriptions.

We continued to hear concerns about the decline in service from audiology services, making up 6% of the feedback this month.

This month’s focus

This month we have been out and about at our usual Here to Hear sessions as well as attending a wellbeing event in Bellingham, an event from Northumberland Cancer Patient and Carer Group in Blyth and the Carers Rights Day event in Morpeth.

We have started researching more into the recent concerns raised around audiology services and held a focus group at Vision Northumberland. We are asking people in Northumberland to share experiences of audiology services.

We continued to promote Northumberland County Council’s Pharmacy Needs Assessment survey and had 1,072 responses in total.

Our online talk this month was from the Macular Society, giving an overview of macular degeneration, the effects of the disease and the advice and support provided by the Macular Society across Northumberland.

Our new mental health support guide was published and free copies are available on request.

Our cost of living information booklet is now available as easy read and also in Arabic, Bengali, Kurdish, Turkish, Spanish and Ukrainian.

Impact

A representative of the Northumberland Stop Smoking Service at Northumberland County Council said “As a result of today’s session (online talk by The Macular Society) I have contacted the Tobacco Dependence Service at the Royal Victoria Infirmary to seek out a contact person for the Opthalmology Department re. referring smokers into our service.”

Positive feedback example

Person’s elderly relative has to attend regular diabetes clinic check-ups at Hexham General Hospital and finds them to be excellent. As the person lives in a remote area on a farm, the staff sometimes travel to carry out checks at the person’s home instead. The person told us that this is extremely useful for times when family are unable to get their relative to the hospital. They are very happy with the service and the care received.

Tynedale resident

Negative feedback example

A caller told us “My relative waited nine months to get a hearing test after being referred by their GP. When they arrived at the clinic in Berwick the nurse/audiologist had forgotten to bring the correct equipment. Today they are still waiting to hear when they have to go back. This is terrible. They are in their eighties and live alone and find it hard to communicate and engage. I live seven hours away and have been trying to find who to call to help get them tested.”

North Northumberland resident