Healthwatch City of London April Newsletter
Chat from our Chair
Welcome to our April newsletter! Nothing is more important to us than your thoughts and views and when it comes to how you think we are doing there is nothing we value more. This month we are launching our Annual Survey, where you will have the chance to share your opinions about us, if you think we are making a difference and that we have our priorities right, could do better, getting it about right? now is your opportunity to tell us. It really helps us to know what you think so we can be more responsive to what’s worrying you.
Following on from our successful launch to provider organisations we are looking forward to the Public launch of our Digi Apps report, we’ll be joined by Madeleine Maxwell, Digital Inclusion Lead at Homerton Hospital, and hear more about their response to it, more information will be down below.
We’ve also recently published our report into the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALs), we know a lot of people may be unaware that this service is available to them and how it functions, but we also know some of you haven’t always found it very accessible. In the report, you’ll see how hard it can be to access this service and the barriers that surround it, in the report we have listed our recommendations on how hospitals can improve the accessibility of this service to ensure patients and family members can use the service effectively.
You may be aware the abolishment of NHS England, changes to ICB funding and the new GP contract, we know these changes may be complicated and hard to understand so we’ve made sure this newsletter gives more information.
Finally we see the return of our Health in the City event in June, a date for your diary, so join us and the Neaman practice to find out more about staying healthy, and how to access services in our local community.
We hope to see you at our upcoming events, if you want to provide any feedback on your experience with your health and social care services, please email us at info@healthwatchcityoflondon.org.uk
Gail
Chair, Healthwatch City of London
Launching our Annual Survey
Today we are launching our Annual Survey to help us better understand how you see us and if we are achieving our goals and if those goals resonate with you.
This is your chance to give your opinion on us, Healthwatch City of London. You can let us know what you think of us and health and social care in the City by completing the survey below. You’ll also have the chance to let us know where you think we should focus our efforts and where you think we have been successful, and what more you'd like to see from us.
You can complete the survey here
Join our Public Launch for our Digi Apps Report
We’re holding a Public Launch for our Digi Apps Report, followed by lunch, to discuss the findings of our report and how we can make a difference. We’ll be joined by Madeleine Maxwell, Digital Inclusion Lead at Homerton Hospital who will be discussing her thoughts on the report, how it relates to the work she and her team are currently conducting and how it affects the wider community across north east London.
We hope you can join us on Friday, 25th April from 11:30am to 1:30pm at the Portsoken Community Centre. Spaces are limited so register now!
Tell us about your experience of the Neaman Practice new booking system
At your request, we'll be holding a focus group for Carers during IMAGO's Carers Drop in session on Friday 11th April to create a ‘how to guide’ on how patients and carers are able to best use the new booking system.
We want to hear how the new system is working for you and those you care for, if you find that there are benefits to the change or if you’re now finding it harder to book an appointment.
If you want to give us your thoughts and feedback, we'll be at the Sir Ralph Perring Room on the Golden Lane Estate on Friday, 11th April from 11am to 12pm.
It’s back – Health in the City Day 2025 with the Neaman practice
Following the huge success of our Health in the City Day last summer we are delighted to announce that we are holding another one this year! Save the date, Saturday 21st June 2025 at the Golden Lane community centre.
Already signed up are Carers Connections, OPRG, Age UK City of London, Neaman Practice, Dragon Café in the City, Advocacy Project, Better Together, Primary Care Network (PCN) and new this year the PCN will be providing free health checks and there will be wellbeing activities to take part in.
We are very much looking forward to seeing you all there.
Our visit to the Aldgate Food Club
Earlier this month, we visited the Aldgate Food CLUB located at the Artizan Library. It was a great opportunity to be out and about meeting residents in our community, as usual we are always looking to hear more about your experiences and thoughts about local health and social care services. We were able to help those who had recently experienced issues with their care by signposting queries to other health services.
The Aldgate Food Club is held at the Artisan Library every Thursday from 2pm to 4pm. The Food On Our Doorstep (FOOD) clubs, which are located across London, provide good-quality food at a low cost, while also reducing food waste. It costs just £1 a year for a family to become a member. Once you’ve joined, you can purchase a bag of tasty food items every week worth approx. £15 for just £4!
To become a member you must live or work within approximately 15 minutes of a club. For information on how to access this service, visit here
What the changes to NHS England mean for you
You may have recently heard that the UK government has decided to abolish NHS England and bring management of the NHS back under the Department of Health and Social Care.
The change comes to try, to tackle “bloated and inefficient bureaucracy” which has created issues with NHS staff “drowning in micro-management”, Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care stated in Parliament. By removing NHS England, the government believes the money that would be saved, would be able to be used for front line patient care, resulting in lower waiting times and more patients being able to access care.
This removal of NHS England will take two years, and during these two years, the functions of NHS England will be transferred to the Department of Health and Social Care.
We know these changes may be confusing, we will be keeping you updated and informed in our newsletters and on our website, it is critical for us that these changes, including large staffing cuts do not impact the care or engagement that patients are experiencing.
Changes to walk in blood tests at St Bartholomew’s hospital
The following information has been advertised in their latest newsletter.
Walk in blood tests at St Bartholomew’s are no longer available, patients will now need to book their appointments in advance or on the same day.
The hospital state that the changes have been made to reduce long waiting times and improve the experience for patients. By booking a slot, you will know when you’ll be seen, and spend less time spent waiting.
Patients can book ahead online using their booking link
If you haven’t booked in advance, a kiosk near Clinic 1 on the ground floor of the hospital will allow you to book a same-day appointment when you arrive. Patients who have a pre-booked test can check in at the kiosk up to an hour before their appointment. However, you should still aim to arrive at least ten minutes before your scheduled time to keep things running smoothly.
These changes apply to St Bartholomew's Hospital only. For details of blood test booking at other Barts Health hospitals, you can check the Barts Health website
We will be monitoring how this changes access for patients, and we will be focusing on those people who don’t have digital access. This system has been implemented elsewhere across the country and has helped reduce waiting times, but does take time to bed in. That said if you are experiencing difficulties using the new system or haven’t been able to access the service, please let us know. We will be working with the hospital to make sure the new system is fair and easy to use.
How the GP contract for 2025-26 will impact patient care
Following the announcement last month that the government had agreed a new one-year contract with GPs, we're now bringing you more details of what the changes mean to patient care from 1 April.
Overall, funding for core GP work is increasing by £889m, equating to a payment of £121.79 per patient.
There are many changes being made, including on appointment booking. From October, practices will have to keep online consultation services switched on during core opening times (8am-6.30pm), to allow people to request a non-urgent appointment, a repeat prescription or make an admin query. There will be measures put into place to make sure patients are not mistakenly submitting urgent requests online that aren't seen by staff for some time. It is important to note that patients will still be able to contact their practice, by phone, online or by walking in.
There are also changes to pre-referral advice for patients, GPs will be incentivised with a £20 enhanced service payment each time they seek 'advice and guidance' (A&G) from specialists instead of, or before, referring patients to outpatient appointments. They are also looking to reduce premature mortality from heart disease or stroke by 25% within a decade.
Regarding childhood vaccinations, GPs will be paid £2 more for each childhood vaccination they give to try and boost overall uptake.
We want to make sure these changes aren’t negatively impacting your care, if you have any feedback you want to share with us, please email us at info@healthwatchcityoflondon.org.uk
City of London 0 to 2 years childcare consultation
Do you access or plan to access 0-2 childcare (nursery or pre-school) in the City of London? Do you work in a City of London childcare setting? If so, the City of London Corporation are seeking your views to inform the development of a 0-2 childcare policy.
The consultation is now live and closes 2 May. Visit the City Corporation’s website to find out how you can get involved.
Support you can access for your council tax
NHS East London Foundation Trust have released a leaflet on tips on how you can save money and get support with your council tax.
You can check out the tips and support you can access here
Get in touch with us!
Visit our website for more information, news and events, have your say about your care www.healthwatchcityoflondon.org.uk email: info@healthwatchcityoflondon.org.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/CoLHealthwatch Twitter: @HealthwatchCoL Insta:HealtwatchCity
