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Mental health summary report

Mental health summary report

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In our Annual Survey 2020, mental health services was the second most chosen area where people thought we should focus our attention in the coming year. Mental health services had a high dissatisfaction rating – of those that use them 79 people said they were dissatisfied with mental health services (54%) – this was the only time more people said they were dissatisfied with a service than said they were satisfied with it. Respondents told us about a wide range of issues they had with mental health services.

People felt there could be more local mental health services
Respondents specifically mentioned Berwick Infirmary, where they felt there could be more mental health services. Respondents also called for more mental health services for autism in Hexham and Haltwhistle.

Responses from patients and staff alike highlighted a need for more resources to be put into mental health services
Patients told us there is a lack of mental health emergency beds and trained psychologists, and described Talking Matters Northumberland (TMN) as a stretched service. They also told us there is an increased demand for mental health services and that there needed to be more support for men at risk of suicide, as well as for young people. The Community Mental Health Team (CMHT), TMN, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust (CNTW) and Children and Young People’s Services (CYPS) were specifically mentioned by patients and staff alike as services that would benefit from more resources.

 

Healthwatch Northumberland Mental Health Services Report 2020

Quarterly Report April to June 2020

Quarterly Report April to June 2020

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As the independent champion for people who use health and social care services, Healthwatch Northumberland listens to what people in Northumberland think about the services they have used. We act on what people are saying, sharing their views with those who have the power to make change happen. We also help people find the information they need about services in their area and record this as ‘signposting’.

People who use health and social care services tell Healthwatch Northumberland about their experiences throughout the year. This report shares a summary of the feedback collected from April to June 2020.  This period was during the national Covid-19 lockdown and we had stopped all face to face engagement and started to work in different ways. The next report will cover July to September 2020.

This quarter we received feedback and enquiries from:

  • Telephone calls, emails and social media (92%)
  • Postal surveys and feedback forms (4%)
  • Talking to people at online engagement events (2%)
  • Through a third party (2%)

Areas of Focus

We are open to all feedback about health and social care services. Responses to our Annual Survey helped us to identify a specific areas of focus which we are prioritising in 2020/21.

Mental Health Services, especially for children and young people

Covid-19 has meant changes have been made to health and social care services. Patients and carers’ experiences and signposting requirements are likely to have been different during this time.  For this reason we have also chosen to focus on any feedback we receive which is related to Covid-19 and these changes.

We are also working to hear more from people in area of the county we hear from less, particularly in south east Northumberland.

Aims

The report shows:

  • Who Healthwatch Northumberland is hearing from
  • What people are saying and the general sentiment of comments
  • What people are experiencing – what is working well and where there are areas for improvement?

Feedback

Between April and June 2020, we received feedback from 47 people. We signposted 13 of these people to services and provided information or advice to eight people.

This report explores who Healthwatch Northumberland is hearing from across the county, presenting a summary of general respondent demographic information. Demographic information shared includes 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 (e.g. primary care, secondary care, mental health, social care), as well as whether the feedback relates specifically to quality of care or access to services. Service category, for instance whether the comment refers to a GP surgery or acute care, is also explored alongside the sentiment of feedback. 

Read the report for April to June 2020

Our Review of the Year and AGM

Our Review of the Year and AGM

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Our Review of the year and AGM will take place online on Wednesday 21 October, from 2.00pm and 4.00pm. Find out about our work and how we made a difference to people in Northumberland over the last 12 months.

As the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care says ‘People should have phone or video consultations with their doctors unless there is a clinical reason not to’, and that there had been a ‘hugely positive’ response to virtual appointments during the coronavirus pandemic, we will also have guest presenters talking about technology in NHS and social care services. We’ll explore how the coronavirus crisis has accelerated the move to online appointments and consultations, what has worked well and not so well, and what we can expect in the future.

You can ask a question in advance or at the Q&A session in our webinar.

Join us if you can!

Our Quarterly Report for January to March 2020

Our Quarterly Report for January to March 2020

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This report outlines the feedback we collected from people in Northumberland between January and March 2020.

How we received feedback this quarter:

  • Telephone calls, emails and social media (65%)
  • Postal Surveys and Feedback forms (5%)
  • Talking to people at local engagement events (15%)
  • Through a meeting (5%)
  • Through a third party (10%)

Areas of Focus

We are open to all feedback about health and social care services. Responses to our Annual Survey helped us to identify three specific areas of focus which we prioritised in 2019/20:

  1. General Practitioner Services (GP Services)
  2. Mental Health Services, including dementia care
  3. Access to Services

Between January and March 2020, we received 20 pieces of feedback through talking to people at local engagement events, telephone calls, emails, our website, surveys and feedback forms and other sources. Alongside this, we signposted 20 people to services, 16 of which have already been counted in the aforementioned feedback. Altogether we had 24 different recordable interactions this quarter.

This report explores who we are hearing from across the county, presenting a summary of general respondent demographic information. Demographic information shared includes 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 (e.g. primary care, secondary care, mental health, social care), as well as whether the feedback relates specifically to quality of care or access to services. Service category, for instance whether the comment refers to a GP surgery or

 Read the report for January to March 2020

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