Health and Care Together

BUSINESS NAME Health and Care Together Health and Care Together Wigan Borough Local Involvement Network Summer 2009 Wigan Borough Local Involvement Network (LINk) Newsletter 16 November 2011 Use your experience to make a difference! I ve taken Health and Care Together newsletters out into my community I help make decisions as a member of the steering group I ve put forward the views of service users from the groups I am involved with Here are some of our current members saying how they help to improve health and social care services. If you would like to use your skills and experience, please see details on the back page. 1

Patients to receive appointment reminders Missed appointments are a really big problem for the health service and mean longer waiting times for everyone, not just the patient who has not attended their appointment. Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust, had 40,000 missed appointments last year, and are committed to reducing this number. To achieve this, a new Patient Reminder Service has been launched, which should reduce the number of missed appointments by thousands over the next three years. Patients will receive a text or voice message reminder around a week before they are due to come in. If the patient advises staff that they cannot make the appointment, it is then given to someone else. Patients are sent one last reminder a day or two before the appointment, which acts as a final prompt to ensure that they have not forgotten. The Local Involvement Network played an important part in helping the Trust design the service, with many members providing useful suggestions around how the Trust could word the messages and when they should be sent. The Trust would like to extend its appreciation to all Local Involvement Network members who provided valuable feedback on the reminder service design. Who cares for the Carers? We do. Wigan Council s Carers Support Team is working in partnership with all health providers to establish support for carers. We have produced the: Who I Am Passport: helps carers to record important details of the person they look after, ensuring the right help is given. Priority Blood Card for Carers: can be used when attending the Phlebotomy clinic, enabling carers to be prioritised. Time for Carers Funding Carers can access a one-off payment of up to 100, which can be used towards something that would help the carer take a break from their caring role. Emergency Card Scheme gives carers peace of mind that, should something happen to prevent them from being able to provide care, the cared for will not be left without support. Amanda Allinson, Carers Support Worker, explains: The kind of help carers need is very individual... Carers find themselves in a position where all their conversations relate to the person they care for. These initiatives show a commitment by health providers within the borough towards carers. By working closely with our health partners and the voluntary sector, we will support carers and ensure they are treated with dignity, respect and understanding For further details please contact Amanda Allinson on 01942 705983 or email ssdcarers@wigan.gov.uk 2

Hello! Well it s that time of year again, the season of goodwill and chaos. Most of us love it but there are some who for various reasons don t enjoy Christmas. It could be that loneliness stops some from enjoying this time of year. Many people would feel much better if friends and neighbours paid them a visit maybe taking something with them, something as small and silly as say a mince pie or even an invitation to Christmas festivities or a lift to church. It could make a big difference to them and their life. On a different note, some members of the steering group, myself included, went on a course organised by LINks, titled Roles and Responsibilities. The course was, I thought, very good and very informative. I don t think it told any of us anything that we didn t already know, however it did make me personally think about the responsibility that I accepted when I took on the role of a steering group member of LINks and how much I actually contribute towards that group. Wouldn t it be good if we could all look at our roles/responsibilities and try to live up to our personal aspirations. Health and care are things that affect all of us at some stage of our life, wouldn t we and don t we make a fuss if the care and healthcare that we receive doesn t work properly or come up to our expectations, so why do we not help LINks to try and find a way of making things work better and improving services? There are different ways of becoming an active participant of Health and Care Together such as helping with promotion, joining a task group, taking out surveys. By giving a commitment to help further the aims of Health and Care Together you will be helping to improve health and care services in the Borough, just ask about how you can get involved! Let s make Wigan a leader in the field of health and care. With your help, we can do it. Come on Wigan. Chris Arkwright My Life, My Choices When looking for care and support services, don t forget about Wigan Council's new signposting website: www.mylifemychoices.wigan.gov.uk You can find a wide range of information about the different choices which offer support to people when they need it most. There is a new area which will guide you step by step through the journey to getting the support you need. Once you have got on the site click on the following links: Choices for me I know what my needs are getting support 3

Patient Participation Group Network News Our Pathfinder Work taking us to HealthWatch Group Work All Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) registered with Health & Care Together are regularly invited to provide an update, share an experience or ask a question. Here, the Aspull Surgery PPG provide an account of their inaugural meeting. Aspull Surgery Patient Participation Group The group had its first meeting on Tuesday 1st November. There are currently 6 members of a Patient Steering Group and the Practice Manager, Suzanne Holland, is trying to develop a PPG where every patient of the practice can be involved. To establish the group, a small steering committee has been formed and the members of the committee come from a variety of backgrounds and include the local Councillor. One of the members has written our very first Patient Group newsletter to give patients information on the practice, including technology, prescriptions, referrals and the local demographics. One of the items coming up for the PPG to consider is value for money. Everything the practice does has to be value for money and the group will be looking at a questionnaire seeking patient s views. Suzanne, thanked all patients at the practice who have given up their time to meet and be a part of the PPG, especially Mr. Blood who has written the newsletter and Suzanne welcomes other patients at Aspull Surgery to become part of the group by contacting the receptionist or visiting the website to check out the patient participation pages www.aspullsurgery.co.uk Get Involved in the Patient Participation Network If your patient participation group would like to get involved with our network please contact Karen Wilson on 01942 705522 or karenw@thebha.org.uk Please forward any contributions to the Network News to Karen before 9 th January 2012 for inclusion in the next newsletter. PPGs wishing to submit stories about their experiences are also particularly welcome. 4 www.healthandcaretogether.co.uk

PPG Network meeting hosted by Health and Care Together on 13th October 2011 The PPG Network held its second meeting on the 13th October with 12 PPGs being represented from a current total of 23 who are signed up to the Network. Malcolm Coe, a member of the Health & Care Together Steering Group, is now the nominated lead for the Network. Members were given up update on HealthWatch and Wigan Borough as a Pathfinder and the importance of the role of this Network as part of the Borough s pathfinder role. There was considerable interest and discussion about the role of the Shadow Health and Wellbeing Board, the involvement of lay representatives on that Board and how PPGs can influence the involvement of local people. Stuart Cowley, Director of Personalisation and Partnerships at Wigan Council has been invited to the next meeting to provide an overview of the work involved in developing HealthWatch locally and what this means for Wigan. Representatives were asked to take draft Terms of Reference back to their PPGs for discussion and comment with the aim of formalising the group and agreeing a way forward and a membership form has also been developed. If you are a member of a PPG who is not currently signed up to the PPG Network please contact Karen Wilson on 01942 705522 or email karenw@thebha.org.uk to receive a copy of the draft Terms of Reference and a membership form. Judith White, Management Lead, United League Clinical Commissioning Group (ULC), gave an update on the current situation in Wigan and the work of ULC. A copy is available from Karen Wilson upon request. If you have a story to tell from your PPG or you want to share a problem which you think others may have tackled, why not submit an article for the next newsletter. Forward any articles you wish to be submitted to Karen by 9th January 2012. The next meeting will be held on Thursday, 19th January 2012. Please do not hesitate to contact Karen if you would like further details karenw@thebha.org.uk Look out for: Our Healthwatch Briefing paper with information on the transformation of Local Involvement Networks (LINks) into Healthwatch. Plus information on the new health structures within the Wigan Borough such as the shadow Health and Wellbeing Board, NHS locality boards and GP Clinical Commissioning Groups. If you are a participant of Health and Care Together you will automatically receive a copy. 5

Help improve the quality of health services in the Wigan Borough Are you interested in helping Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust to improve the quality of health services in the Wigan Borough? They are looking for new volunteers to join their: Clinical Audit Patient Panel When we hear the word audit, most of us think of accountants checking financial records. When accountants do an audit, they check to see if a company has followed correct financial procedures. The same basic principles apply to a clinical audit. It is about checking that patients are treated in the right way and get the right care. Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust would like to involve their members and those of the wider community in clinical audit. Do you enjoy working with other people as part of a team? Do you have some time to spare? Would you like to learn more about clinical audit? Would you like to help us improve the quality of our services? Please contact: Andrea Arkwright, Head of Engagement. Telephone: 01942 822193. Email: andrea.arkwright@wwl.nhs.uk Expert Patient Programme: A Personal View In 2006 I had an accident which resulted in injury to my back and thigh, I was in a lot of pain, struggled to walk, was taking high doses of pain killers and could not sleep with the pain. I was told about the EPP Expert patient Programme by CVS Council for Volunteer Services. I enrolled on the programme, a 6 week course which looked at stress, pain management, distraction, coping strategies and general support. We were guided through a journey by facilitators who also had long term conditions, therefore understood the issues we faced. At the end of the course I was still in pain but had learned so much, I realised it was normal to feel the way I felt and it was not the end of the world, life can go on with small steps. I made friends and collected tips to help deal with my pain, things like a tens machine (this saved my sanity at times), memory foam mattress and other tips which helped me deal with pain. One of the biggest things I learned was not to be tough on myself and to accept I would not be able to do things like I did before. I was so inspired I became a facilitator and delivered 4 courses. Seeing the transformation in people attending the sessions was amazing. Reintroducing this programme could make a real difference to people lives. 6

Eat healthily with the Sunflower Project The Sunflower Project have announced two, five week healthy eating courses aimed at providing nutritious tasty food for babies as well as families. If you have, or know anyone who has a baby that is due to be weaned in January, why not attend Healthy Cooking for you and your baby? Alternatively, the Cook and Taste course offers families the chance to take a balanced meal/taster home following the class. Courses are free but require a 5 deposit. So just 1 put away each week would enable you to attend. Please note, deposits are returned on the last session of each course (Wednesday 8 th and Thursday 16 th February). People that have attended these courses in the past they have described them as brill and have learned so much. We all need to do what we can to tackle childhood obesity and ensure our children are well fed so why not come along? For more details and booking enquiries contact Sue Pilling, Project Coordinator. s.pilling@wigan.gov.uk www.facebook.com/sunflowerprojectwigan Tel: 01942 775825 Relate and Macmillan join forces to help manage relationships after a cancer diagnosis Cancer and it s treatment can have a big impact on the relationship a patient has with their partner and/or family. Even if the changes and problems experienced are only temporary, it is important that those involved are helped to understand what is happening. Now, Macmillan Cancer Support is working with Relate in Greater Manchester to offer free counselling sessions with professionals who have undergone extra training in cancer awareness. These specialist counsellors are able to meet with the patient and their partner, or family including children, parents or siblings to help talk through a wide range of issues. Relate offers confidential counselling and will never divulge personal information to any outside organisation unless they believe that someone is at risk. For more information: http://www.relate-gmn.co.uk/ Telephone 0845 1651830 Working in partnership with 7

Health and Care Together is... a Local Involvement Network (LINk), (every Borough in the country has a LINk). These have been set up to give all individuals the opportunity to comment on the health and social care services they receive. Here at Health and Care Together we listen to your views and pass them on to the people who plan and run services with the intention of making them better. We are the network that can give you your voice to make a positive change to the care you receive. if you would like to get involved see below how you can contact the team. Anne, Julie, Gail and Karen would love to hear from you! Do you want to LINk up? So many ways to get involved come along and have some fun whilst making a difference! 8 If you would like to find out how you can use your skills and experience to get involved, you can fill out the form below and post back to us: Freepost RRZR-ACRS-BAJT, Wigan Borough Local Involvement Network, 1 st Floor Office CT3, Wigan Investment Centre, Waterside Drive, Wigan, WN3 5BA. Or you can contact us: Tel: 01942 705522, 01942 705839, or e-mail info@healthandcaretogether.co.uk. Alternatively you can text your views on 07525 237731. Name... Address...... Postcode... Telephone Number... Email... Comments......