Agenda item

A review of the work undertaken by Healthwatch Bucks over the past year.  This will include feedback on surveys with residents/users of local services.

Zoe McIntosh, Chief Executive, Healthwatch Bucks.

Zoe McIntosh, Chief Executive Officer, Healthwatch Bucks, provided an overview of the Healthwatch Annual Report 2022-2023 and stated that over the past year Healthwatch Bucks had heard from over 1300 people in Buckinghamshire on their experiences of health and social care, via project work, engagement work and the signposting service.  The top issues identified through signposting were access to general practice and NHS dentistry.  Zoe advised that Healthwatch Bucks’ role was to hold the system to account and it would not be possible without their volunteers which now totalled over 20; additional grant funding for a volunteer co-ordinator had been provided this year and would help grow and diversify the volunteer base.  The latest report was on community pharmacies; a similar project had been carried out in 2017 and the latest survey found that awareness of the services offered by community pharmacies had increased.  A number of recommendations were included in the report and responses had been received from Buckinghamshire Council and the Community Pharmacy Thames Valley Committee; a response was awaited from the Integrated Care Board (ICB).  Zoe stressed the importance of raising awareness and understanding of the role of the community pharmacies and the role that they can play in the work that was being carried out in primary care and requested that the ICB did not lose this insight as there was a lot to do in terms of engagement and involvement of the public.

The Chairman stated that Healthwatch Bucks had played an important part during the pandemic and that there were 10 ‘levelling up’ wards in Buckinghamshire focussed on areas of largest deprivation e.g., in Aylesbury, High Wycombe and Chesham.  There was a significant amount of work, not just across health, but across many aspects of the public sector in terms of focusing on people with the highest need and achieving better outcomes and reducing inequality.

The following key points were raised in discussion:

·   In response to a question from Dr Sian Roberts, Clinical Lead for Mental Health Learning Disabilities and Dementia for Buckinghamshire, on how Healthwatch Bucks decided what to focus on for the next year; Zoe advised that they looked at the feedback from the signposting service and also what was going on regionally across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB).  Healthwatch Bucks also looked at the work plans for the HWB, scrutiny committees and Healthwatch England.

·   Councillor Zahir Mohammed, Deputy Cabinet Member for Health & Wellbeing, stated it was encouraging to see an increase in awareness in the role of community pharmacies but noted there was still a gap; had a similar exercise been carried out across the country?  Zoe advised that other Healthwatch areas had done so and that their reports were available online and agreed that there was much work to do in this area.

·   Errol Albert, Service Director, Children’s Services asked what was being carried out to raise awareness within the black and ethnic minority communities within the levelling up wards.  It was agreed that this was a question to be answered by the ICB.

·   John Meech, Chair, Healthwatch Bucks, added that many community pharmacies were closing across the country which would become an issue.

·   Dr Raj Bajwa, Clinical GP Chair, stated that a large amount of work was being carried out on the primary care strategy and that the intention was for the primary care team to reach out to the Healthwatch organisations.  Zoe confirmed an invitation had been received recently but the timeframe was quite short to prepare feedback.

The Chairman thanked Zoe for her report and also thanked Healthwatch Bucks for everything they did.