Healthwatch Lincolnshire is a consumer champion for health and social care issues. It is not part of the NHS, but will raise issues of local significance to Healthwatch England for it to use as influencing evidence at government level. Here, information and signposting officer Julie Evans (pictured) describes a typical day at the office in Swineshead…
My day starts with a phone call from a man who has tried to get hospital transport and has been turned down. His appointment is the following day and he is anxious about how he will get there.
After listening to him and taking all the relevant information, it seems that he may well fit all the criteria (eligibility criteria for hospital transport) so I reassure him and let him know that I will contact the provider, go through the necessary information with them and contact him with an update.
He gives me his permission for the transport office to make contact directly with him as they have been willing to do this for me on many occasions.
I phone and speak to the transport office, go through the information that has been given to me by the patient and we establish that “yes indeed” he was eligible for hospital transport as he fulfils the criteria and they agree to contact him to arrange suitable transport for his forthcoming appointment. Later on in the morning, the patient rings back to let us know that he is very happy that transport has been arranged and to say thank you.
That brings a smile to my face!
As the day goes on, I deal with many similar patients ringing to find solutions to some of their issues, some of which include providing information or signposting to get advice or help, listening to their concerns or positive comments about all aspects of health and social care needs and keeping them informed about the next steps open to them.
Many people can go to the next step by themselves but don’t know where to find the information. Others might need some assistance, whilst some need their hands holding through what appears to them, to be a very complex and daunting system.
In those cases, in particular we can ensure that they are made aware of the right organisation or provider to give them additional support or guidance.
Between each phone call, I log every conversation, comment or issue on our Healthwatch Lincolnshire database accordingly with the information obtained from each contact made with us. This information will be collated and reported on a monthly basis (no personal details are included in these reports) and are sent out to all the Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), Care Quality Commissioners (CQC), United Lincolnshire Hospital Trusts (ULHT), Lincolnshire Community Health Services (LCHS), GP surgeries and many more providers and organisations.
All feedback forms that are brought back by the team of volunteers and engagement staff are also logged onto the system so that we have a wealth of information from the Lincolnshire community about health and social care services.
So, I am here waiting for your call and happy to listen to what you have to say. Do you have something that you would like to share about health and social care in Lincolnshire? Just call us on 01205 820892 and ask for Julie or Chris – we’re listening!
