Agenda item

Melanie Hall, Healthwatch Rotherham Manager

Melanie Hall, Manager, Rotherham Healthwatch, presented Healthwatch’s annual report and Escalation Policy and Procedure.

The report included:-

-          Summary

-          Our Work

-          Changes that had happened this year

-          Gathering local people’s views and making them known

-          Enabling local people to monitor the standard of local care services

-          The involvement of local people in the Commissioning and Scrutiny of local services

-          Making reports and recommendations about local care services

-          Providing advice and information about access to care services

-          Working with The Care Quality Commission and escalations of good practice

-          Sharing views with Healthwatch England

-          Working with the people of Rotherham

-          Engagement methods and activities

-          Who are our members

-          Our volunteers

-          Our Board and governance

Rotherham Healthwatch’s Mission was to be the first point of contact for all of Rotherham’s communities and individuals, to help them to have a means of improving their own and others quality of health, wellbeing and social care by promoting the local people’s following rights:-

·           The right to essential services

·           The right of access

·           The right to a safe, dignified and quality service

·           The right to information and education

·           The right to choose

·           The right to be listened to

·           The right to be involved

·           The right to live in a healthy environment

Discussion ensued on the report with the following highlighted:-

-          An area for improvement was the collection of data with regard to information and advice given

-          Examples of where Healthwatch had made a positive impact

-          Healthwatch worked with NHS England and had escalated a number of complaints to them

-          Rotherham Healthwatch was held in high esteem and had won a national award for its work

-          Currently the Healthwatch contract was held by Parkwood Healthcare but as from 1^st September, 2014, Rotherham Healthwatch would be run by Rotherham people and become a social enterprise

Discussion then ensued on the Escalation Policy and Procedure the aim of which was to ensure safe and uniform standards of reporting on the quality of health and social care providers were delivered.  It provided clarity to the public, providers and stakeholders as to when Healthwatch would escalate concerns/complaints/compliments/comments.

One comment on its own may not indicate risk or the quality of a service, however, many comments of the same nature/regard to the same service would.  The criteria set out in the Escalation Policy indicated what could be an indicator or risk, poor or good quality service, along with timeframes for services to take action.

The report set out in full details of the Policy and Procedure.

It was noted that:-

·           In the last 3 weeks there had been 2 “urgent” level of escalation but only 3 in total

·           Healthwatch had the power of “Enter and View” which was considered at the low level of the escalation process.  This would be appropriate where further information was required from the people using a Health or Social Care service and/or to satisfy Healthwatch that a change had been made following issues they had received.  It had not been used in Rotherham

·           Rotherham Healthwatch had tried to ensure that they were seen as different from the Care Quality Commission

·           Healthwatch England were very keen that all Healthwatch’s implemented Rotherham’s Escalation Policy

Resolved:-  (1)  That the Healthwatch annual report be noted.

(2)  That the Escalation Policy and Procedure for handling comments and concerns be noted.

(3)  That the Select Commission receive 6 monthly updates.