Priorities for 2022/23 – Healthwatch Blackburn with Darwen

Healthwatch Blackburn with Darwen will make a positive contribution to the successful local achievement of outcomes set out in national frameworks for the NHS, primary care, adult social care and public health. Particular attention will be paid to:

Improved patient and user experience.
Improved communication.
Improved satisfaction with health in local area.
Greater patient and public involvement in health and social care.
Strong relationship with commissioners, the Health &Wellbeing Board and the Health and Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Improved access to services.
Improved people’s understanding of their rights (consumer champion) and taking a human rights-based approach to championing their rights
High public Awareness/Profile of Healthwatch.
Good image/trust of Healthwatch with the public.

Special Delivery Functions

Gathering views and understanding the experiences of patients and the public.
Making people’s views known.
Promoting and supporting the involvement of people in the commissioning and provision of local care services and how they are scrutinized.
Function Four: Recommending investigation or special review of services via Healthwatch England or directly to the Care Quality Commission (CQC)
Providing advice and information (signposting) about access to services and support for making informed choices.
Making the views and experiences of people known to Healthwatch England (and to other local Healthwatch organisations) and providing a steer to help it carry out its role as national champion.
NHS Complaints Advocacy

Health and Well-being Strategy

The workplan has been aligned against the three main strands in Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council’s Health & Well-being Strategy.

Start well
Live well
Age well

Youth Voice in Healthcare

Healthwatch will continue to support the delivery of the Young People’s Participation Panel at East Lancashire Hospital Trust and we will engage with young people attending youth clubs across the borough in a young person led health research project, focusing on a topic that is important to them – with a particular focus on Young Inspectors and Youth Health Champions

To support residents of Blackburn with Darwen to have their say about health and social care provision in the borough
To provide a high-quality information and advice service to our residents and to make them aware of the difference their views make on health and social care provision in the borough

People’s Experience of Hospital Discharge

We will deliver a short project focused on people’s experiences of hospital discharge following negative feedback we received from residents about this in 2021/22.

To support residents of Blackburn with Darwen to have their say about health and social care provision in the borough.
To provide a high-quality information and advice service to our residents and to make them aware of the difference their views make on health and social care provision in the borough.
To ensure that residents’ views help improve health and care provision.

People’s Experiences of Accessing Support for Substance Misuse

We will gather residents’ experiences of accessing support for substance misuse. This feedback will help shape the delivery of the new contract in the borough, ensuring that is patient centred.

To support residents of Blackburn with Darwen to have their say about health and social care provision in the borough.
To provide a high-quality information and advice service to our residents and to make them aware of the difference their views make on health and social care provision in the borough.
To ensure that residents’ views help improve health and care provision.

Travellers’ Experiences of Accessing Health and Social Care Services

The Healthwatch BwD team were keen to deliver a project focused on a ‘seldom heard’ group in the borough and have met with the BwD Council representative who has an office on the Ewood site to discuss how this might be delivered to best engage with travellers on the site.

To support residents of Blackburn with Darwen to have their say about health and social care provision in the borough.
To be a sustainable and well run organisation.

Residential Care Home Engagement

We will deliver an Enter and View programme in residential care homes across the borough to understand people’s views and experiences of the residential care home provision in the borough.

To support residents of Blackburn with Darwen to have their say about health and social care provision in the borough.
To ensure that residents’ views help improve health and care provision.

Find out more about the Enter & View project here

Measuring the Impact of Healthwatch Work

We will revisit our work in previous years to understand how services have changed as a result of our recommendations.

To ensure that residents’ views help improve health and care provision.
To be a sustainable and well run organisation.

Community Voice and Information and Signposting

We will continue to deliver information and signposting services across the borough, with key locations of Barbara Castle Way Medical Centre and Darwen Health Centre. We will also provide information and signposting services at key events across the borough.

To support residents of Blackburn with Darwen to have their say about health and social care provision in the borough.
To provide a high-quality information and advice service to our residents and to make them aware of the difference their views make on health and social care provision in the borough.

Volunteer Programme

We will continue to support volunteer engagement in our programmes of activity.

To support residents of Blackburn with Darwen to have their say about health and social care provision in the borough.
To be a sustainable and well run organisation.