Christmas Edition - Healthwatch Hull
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We Need Your Insight! As part of our Quality Assurance, Healthwatch Hull wants to invite you to give us your feedback on every edition of our Newsletter now; and in the future. The process will only take a few minutes but for us, it is invaluable to know what we’re doing well and what we could be doing better. It’s only you, our subscribers, who can tell us that and make sure that we’re aware of what you need from our Newsletters. Once you have finished reading this Newsletter, it would be fantastic if you could provide your feedback here: https://healthwatchkingstonuponhull.co.uk/newsletter-feedback
A Year In Reflection It has been a difficult time for everyone this year; ourselves included. Like many others, we had to get to grips with homeworking, not seeing our colleagues, family and friends regularly and this all had a massive impact. We had to think of new ways of working, new ways to reach and speak to people, to listen and still remain an important and vital figure in the community; all while staying in our homes. When it comes to being a part of an organisation like Healthwatch, the reward is in the difference you make and for us; despite the difficulties this year has brought, the feedback we’ve received has made every minute worthwhile. “Knowing someone was just listening to my concerns was a huge help. I suffer from anxiety and depression for which I take numerous medications, being able to reach out to someone via email and not have an anxiety attack about conversing with someone on the phone was such a great option for me. Prior to contacting Healthwatch I had been emailing all the dental practices I could find, or getting help from family members in calling them. Not only just knowing someone was prepared to listen and try to help me, but that I was being proactive in trying to help myself also helped me mentally as since losing my front tooth it has impacted not only on confidence but my mental health as I am expected to interact daily with members of my team via video link. Even though I know Healthwatch can’t wave a magic wand their support has made all the difference to me coping. Healthwatch Hull’s professionalism and how they responded and kept me up to date is a credit to them, and I wish to pass on my thanks for help and advice.”
Making A Difference At Christmas At Healthwatch Hull, our core role is to be there to listen to and be a pilar within the local community, providing any support we can and signposting people to the right service which meets their needs. This year, there isn’t a single person who hasn’t be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in some way or form; and with the downturn of the financial market, there are now significantly more people now who are depending on the vital support of voluntary organisations, especially at this time of the year. Christmas is a time for reflection; and as an organisation we reflected on how we have listened and made a difference throughout the year as well as considering what we could still do to make a difference before the year is out. In February, we visited Unity In Community to learn more about their Foodbank service and speak to people about their Health and Social Care experiences. We met some wonderful people who had a lot to say and it was immediately clear that the Foodbank was a service vital to many local people and one which will (sadly) be in even more demand this Christmas. We felt it was appropriate, on behalf of our organisation, to support the fabulous work that they do; and so we contacted Unity In Community to see how we could help. On their suggestion, we donated items which are vastly in demand rather than providing a cash donation and are hoping that what we could do and give makes a difference this Christmas, however small.
A Bittersweet Farewell In November 2020, our beloved Engagement and Communications Officer Andrew ‘Biscuit Boy’ Beech decided to leave Healthwatch to pursue a career as a baker as well as opening his own Plant-based takeaway. Andrew is a qualified chef and the smile on his face whenever there was baked goods around made his decision to leave us very easy to understand. We wish you all the best Andrew! A Change of Scenery Taking over from Andrew in the Communications role is Gareth Fletcher, who has been with Healthwatch since January 2020 as our Volunteer Coordinator. Gareth is very passionate about Healthwatch and has expressed plenty of ideas on how we could further develop our communication strategy. We’re looking forward to seeing you bust some moves on Tik-Tok! A New Challenger Making her debut with Healthwatch is Julia Scardone, who will be our first Volunteering and Engagement Officer! Julia came to live in the UK from Brazil when she was 14 years old. She has been involved in high-level sport throughout most of her life and is an accomplished athlete, having attained a black belt in Judo and both National and International acclaim through competing in and winning competitions. Welcome to the team Julia! You definitely bring the Health to Healthwatch!
Your Experiences Matter! Have you ever visited a Health and Social Care service and felt like you’ve not been listened to, that you’ve not been given the amount of information or support that you need or have you received an outstanding service and have had all of your needs met? Feedback is something we all need to grow and Healthwatch Hull is dedicated to making sure that your feedback, the good and the bad is used to improve local Health and Social Care services. We don’t share your personal information but we do share your experiences, in your own words, with providers so they understand where they’ve done well and where they need to do better. You can make a real difference today by sharing your experience with us: https://healthwatchkingstonuponhull.co.uk/feedback Want to see what people have told us throughout the year? All of our reports, including our monthly intelligence reports which are based entirely around the experiences we receive each month, are available on our website: https://healthwatchkingstonuponhull.co.uk/healthwatch-reports/
We’re Not Immune (From Feedback) Healthwatch Hull has a prominent role in Health and Social Care to provide the experiences of local communities; to inform providers of what is working well and make suggestions on what could be better. However, as an organisation we are keen to understand what people think about our service. If you have contacted us at any point throughout this year or do so in the future; please let us know what we’ve done well and what we could have done better (hopefully there isn’t anything). We want to make sure that we listen to you; not just about your experiences with Health and Social Care services but about how your experience was with us as well. We want to make sure that now and in the future we understand your needs, not just from local services but from us as well. Please provide your feedback here: https://healthwatchkingstonuponhull.co.uk/quality
Virtual Engagement Pilot Healthwatch Hull has joined together with the East Riding of Yorkshire, North and North East Lincolnshire Healthwatch teams to form the Healthwatch Humber Network. As the Healthwatch Humber Network; each Healthwatch is conducting a Virtual Engagement Pilot with three care homes in each area; to highlight their experiences throughout this year, such as: • What has worked well? • What new ways of working have been implemented that the care home is proud of? • What could have gone better? We are engaging with the Registered Manager of the home, their staff, residents and their families through both telephone and virtual means to gain an understanding from all of their experiences about what impact of COVID-19 has had on them. To assist with our pilot in identifying the care homes we conduct this pilot with, we are asking the people of Hull to provide us with their feedback about any experiences they or their family members who reside in care homes have had by clicking the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/carehomeshull As always, we don’t just want to hear the negatives but any and all positives too. We want to highlight and praise how hard care homes have worked to make a difference for their staff, residents and their families; demonstrating and promoting what changes they’ve made to make a positive difference for all.
Want To Do Something Different? Healthwatch Hull has ten different volunteering roles available in a variety of areas to meet the needs of our local community. At the moment our opportunities are virtual-based due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, once we’re operating normally, you could make a difference by being an: • Enter and View Ambassador Enter and View Ambassadors enter Health and Social Care premises and collect information about the nature and quality of services, the good practices and potential areas of improvement. • Community Engagement Volunteer Community Engagement Volunteers are vital to our mission as they are the face of Healthwatch and will actively promote our organisation within the community. They will reach out and en- gage with the community on their own terms, making sure to listen to their experiences and build their confidence by ensuring that their voices are heard. • Volunteer Support Mentor Healthwatch Volunteer Support Mentors are representatives of seldom heard groups and sup- port Healthwatch by using their experience and influence to build confidence within these groups. They will act as a mentor, assist and encourage the others to become involved in Healthwatch, empowering them to share their experiences, promote the activities of Health- watch and get involved in the work that we do. • Sector Champion Healthwatch Sector Champions are representatives of Voluntary Community Support (VCS) or- ganisations, education establishments and private industry. They support Healthwatch by using their expertise and influence to build connections between Healthwatch, their organisations and clients. They will promote Healthwatch within their organisation and encourage their cli- ents to become involved with Healthwatch, advertising the activities of Healthwatch and the work that we do. When asked what they thought about Volunteering with Healthwatch, one of our volunteers, Donna said: “I am really enjoying volunteering with Healthwatch, it feels like I am making a difference in the areas that really matter. The variety is great and there is amazing support.” Find out more about Volunteering with Healthwatch using the link below: https://healthwatchkingstonuponhull.co.uk/volunteering
Pharmacy Opening Times (Over Christmas) Please find below information regarding the opening times of Pharmacies in Hull. All information is correct at the time of this Newsletter and was sourced from: https://communitypharmacyhumber.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2020/12/BH- Rota-v2-final.pdf • Christmas • Lloyds Pharmacy - 253 Albert Avenue, HU3 2SE: 11 AM to 12 Noon • City Health Pharmacy - 16 Goodwin Parade, HU3 2HA: 12 Noon to 1 PM • Jhoots Pharmacy - School Lane, Kingswood, HU7 3JQ: 1 PM to 2 PM • Morrill Pharmacy - 312 Holderness Road, HU9 3DA: 3 PM to 4 PM • Boxing Day Bank Holiday (28th December) • Asda Pharmacy - Main Road, Bilton, HU11 4AL: 9 AM to 6 PM • Asda Pharmacy - Hessle Road, HU3 4PE: 9 AM to 6 PM • Morrisons Pharmacy - 716-718 Holderness Road, HU9 3JA: 10 AM to 4 PM • Boots Pharmacy - Kingston Retail Park, HU1 2TX: 9 AM to 5 PM • Boots Pharmacy - St Stephens Shopping Centre, HU2 8LN: 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM • Jhoots Pharmacy - 217 Hessle Road, HU3 4BB: 11 AM to 12 Noon • Asda Pharmaxy - Mount Pleasant Retail Park, HU9 2BN: 9 AM to 6 PM • Asda Pharmacy - Kingswood Retail Park, HU7 4HS: 9 AM to 6 PM • Tesco Pharmacy - Hall Road, HU6 7XP: 9 AM to 1 PM • Tesco Pharmacy - Park Street, HU2 8RW: 9 AM to 1 PM • Lloyds Pharmacy - Preston Road, HU9 5HH: 3 PM to 4 PM • New Years Day • Asda Pharmacy—Main Road, Bilton, HU11 4AL: 10 AM to 5 PM • Asda Pharmacy—Kingswood Retail Park, HU7 4HS: 10 AM to 5 PM • Asda Pharmacy—Hessle Road, HU3 4PE: 10 AM to 5 PM • Asda Pharmacy—Mount Pleasant Retail Park, HU9 2BN: 10 AM to 5 PM • Boots Pharmacy—St Stephens Shopping Centre, HU2 8LN: 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Local COVID-19 Vaccination Sites Confirmed The NHS has confirmed four local COVID-19 vaccination centres in Hull and East Riding. Vaccinations will be delivered from these locations by groups of family doctors. Following the launch of the COVID-19 vaccination programme on Tuesday, 7 December, the NHS is the first healthcare system in the world to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to those most at risk. The scale and the complexity of this vaccination programme make it one of the most significant challenges the NHS has ever faced. A number of GP-led primary care networks will begin offering COVID-19 vaccine to the priority groups from the week commencing 14 December, with more practices in other parts of the region joining in on a phased basis during December and in the coming months. Vaccination centres treating large numbers of patients in sporting venues and conference centres will subsequently stand up when further vaccine supplies become available. The public has an important part to play in the success of the vaccination roll-out. The ask for now is that people don’t contact their GP to seek a vaccine. Eligible people will be con- tacted and asked to book an appointment when the vaccine is available to them. Dr James Crick, Associate Medical Director, Hull Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Thanks to our local vaccination sites more vulnerable people identified as priority cohorts will be able to receive the vaccine. This is a hugely exciting moment and we are incredibly grateful for general practice being part of this important programme. “In the meantime, I urge everybody to play their part in reducing the spread of the virus and follow the local restrictions to protect the NHS services while we carry out this vital work.” Dr Craig Dobson, East Riding of Yorkshire CCG Medial Advisor said: “The vaccine has been shown to be effective and it is fantastic news that in our local area we can start to vaccinate our more vulnerable residents, who need it most. If you are in one of the priority groups, I would urge that when your GP Practice contacts you, please make sure you book and attend your appointments when you arrange them.”
#BecauseWeAllCare: Over 55’s Because We All Care is a year-long campaign led by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Healthwatch England in response to coronavirus (COVID-19). As the country pulls together to recover from the impact of coronavirus, Because We All Care aims to encourage more people to share their experiences of care to help the NHS and social care services identify and address quality issues and provide the best care possible. In November and December we’re encouraging people aged 55 and over to speak up. Our research shows that over 55s are most likely to believe providing feedback on care makes a difference. However, this age group is also less likely to think care has improved during the pandemic. With over 55s usually accessing care more frequently, as well as providing support to family and friends, now more than ever we want to continue to hear about experiences of care. We found that people over the age of 55 with experience of Health and Social Care: • are less likely to think that care has improved during the pandemic, with only 14% of over 55s reporting that care improved during COVID-19, versus 29% of adults aged 55 and below • are significantly less likely to think that it is acceptable for health and social care providers to offer a lower standard of care due to the impact of coronavirus • are more likely to think a decline in care is unacceptable, 74% of over 55s think a decline in care is unacceptable, compared to just 47% of people aged 18-34 • are less optimistic that increased support and empathy from family and the wider community during the coronavirus crisis will persist than younger generations. If you want to provide feedback on your experience, you can do so on the link below: https://www.cqc.org.uk/give-feedback-on-care
Staying Safe From Fraud Healthwatch Hull wants to make sure we remind everyone; especially with Christmas being around the corner to be vigilant when it comes to potential scams; whether that be by Social Media, Facebook or Letter and to never share your personal information; especially bank details with services you do not know, are not reputable and you haven't initiated contact with first! We have just been made aware of a Food Parcel Scam which occurred North East Lincolnshire but potentially be replicated here. Please see the details below and make sure to report any contact you have which you believe to be fraudulent. Details: The victim who attends a food larder in North East Lincolnshire regularly received a friend request via Facebook. It appeared that they had a mutual Facebook friend. They were asked to click a link to receive the free food parcel and to complete their details. Regrettably the individual did so and has had all monies cleared from their bank account.
A Healthy Start Parents and carers of young children under four years of age may be entitled to receive Healthy Start vouchers. The Healthy Start scheme provides up to £24.80 a month per child under the age of one, and £12.40 per child aged between one and four years. The vouchers can be used for fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables, as well as milk and infant formula. Recipients also receive vouchers for vitamins designed for children and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Families qualify for Healthy Start if they are at least 10 weeks pregnant, or have a child under four years old and the family receives at least one of the following: • Income Support • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance • Child Tax Credit with a family income of £16,190 or less per year • Pension Credit; or • Universal Credit with no earned income or total earned income of £408 or less per month for the family. Women under the age of 18 and who are pregnant are also eligible, even without receiving any of the above benefits. You can apply for the scheme here: https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthy-start-vouchers/how-to-apply/online- application-form/
Help For Homeless (Over Christmas) As Christmas approaches many people’s thoughts turn to those facing difficulty, and perhaps some of those facing the harshest problems over the festive period are those who find themselves homeless and sleeping on the street. Fortunately in Hull we have a wealth of help for those sleeping rough: • An outreach team provided by Emmaus Hull and East Riding (who go out 7 days a week to find rough sleepers and try to get them the accommodation and support they need) • A multi-disciplinary hub for those who are homeless and need help to address their sub- stance misuse, mental health or physical health issues • Hundreds of hostel beds and access to a range of other accommodation and support in- cluding private rented properties, shared accommodation, and the Council’s own hous- ing service. If you’re aware of someone sleeping rough and want to help, you can contact Emmaus Hull and East Riding Outreach Team on 0800 0662169 who are available between 7 AM and 10 PM. Alternatively, you can use their website: https://emmaushull.org/outreach/ or you can go to StreetLink’s website: https://www.streetlink.org.uk/. The Outreach Team continues to work over the Christmas period, even on Christmas day but will operate at shorter hours over the festive period: 24th December Until 12 Noon 25th December to 27th December Until 3 PM 31st December to 3rd January Until 3 PM Any contact outside of those hours will be picked up the next day. By contacting Emmaus you are making sure that individuals who are homeless and sleeping on the street can get the support and advice that they need.
HEY MIND Virtual Drop-in Sessions Every Tuesday between 15th and 29th December, HEY MIND are operating virtual information drop-in sessions which are there for people who feel like they need advice, guidance or signposting and who would like to speak to someone face-to-face. These virtual drop-in sessions are from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM and can be accessed via the following Zoom invitation: https://zoom.us/j/96579919900?pwd=UWh5V3ROUG1qL1d6SkY5REhIMUhyZz09 Meeting ID: 965 7991 9900 Passcode: Mind After using the link or the ID / Passcode, you will be admitted into their waiting room and as soon as one of their workers are available, they will add you into the meeting and place you in a private breakout room with one of their workers.
Cancer Quality of Life Survey From the 9th December, people diagnosed with breast, prostate, or colorectal cancer will be asked to complete a Cancer Quality of Life survey around 18 months after their diagnosis. Recognising that quality of life outcomes are as important to patients as surviving cancer, Public Health England and NHS England and Improvement have launched the survey to ask participants, “How are you doing?”. Answers to the question can be related to their cancer diagnosis and treatment, or other things which may be happening in their life. The information collected will be used to help improve support for those living with and beyond cancer. The survey takes between five and ten minutes to complete, with Public Health England joining up the answers to the survey with information that is already recorded about cancer and its treatment. This will help the NHS to work out where care may not be working well for cancer patients, and if any improvements should be made. It is estimated that in early 2021, the survey will be delivered to those living with and beyond other cancer types. To find out more about the NHS Cancer Quality of Life Survey, including a list of FAQs, visit http://www.cancerqol.england.nhs.uk/
Needs You! Whether it’s 30 minutes, a morning, afternoon or a full day. Your time can make a massive difference to the NHS Humber Trust and to the local community. If you have time spare that you want to use to make a difference, why not consider the following roles: • Befriending • Volunteers needed to befriend service users and patients of NHS Humber Trust, also to support patients working with our Community Mental Health Teams. • Meet & Greet Volunteers • To support in GP surgeries acting as way-finders, marshalling main doors and intercom etc. Surgeries needing support at the moment are as follows: • Manor House, Bridlington (Volunteer Administrators are also very much needed) • Princes Ave Medical Centre, Hull • North Point Health Centre, Bransholme • Chestnuts / Hallgate Surgeries, Cottingham (needed help to move between buildings) • Volunteer Minibus Drivers • Drivers needed with a D1 licence to help transport patients to appointments within our Trust, Minibus is being fitted with a protective screen to increase protection for our drivers. • General Volunteers (Bridlington) • Volunteers needed to help run groups and activities for patients / community members in Bridlington supporting our Community Mental Health Teams. • General Volunteers (Whitby) To apply or find out more; please use the contact details below: Telephone: (01482) 477862 or (01482) 477836 Mobile: 07813 543056 Email: hnf-tr.voluntaryservices@nhs.net Website: https://www.humber.nhs.uk/Get%20Involved/volunteering.htm
NHS England - Help Us Help You The COVID-19 pandemic has presented the NHS with one of its greatest ever challenges. One serious impact is that some members of the public are reluctant to use NHS services, citing concerns about being exposed to the virus and not wanting to be a burden on the NHS. If you have a symptom that could be cancer (such as unexplained blood that doesn’t come from an obvious injury, an unexplained lump, weight loss which feels significant to you or an unexplained pain that doesn’t go away) a maternity concern, or a routine appointment, the NHS is here to help you and can see you safely. • If you have a routine appointment, make sure you keep it, unless recommended otherwise by your doctor. • If you are told to go to hospital for a routine appointment, then the NHS has measures in place to make sure that it safe for you to do so. • No staff who have COVID-19 symptoms or come into contact with someone with symptoms are allowed to work in the hospital meaning the NHS can see you in a safe environment. If you are pregnant, it is crucial that you still attend your antenatal appointments and continue to seek advice from your midwife or maternity team to ensure you have a safe and healthy pregnancy. • If you are worried about your health or the health of your unborn baby, please do not hesitate to contact your midwife or maternity team. • Women of a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background may be at higher risk of complications of coronavirus. Maternity services have been asked to take extra precautions to keep women at greatest risk safe and everyone should seek advice without delay if they are concerned about their or their baby’s health. • Midwives have worked hard to make sure you still have a personal and safe maternity experience during this time, but some services will need to adapt. This could mean having telephone or video consultations or attending your antenatal appointments in a different setting. Your midwife will have more details about what is happening in your area. • If you’re due to see your midwife, or something just doesn’t feel right, your NHS is here to see you, safely. While the number of urgent cancer referrals is back up to 85% of pre-COVID levels, there are some people who may have worrying symptoms who are still not contacting their GP. • From the start of the pandemic to the end of August, more than 870,000 people were urgently referred and over 90% of them were subsequently seen by a specialist within two weeks. Cancer treatment levels were maintained at 85% of 2019 levels during the height of the pandemic – showing that the NHS is there for people when they need it. • If you’ve had unexplained blood that doesn’t come from an obvious injury (such as blood in your poo or pee), an unexplained lump, weight loss which feels significant to you or an unexplained pain that lasts three weeks or more, it could be a sign of cancer. • It’s probably nothing serious, but finding cancer early makes it more treatable, so just speak to your GP. Your NHS is here to see you, safely
A Message From Guide Dogs Every day 25 people in the UK start to lose their eye sight. The number of people is set to double by 2050 and the need for our services is growing. Less than 1% of our income comes from Government Funding. Our Purpose is to provide life changing services for the independence of adults and children living with sight loss and their families and friends. We offer support from: • Guide Dogs and assistance dogs: where we match a trained right dog with a Guide dog owner • My Guide: sighted guides support people to do the things that enjoy and choose to do by engaging in their community • Telephone & Online Advice • Functional & Practical skills • Children & Young Peoples Services: we want to ensure we support & empower parents to be there for their child to empower, build skills and confidence • Advice line • Technology • CustomEye Books • Family Events We rely on the amazing support of our volunteers and donations to keep our life changing services running. Volunteering makes a big difference to the lives of the people we support but also to volunteers as it means: • Meet new people • Engage in the community • Learn new skills • Enhance their CV • Support well-being and mental health The volunteering roles we have available range from: • Fundraisers to run or attend events • Collection Box coordinators to drop off and collect our iconic collection boxes in your area shops • Micro volunteering by getting involved with different campaigns from your home online to make sure all vision impaired people can live their lives to the full • Boarders to board our guide dogs in training • Puppy raisers to raise one of our future guide dog puppies in the first year of its life Our Fundraising roles are recruit at aged 16 and boarders and puppy raisers in a household aged 18+
Let Us Promote You! Is there anything you or your organisation are working on which you want promoting across our network? Whether it be Good News stories, Volunteer Recruitment or Organisational / Project Updates we can promote you in our Monthly Newsletter, on our website and across our Social Media channels. Let us know how we can work with you by contacting our Communications Officer by email on gfletcher@healthwatchkingstonuponhull.co.uk
Contact Us You can contact Healthwatch Hull at any point using any of the methods below. The team works Monday to Friday 9 AM to 4 PM and will respond to any enquiries during these times. 01482 595505 (Temporarily Out Of Action Due To Homeworking) 07593 261312 https://healthwatchkingstonuponhull.co.uk enquiries@healthwatchkingstonuponhull.co.uk Healthwatch Hull, The Strand, Hull CVS, 75 Beverley Road, Hull, HU3 1XL Facebook.com/Healthwatch4Hull Twitter.com/HealthwatchHull Instagram.com/HealthwatchHull/ Want to receive our Newsletter directly to your email? https://healthwatchkingstonuponhull.co.uk/newsletter-signup
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