Agenda item

Members will receive the Healthwatch performance monitoring / six monthly review.  This includes a review of the achievements of the Service in delivering the agreed outcomes and consideration of how the Service might be developed going forward. 

Members considered a report that highlighted Healthwatch York’s performance monitoring and their six monthly review process, which was to:

•        Review the achievements of the Service in delivering the agreed outcomes.

•        Consider how the Service might be developed going forward.

•         Identify how beneficiary needs were being delivered.

•        Establish that the Service was being managed in accordance with the Agreement.

The Manager of Healthwatch York provided an update and she made reference to the new sections within the report:

•        Responses received from statutory organisations

•        Personal impact stories

•        Media communication, engagement and reach

Members noted that:

•           Community engagement activities would continue and discussions would take place over the next year to discover what communities thought about health and social care services. 

•           Work would continue to ensure good access to services for deaf people.

•           Discussions would take place with NHS England regarding the recent changes made to the online search facility used to locate an available NHS dentist.

In answer to Members questions, Healthwatch York confirmed they:

•    had received an official confirmation that their contract would extend for a further 2 years.

•    would hold further conversations and challenge the organisations that were not engaging or responding to their recommended actions. 

•    would continue to support and develop their volunteers and would always welcome any additional volunteers.

•    had not identified any specific GP practices where there was a recurring theme of complaints but that a richer picture could be produced if all partner organisations shared their complaints data. 

•    would continue to work with and strengthen relationships and partnerships with organisations within Health and Social Care and would engage with the Clinical Commissioning Group to improve a process of sharing information with GP services.

•    would continue to generate a mechanism that would ensure a joint response was provided to recommended actions that crossed a number of service providers.

•    passed all compliments received to the relevant service provider.

•    had an ongoing working relationship with York College.

•    had access to a market stall every Tuesday to engage with residents of York.

Following further discussion around access to GP services, Members were informed that NHS England had recently published national data which indicated that generally satisfaction with GP surgeries was good in most places.

The Director of Public Health gave an update on smoking cessation where Members noted that a new holistic approach to deliver this service was introduced in 2016 and she suggested that the Committee may want to scrutinise the performance of this service.

Members were also informed that the Healthy Weight Steering Group brought partners together to focus on ensuring better communication and shared pathways for residents. Members noted that this service should be scrutinised at a later date to allow the new citywide healthy weight strategy to be embedded. 

Members congratulated the Manager for the extension to their contract and thanked all the staff and volunteers for delivering an exceptional service.

Resolved: That the update be noted.

Reason:  To keep the Committee updated on going work.