Reports Hub

In June 2024 Healthwatch East Sussex undertook ‘Enter and View’ visit to residential homes in East Sussex, talking to residents and staff about their experience of dentistry and oral health care.

As part of this process, we surveyed residents and staff on NHS Sussex proposals to pilot a domiciliary dental service to care home residents using dental therapists, with remote support from dentists. Our report provides evidence of residents’ and staff views, supporting the pilot project funded by NHS Sussex.

Throughout September 2023, Healthwatch East Sussex conducted various engagement activities to engage with people from Rye and the surrounding villages to hear their experiences of health and social care.

As part of our activity, we conducted ‘Enter and View’ visits at 19 care homes settings across Rye and Rother District. This report summarises our findings and recommendations.

Healthwatch in Sussex publish the final report ending our series nine of webinars capturing relatives and family carers experiences visiting their loved ones in care homes during the pandemic.

‘Staying connected with relatives and loved ones in residential settings – One Year On’ hosted on the 9^th November 2021 welcomed 42 attendees including health and care partners, regulators, providers and carers support organisations. Many of the family carers attended all nine webinars hosted throughout the year.

The webinars enabled family carers to:

• share their views and experiences with providers and health and care professionals, as well as
• receive timely updates on new guidance as it was implemented
• Raise the profile of Essential Carer role – nationally and locally
• Participate in Q & A sessions
• Access support; and
• So importantly, to have their voices heard

A video of the webinar is available to view here: https://youtu.be/CKxiiQnIDyQ 

You can read the final report which provides a summary of the discussion and actions via the link below.

A series of webinar events were organised between September 2020 and March 2021 on behalf of informal carers (families and friends) of care home residents. Their purpose was to:

• Share unpaid carers’ views and experiences of visiting (or not visiting) their relative or friend in a care home during the pandemic.
• Enable unpaid carers to ask questions and gain answers from health and social care representatives about current and future access to care home residents.
• Have access to timely, accurate information around official and local visiting guidelines.
• Raise any concerns about wider care home service improvement; and

Influence decisions made by health and care leaders during the pandemic

East Sussex Care Homes Wellbeing Project – Relatives and Carers

Zoom Webinar held on Tuesday 23 March 2021 from 3:00 to 4:00 pm (Part 1)

‘What could and should health and care organisations be doing to support relatives and carers?’

Zoom Webinar held on Wednesday 24^th February 2021 from 3:00 to 3:45 pm (Part 1) on:

“The impact of long-term restricted visiting/separation from loved ones is having on families”

East Sussex Care Homes Wellbeing Project – Relatives and Carers

Zoom Webinar held on Monday 25^th January 2021 from 3:00 to 4:00 pm

During the COVID-19 pandemic there have been considerable challenges across Sussex care homes, including how to keep families in touch with their relatives.

On the 10th November Healthwatch in Sussex1 hosted an online webinar for families and friends of care home residents. It explored the impact and potential solutions to the separation of care home residents and their loved ones in a pandemic.

This is the fourth programme of Enter and View visits to care homes carried out by Healthwatch East Sussex. The reports of the first three enter and view visits are below under “related reports”.

This is the third programme of enter and view visits to care homes carried out by Healthwatch East Sussex. The other reports can be found below under “related reports”.

It is the intention of Healthwatch East Sussex to visit all the care homes in East Sussex over the next three years as part of wider engagement plan. This report brings together the findings from our second wave of visits involving care homes providing nursing care.

A number of care homes in East Sussex have been rated as inadequate by the Care Quality Commission, following their inspections. A sizeable number have also been rated as ‘requires improvement’, which is the rating one up from inadequate.