Healthwatch City of London September newsletter
Welcome to our September newsletter.
As we go into Autumn our thoughts turn to vaccinations. In this newsletter we are able to share the latest on getting your flu and Covid jabs. Work is still in progress regarding where and when the Covid jab will be available, but we, at HWCoL, are committed to making sure it easily accessible.
Coffee and pastries with the Town Clerk at St Giles Church gives you the opportunity to hear the latest on making the City a healthier place, do join us to find out more, see below for details.
I am delighted to announce the first in a refreshed series of Patient Panels, which will be held later this month. As you are all aware cancer screening can help diagnose cancer at an early stage therefore increasing the chances of beating it. We’ll be joined by the Cancer Alliance team who will tell us all we need to know about how to get the correct screening at the right time The Cancer Alliance Team are those who plan the delivery of cancer care across North East London making sure services are joined up delivering the right care at the right time in the right place. A great chance to find out more about their work and its impact on us.
We restarted our Enter and View programme this week with a visit to the Goodman’s Fields Medical Centre in Tower Hamlets. The centre delivers care to those who live in the East of the City, and we will publish the report in the coming weeks. We are now in discussion with local hospitals and services to undertake further reviews. We would value your thoughts on where we should be focusing so tell us what you are worried about and where you think we should turn our attention to next on your behalf. Enter and View is one of the opportunities for service users to explore in-depth how services are experienced by those using them, so if you would like to be part of an Enter and View or just want to give us your thoughts on any of these services, please visit our website.
Ther lots more in this newsletter not only to be informative, but to help you get involved locally, so please do read on.
With warmest Wishes
Gail Beer , Chair HWCoL
Flu and COVID vaccination programme
The winter flu and COVID booster programme will start this week across the City and North East London, and we are sharing the most up to date information on how the vaccinations will be rolled out
Flu vaccinations
If you are an eligible patient of the Neaman Practice you will be sent an invitation via text with an embedded link to allow you to directly book an appointment, eligible patients without mobile phones will be written to. You will also be offered the flu jab, if eligible, whilst attending GP appointments. The Practice is hoping to run two clinics a day to deliver the jab.
The same process applies to those of you who are patients at the Goodmans Fields Medical Centre.
COVID Boosters
The Neaman Practice will NOT be delivering the COVID booster, this will be delivered through the Primary Care Network, we understand via a local pharmacy and a neighbouring GP Practice, but we are awaiting confirmation of the sites. We will update our website with information on where the COVID booster can be accessed once we have that confirmation.
We are working with health service providers to ensure that they offer Covid vaccinations locally and that City residents are not asked to travel long distances that require a substantial walk once you are off a bus.
Delivery of the vaccinations for the housebound is being co-ordinated by the Primary Care Network, you will be contacted via telephone to arrange a suitable time for both the COVID booster and flu.
Breakfast with the Town Clerk
Want to know more about the future of your local health and social care?
Find out directly, as Ian Thomas, the City of London Corporation’s CEO lays out the City’s vision for the next 5 years. Put your questions. Share your experiences and suggestions directly.
Then discover how Healthwatch is improving things locally – and address what matters to you.
Join us on the 19th of October from 09.30 (10am start) for coffee and pastries at St Giles Cripplegate Church, Fore Street, Barbican.
To join us you can register https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/healthwatch-city-of-london-annual-general-meeting-tickets-687958712027?aff=oddtdtcreator
We look forward to seeing you there!
Our Annual Survey Responses
We recently held our Annual Survey for our users and those we work with to find out what you think of us and our work. The survey was open for a total of three weeks during July.
We will be publishing the results soon on our website, but here are a few of the findings:
- Your main area of concern is access to GPs, but also includes waiting times and face to face appointments.
- Healthwatch City of London need to be more visible to you
- You want to know more about our work
- Our communications need to be more detailed, including more information on the impact of our work, and what it means to you and what the benefits to you of getting involved are.
- You get the majority of your information via our website and newsletters.
As a result of your feedback we are reviewing our Communications and engagement strategy and plans, to make sure it is more responsive and meets your needs. If you have any other ideas about getting our message across then do let us know. Thank you to everyone who gave their feedback,
We are always open to suggestions on how we can improve and deliver for you, so please do get in touch info@healthwatchcityoflondon.org.uk
All you need to know about Cancer Screening in the City
Cancer screening services are key to diagnosing cancer at an early stage. Join us and Caroline Cook, Early Diagnosis Programme Lead at the North East London Cancer Alliance to learn more about the cancer screening programme across London and its impact on you.
We are holding our Cancer Screening Patient Panel from 3pm - 5pm on Thursday 28th September, Golden Lane Community Centre. Email us to book your slot info@healthwatchcityoflondon.org.uk
Refreshments will be provided!
New Home Help Service from Age UK East London
A Home Help Service from Age UK East London has just become available for City residents (it is also available for Tower Hamlets, Hackney, and Newham).
It is a paid service at £25 per hour which can be used for all sorts of support, including sitting service (keeping the cared for company), dropping off post, assistance to appointments, shopping, light housework, dog walks, and more. Please note however that it does not include personal care.
If you have any questions about the service, please get in touch with the home and care team on 0203 0111 241 or homeandcare@ageukeastlondon.org.uk
For more information visit Home Help Service | City Connections
Help NHS North East London shape end of life and palliative care services
Care and support for our residents at the end of life needs to be delivered with compassion and care.
NHS Noth East London are inviting those with experience of end of life care or palliative care services to give their views. This may be from your own personal experience, your experience caring for a family member, or from a bereavement in the last year. This may include children, young people, as well as adults.
The aim is to further understand the things that help and the things that don’t, so that they can make services more sensitive to people’s differing needs, cultures and circumstances.
Please complete the online survey which is open to anyone living in Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Waltham Forest, City of London and Hackney.
The online survey will close on 9 October. Paper based surveys are also available from the main libraries and Age UK offices in north east London.
Your views will be analysed anonymously. If you have any questions or you need the survey in a different format, please email nelondonicb.nelcommunications@nhs.net or call us on 020 8221 5500.
The Big Conversation focus group with the Older Peoples Reference Group (OPRG)
Healthwatch CoL recently held one of the Big Conversation focus groups in collaboration with the OPRG. It was a wonderful opportunity to hear how Older People are experiencing current Health and Social Care services and the barriers that they are facing. The Big Conversation is a project being carried out by NHS North East London to listen to you, and understand your views about health, care and wellbeing and how it works in north east London. Feedback will be used to improve the quality of healthcare and to tackle health inequalities.
In the meeting we focused on the NHS priorities in Mental Health and for Long Term Conditions. Some of the issues that we heard about were around waiting times, lack of follow up appointments and issues when being discharged due to the lack of aftercare.
Mental Health particularly was the main concern of many attendees, and our group highlighted the need for preventative action, including a larger focus on mental health and suicide prevention at schools as well as a higher need for responsibility to fall on the Local Authority to provide more groups for the people to attend to rebuild a sense of community.
Social isolation was highlighted as a major factor in participants ability to cope with their Long Term Conditions. Participants pointed out that since covid they had a perception that there had been a loss of the community feeling and that events and places that drew communities together had disappeared. Furthermore, community leaders were not as visible. Do you feel this to be the case? Please let us know.
We look forward to hearing back from NHS North East London Trust on how they will address these issues that are directly affecting the care that Older People are experiencing as well as the evidence that has been delivered through the Big Conversation initiative.
Are you looking for fun and relaxing free activities in the City?
Dragon Café in the City host monthly activity days, where you can join in on some fun activities that also help promote your mental health and wellbeing.
The next activity day will be on Wednesday, 27th September at Shoe Lane Library where you can join in on DIY massage, an autumn watercolour workshop and paper animation and a drop in relax and paint session.
Over dispensing by pharmacies
We have been made aware of over dispensing of repeat prescriptions by the Portman Pharmacy, but they don’t seem to be alone in this. NHS North East London medicines optimisation team are currently looking into the situation and the Neaman Practice are also monitoring. Please do contact the surgery if you have concerns and raise them directly with your pharmacist at the time.
If you have been affected by this, please let us know info@healthwatchcityoflondon.org.uk
Help prioritise how local funding is spent.
Have your say on how funding should be spent to improve your local area and the activities on offer. By completing the Neighbourhood Fund Survey you can share your views and help shape the priorities of local grant funding across the City of London.
Each year the City of London’s Community Infrastructure Levy Neighbourhood Fund distributes over £2M in grants across the Square Mile. The fund’s primary focus is to provide neighbourhood infrastructure and community benefit for those who live and work within the City of London. The Neighbourhood Fund supports an extremely broad range of capital projects and community activities. From providing children’s workshops during school holidays, to supporting arts and health activities for young families both locally in community centres and at City-wide festivals. From improving the City’s green spaces for users and wildlife, to encouraging cycling through the provision of safe, secure cycle parking. From adapting buildings to reduce noise pollution, to animating public spaces through art designed for and with young residents.
The City of London Corporation would like to hear your views, access the link here: bit.ly/47wakXw
‘Not the person I used to be’ Healthwatch City of London and Healthwatch Hackney report into Long Covid
You will remember we undertook this project earlier this year and our conclusions and recommendations are now public. The aim of this project was to improve access to Long COVID services for residents, particularly those from underrepresented populations, living in City & Hackney.
Long COVID refers to the signs and symptoms that persist or develop after an acute COVID-19 infection. This report highlights the impact of Long COVID on individuals’ mental and physical health, as well as their ability to work and engage in daily activities.
The report identifies several of the barriers faced by individuals seeking support for Long COVID. These include a lack of information from trusted sources, isolation, cultural and language barriers, financial challenges, and a feeling of being a burden on resources. The findings from the report indicate that while most respondents sought help from their GPs, there were challenges in the referral process and accessing appropriate care. Peer support and clear communication were identified as crucial factors in improving the overall experience for individuals with Long COVID.
GPs were praised for their support and proactive approach to treating Long COVID.
Based on the findings, the report sets out a number of recommendations devised to enhance support structures for Long COVID patients. The primary focus includes, Awareness and Education, Enhanced Referral Process and Care Coordination, Support for Self-Management, Collaboration and Partnerships, and Inclusive Support Services
Have your say on the City and Hackney sexual and reproductive health strategy
Complete the questionnaire and/or join an online or in-person discussion. Shopping vouchers are available to those who join. Find out more and sign-up here bit.ly/SRHdiscussion
The questionnaire is available here City & Hackney Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy - Hackney Council - Citizen Space
Keep up to date with the latest advice
HWCoL are constantly updating our advice and information pages. Please make sure you visit them regularly. https://www.healthwatchcityoflondon.org.uk/advice-and-information
Get in touch with us
Visit our website for more information, news, and events, have your say about your care, and spread the word about Healthwatch City of London.
www.healthwatchcityoflondon.org.uk email: info@healthwatchcityoflondon.org.uk Tel: 020 3745 9563 Facebook: facebook.com/CoLHealthwatch Twitter: @HealthwatchCoL
Portsoken Health and Community Centre, 20 Little Somerset Street, London E1 8A
