‘You Said – We Did’ – January 2024

Our activity in January

You Said:

We heard from a concerned parent whose child had a painful verruca. Their GP practice had informed them they don’t provide verruca treatment, and they didn’t know what to do next.

We Did:

We contacted NHS Sussex, who suggested trying over the counter medication first is recommended, but cryotherapy is offered as a standard GP service and should be available if needed. We passed this information onto the parent.

You Said:

We were contacted by a disabled patient who could no longer get to their GP practice. Due to their limited mobility, they didn’t drive, were unable to use public transport and could not afford a taxi.

We Did:

We researched transport options and identified a free pre-bookable, door to door ‘dial-a-ride’ service that the individual could access. We shared the service details and sent them an information leaflet so they had the details to-hand.

You Said:

We were contacted by an individual who wanted help to make a formal complaint regarding a family member’s treatment by an NHS Service.

We Did:

We shared our Healthwatch Guidance on Health and Care Complaints, as well as signposting them to The Advocacy People to access free and confidential Independent Health Complaints Advocacy support.

You Said:

We were contacted by an individual seeking an NHS dentist accepting new patients in the Lewes part of East Sussex. This is one of our most common enquires.

We Did:

We reviewed the Find-a-Dentist website and list of additional dentistry sessions. We emailed details of a practice in Lewes accepting new NHS patients, the Sussex Dental Helpdesk number and HWiS guide to Dentistry.

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)