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Healthwatch Northumberland Quarterly Report July – September 2018

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People who live in Northumberland and who use health and social care services tell Healthwatch Northumberland about their experiences throughout the year. This report shares the themes which emerged from 1 July to 30 September 2018. The next report will cover October to December 2018.

We receive feedback and enquiries from:

  • Talking to people at local community events
  • Telephone calls, emails and social media
  • Surveys
  • Focus groups on specific issues

We are open to all feedback about health and social care services but respondents to our Annual Survey identified five priorities for specific focus these are mental health services, dementia care services, home care, GP services and access to services.

Between July and September 2018 we had 59 individual pieces of unsolicited feedback and we spoke to 170 people at 32 engagement events.

Read the Report

Stephen Blackman presenting at Healthwatch Northumberland AGM 2018

Healthwatch Northumberland AGM 2018

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Our AGM this year saw around 100 people come together at Newbiggin Sports and Leisure Centre, to hear about the work of Healthwatch Northumberland over the last 12 months. Thank you to everyone who attended. Special thanks go to our guest speaker, Stephen Blackman of North of Tyne Local Pharmaceutical Committee, who gave an informative address on the role of community pharmacies in Northumberland and answered questions from our attendees. Big thanks also go to our information stand holders, who provided a wealth of information about services on offer from NHS, voluntary and community organisations in our region.

The minutes of the event and presentations from Healthwatch Northumberland and North of Tyne Local Pharmaceutical Committee can be downloaded below.

 

Healthwatch Northumberland AGM 2018 Draft Minutes

Presentation: Derry Nugent, Project Coordinator, Healthwatch Northumberland

Presentation: Stephen Blackman, North of Tyne Local Pharmaceutical Committee

Onecall

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Keep safe and well with Onecall

If you are worried about an adult’s welfare who lives in Northumberland, contact the Onecall service.

All adult social care services in Northumberland can be contacted through the single point of contact, Onecall:

Telephone: 01670 536 400

Email: onecall@northumberland.gov.uk

or report a concern online

Onecall is one number for all adult social care, children’s services and community health enquiries in Northumberland, helping the most vulnerable people to keep safe and well 24-7.

Onecall brings together staff from Northumberland County Council’s adult social care and children’s services and partners in Northumbria Police.

When do I use it?
Onecall aims to help the most vulnerable people to keep safe and well 24 -7.
For example if you need help with:
•    Living safely and independently at home
•    Looking after someone who is ill or disabled
•    Caring for a child or young person
•    Family support if you are concerned about a child or young person
•    Reporting abuse or neglect of a child or adult
•    Finding alternatives if you can’t live at home
•    Recovering from an illness or injury at home

If you need medical advice and support fast, but it’s not life threatening, call your GP or NHS 111.

You should always call 999 in an emergency, for example when someone’s life is at risk or someone is seriously injured or critically ill.

 

 

You asked us about Cold Caps

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Healthwatch Northumberland was contacted by someone who reported that cold cap hadn’t been available for them during cancer treatment at Hexham General Hospital. The cold cap is a special cap filled with cold gel that can reduce hair loss caused by chemotherapy. It works by reducing the amount of chemotherapy drugs reaching the hair follicles.

We contacted some local groups for more information and were invited to attend a coffee morning held by the Northumberland Cancer Support Group. The people we spoke to seemed sure there is in fact a cold cap available at Hexham Hospital. Some people told us that they were offered the cold cap treatment but declined because of potential drawbacks and limited success rates;  others told us that because of the type of cancer and its severity, they had not been eligible for this type of treatment.

We also met a volunteer with Macmillan Cancer Support at the coffee morning, who agreed to ask some questions when she was next at the hospital.  The volunteer got back in touch with the following information:

“Hexham Oncology Day Unit has two cold caps.  These are offered to patients and are readily available as appointments can be made to accommodate everyone.  Usually the patient’s consultant would have discussed the situation with them beforehand.”

“Everyone is eligible but the consultant may be of the opinion that the patient could be at risk of metastasis to the brain if taking a certain drug during treatment.”

Healthwatch Northumberland also spoke to the staff on the Macmillan Cancer Support bus which was visiting Hexham at the time.  They suggested two useful websites for further information on hair loss during treatment:

 

Breast Cancer Care

Macmillan Cancer Support

 

Further research concluded that it is the decision of the individual cancer specialist whether or not the cold cap is suitable for a patient.  Cold cap treatment is not available for use during radiotherapy.  It can be used with chemotherapy but if the chemotherapy treatment is very strong or if the patient has very long periods of chemotherapy treatment, the cold cap will not be suitable.  In short, the severity of the cancer and the strength of the treatment will determine whether the cold cap is recommended.

Patient Transport Service Northumberland

Patient Transport Services insight

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North East Ambulance Service’ non-emergency Patient Transport Service provides a vital link in the treatment chain for people with a medical need, who would not otherwise be able to get to hospital appointments.  With a 90.7% satisfaction rating across the North East we know the service is greatly valued by those who use it, but what became clear to Healthwatch Northumberland from feedback and monitoring information is that people in Northumberland have experienced problems actually getting to the service via the booking procedure – many only securing a service when they appeal after first being turned down.

Our initial analysis showed:

  • 4000+ people per year being declared ineligible for patient transport when they are later found to be eligible through the appeals process.
  • Around 5000 people per year are being declared ineligible for patient transport and not appealing
  • Almost 75% of ineligibility decisions appealed through the Patient Transport Appeals Team are overturned
  • Around 50% of ineligibility decisions are overturned due to distance where distance is not part of the initial eligibility criteria
  • The trend in Northumberland was worsening relative to other areas

This suggested to us that Northumberland patients are experiencing additional stress and anxiety by being put through a seemingly unnecessary appeals process, while others are missing out by not appealing even though they are eligible.

We decided we needed more insight on the transparency and application of eligibility criteria. We talked to North east Ambulance Service, NHS Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group, North of England Commissioning Support Unit and North of Tyne Patient Advice and Liaison Service. Each organisation engaged with the issues quickly and positively and we are pleased to report the eligibility criteria have been changed. Of particular note is the extension of automatic eligibility for people with dementia or a 30-mile boundary and the ability to book multiple trips when people are undergoing a course of treatment.

Read the full report and the response from North East Ambulance Service

Events

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Monthly drop-in – Haltwhistle Leisure Centre

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Please note our Haltwhistle drop-in session has moved to the third Thursday of the month starting from March.

Each month we’ll be holding drop-in sessions in all five local council areas of the county. These new drop-in sessions are a chance for residents to tell us about their experiences of NHS and social care services and use our Signposting and Information Service. Just call in or if you’d prefer to make a specific appointment for one of the sessions, please get in touch.

Come and see us at Haltwhistle Leisure Centre, NE49 9DP on the third Thursday of the month, 11.00am – 1.00pm.

This month we’d particularly like to hear about how you use your local pharmacy services.

See details of other drop-in sessions

Monthly drop-ins

Monthly Drop-in – Buffalo Community Centre, Blyth

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Each month we’ll be holding drop-in sessions, in all five local council areas of the county. These new drop-ins are a chance for residents to tell us about their experiences of NHS and social care services and use our Signposting and Information Service. Just call in or if you’d prefer to make a specific appointment for one of the sessions, please get in touch.

Come and see us at Buffalo Community Centre, Blyth, NE24 1LL on the third Tuesday of the month, 9.45am – 11.45am.

This month we’d particularly like to hear about how you use your local pharmacy services.

See details of other drop-in sessions

Monthly drop-ins

Monthly Drop-in – Berwick Voluntary Forum, Berwick

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Each month we’ll be holding drop-in sessions, in all five local council areas of the county. These drop-in sessions are a chance for residents to tell us about their experiences of NHS and social care services and use our Signposting and Information Service. Just call in or if you’d prefer to make a specific appointment for one of the sessions, please get in touch.

Come and see us at Berwick Voluntary Forum, Berwick, TD15 1NG on the second Wednesday of the month, 10.00am – 12.00pm.

This month we’d particularly like to hear about how you use your local pharmacy services.

See details of other drop-in sessions

Here to Hear speech bubbles

Monthly Drop-in – The Hub, Cramlington (next to Concordia Leisure Centre)

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Each month we’ll be holding drop-in sessions in all five local council areas of the county. These drop-in sessions are a chance for residents to tell us about their experiences of NHS and social care services and use our Signposting and Information Service. Just call in or if you’d prefer to make a specific appointment for one of the sessions, please get in touch.

Come and see us at The Hub, Cramlington, NE23 6US (next to Concordia Leisure Centre) on the first Wednesday of the month, 11.00am – 1.00pm.

This month we’d particularly like to hear about how you use your local pharmacy services.

See details of other drop-in sessions

Here to Hear speech bubbles

Monthly drop-in – Haltwhistle Leisure Centre

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Please note our Haltwhistle drop-in session has moved to the third Thursday of the month starting from March.

Each month we’ll be holding drop-in sessions in all five local council areas of the county. These new drop-in sessions are a chance for residents to tell us about their experiences of NHS and social care services and use our Signposting and Information Service. Just call in or if you’d prefer to make a specific appointment for one of the sessions, please get in touch.

Come and see us at Haltwhistle Leisure Centre, NE49 9DP on the third Thursday of the month, 11.00am – 1.00pm.

See details of other drop-in sessions

Parkinson's UK

Online Event – Parkinson’s UK

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At this free online public event we will hear from Alastair Jack from Parkinson’s UK.

Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological condition. Parkinson’s UK is the national charity, working locally, to provide support for those living with the condition and their family and friends. They are also a campaigning and research organisation.

Their senior area development manager, Alastair Jack, will give a brief overview of what Parkinson’s is, what it means to people living with the condition, how Parkinson’s UK supports those with the condition, influences health and social care services and works towards a cure.

The event is suitable for people who live or work in Northumberland and are interested in finding out more about this disease and what support there is locally.

There will also be a chance to ask questions.

Register now and we will send you a link to join closer to the event: bit.ly/ParkinsonsUK_event

Monthly drop-ins

Monthly Drop-in – Buffalo Community Centre, Blyth

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Each month we’ll be holding drop-in sessions, in all five local council areas of the county. These new drop-ins are a chance for residents to tell us about their experiences of NHS and social care services and use our Signposting and Information Service. Just call in or if you’d prefer to make a specific appointment for one of the sessions, please get in touch.

Come and see us at Buffalo Community Centre, Blyth, NE24 1LL on the third Tuesday of the month, 9.45am – 11.45am.

See details of other drop-in sessions

Monthly drop-ins

Monthly Drop-in – Berwick Voluntary Forum, Berwick

/0 Comments/in /by

Each month we’ll be holding drop-in sessions, in all five local council areas of the county. These drop-in sessions are a chance for residents to tell us about their experiences of NHS and social care services and use our Signposting and Information Service. Just call in or if you’d prefer to make a specific appointment for one of the sessions, please get in touch.

Come and see us at Berwick Voluntary Forum, Berwick, TD15 1NG on the second Wednesday of the month, 10.00am – 12.00pm.

See details of other drop-in sessions

Monthly drop-ins

Monthly Drop-in – Haltwhistle Leisure Centre

/0 Comments/in /by

Please note our Haltwhistle drop-in session has moved to the third Thursday of the month starting from March.

Each month we’ll be holding drop-in sessions in all five local council areas of the county. These new drop-in sessions are a chance for residents to tell us about their experiences of NHS and social care services and use our Signposting and Information Service. Just call in or if you’d prefer to make a specific appointment for one of the sessions, please get in touch.

Come and see us at Haltwhistle Leisure Centre, NE49 9DP on the first Friday of the month, 11.00am – 1.00pm.

See details of other drop-in sessions

Here to Hear speech bubbles

Monthly Drop-in – The Hub, Cramlington (next to Concordia Leisure Centre)

/0 Comments/in /by

Each month we’ll be holding drop-in sessions in all five local council areas of the county. These drop-in sessions are a chance for residents to tell us about their experiences of NHS and social care services and use our Signposting and Information Service. Just call in or if you’d prefer to make a specific appointment for one of the sessions, please get in touch.

Come and see us at The Hub, Cramlington, NE23 6US (next to Concordia Leisure Centre) on the first Wednesday of the month, 11.00am – 1.00pm.

See details of other drop-in sessions