‘You Said – We Did’ – April 2024

Our activity in April 2024

You Said:

We received a complaint intended for a patient’s GP surgery. The individual had contacted their surgery several times to discuss their issue but had not received a call back.

We Did:

We sent the patient our Healthwatch complaints guide, which explains how to complain about a GP service. We also fed back to NHS Sussex how the lack of a visible email address at some GPs impacts on the accessibility of the complaints process.

You Said:

We heard from an individual on the list for a hip replacement. They had been told the wait is at least 6 months. They were in severe pain and were unsure how they would cope.

We Did:

We shared information on the Right to Choose where you receive your treatment, and a link to the My Planned Care website, which includes information on waiting times for different services.

You Said:

We were contacted by an individual who needed orthopedic services that were not available locally. They were concerned how they could access this as they struggled to travel.

We Did:

We shared details of the non-emergency patient transport service (NEPTS), who transport eligible patients who are unable to use public transport (due to medical reasons) or have no private alternative to health appointments.

You Said:

A concerned individual shared their poor experience at a local Urgent Treatment Centre. They felt staffing levels were inappropriate and this impacted on patient safety, including their own.

We Did:

We provided the individual with complaints and advocacy advice. We also passed their feedback on to both the patient experience team of the hospital, and the Care Quality Commission due to patient safety concerns.

Our Contributions and Interventions

• We met with All Age Continuing Healthcare to feedback the concerns families have brought to us about a lack of timely communication from the service and not being included in decision making related to their cases. All Age Continuing Healthcare welcomed our feedback, encouraged us to continue sharing experiences with them and clarified where to signpost service users who have concerns about their care moving forwards.
• At our monthly meeting with NHS Sussex Primary Care colleagues, we continued to follow-up on the issue from our Listening Tour about the provision of satellite and outreach services provided by GPs in rural Rother to support improving access. We also requested clarity for patients on Locally Commissioned Services, which are those offered over and above those provided through GPs core contracts.
• We met with our colleagues from The Advocacy People who deliver Independent Health Complaints Advocacy in East Sussex. Our discussions highlighted limited public and professional awareness of advocacy, and some confusion between the different types of advocacy and the eligibility to access it. We agreed to explore with colleagues in our Integrated Care System how the profile and benefits of advocacy could be raised so people are able to access support when they need it.
• We provided feedback to proposals sent to the Sussex Primary Care Commissioning Group (PCCG) about expanding the boundaries of three GP practices in East Sussex. We acknowledged the potential benefits around expanded patient choice, but highlighted concerns over the low levels of practice, patient and public engagement. These concerns were acknowledged, and further engagement work will now be undertaken before decisions are taken.

Tell us your experiences of local health and care services

We always want to hear the experiences of local people when they use health and care services.

You can share your experience by leaving a review on our Feedback Centre at any time and tell us how things were for you. What was good and what could be improved?

You can also share your experience or seek further support with health and care enquiries from our Information & Signposting service via:

Email: Enquiries@healthwatcheastsussex.co.uk

Telephone: 0333 101 4007 Monday – Friday (10am-2pm)