Agenda item

To receive an update from Gloucestershire Healthwatch on the new arrangements and how they impact on the borough. 

79.1           The Chair invited the representatives from Healthwatch Gloucestershire to make their presentation to the Committee.

79.2          The Healthwatch Gloucestershire Manager advised that Healthwatch was a statutory service which covered the whole country – there were 152 in England. The Gloucestershire team was comprised of four staff based locally in the office and 20-30 volunteers who supported their work.  Central resources were shared with Healthwatch Somerset and West Dorset and they had also received additional support from Healthwatch Wiltshire which had now moved on to another provider.  Gloucestershire Healthwatch listened to people’s experiences of health and social care and used this to identify trends across the county.  It was then able to go back to commissioners or providers to try and influence change.  Priorities were developed on an annual basis depending on what was being reported by the public, care providers, scrutiny committees and Healthwatch England – Healthwatch Gloucestershire’s national umbrella organisation.  In terms of current work, a survey was being undertaken focusing on mental health services, which was a priority both locally and nationally and would continue to be on the agenda for the remainder of the contract.  In the coming months, Healthwatch Gloucestershire would be working with the Clinical Commissioning Group in relation to the local response to the NHS Long Term Plan which required public engagement.

79.3          The Healthwatch Gloucestershire Volunteer Officer advised that her role was to train volunteers across the country to support the work which was done in each district.  Community volunteers were based at hospitals, libraries and community events where they talked to people about their experiences and listened to stories about health and social care.  Volunteers also represented Healthwatch Gloucestershire on Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) and at other meetings.  There were currently only two volunteers covering the Tewkesbury Borough area and she welcomed suggestions from the Committee as to where other links could be made to ensure that the opinions of local residents were represented. 

79.4          A Member questioned whether the number of volunteers had declined and, if so, what the reasons were for that.  The Healthwatch Gloucestershire Manager explained that there had been a natural shed of volunteers as a result of a change of contract from the previous providers in April 2017.  There were currently around 40 volunteers on the books, of which 20-30 were active – the two areas least represented in Gloucestershire were Tewkesbury Borough and the Forest of Dean but she was unsure if there was a particular reason for this.  A Member asked what were considered as the main barriers to volunteering and whether the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was a factor.  In response, the Healthwatch Gloucestershire Volunteer Officer indicated that their volunteers usually had an interest in health and social care so they tended to be ex-health professionals or those who had experienced health issues; GDPR was not a particular issue for Healthwatch Gloucestershire.

79.5           A Member suggested that it would be beneficial for Gloucestershire Healthwatch to speak to the community teams within Tewkesbury Borough Council who would be aware of neighbourhood projects in the area.  The Lead Member for Health and Wellbeing advised that the Prior’s Park Neighbourhood Project had a community engager who worked with Green Square and she suggested this was another avenue Healthwatch Gloucestershire might wish to explore.  Another Member pointed out that there were three food banks in the borough which could also be an important source of information.  A Member queried whether links could be made with the Fire Service and the Healthwatch Gloucestershire Manager confirmed there had been links in the past and Healthwatch did signpost people to the ‘Safe and Well’ scheme. The Deputy Chief Executive indicated that he would be happy to put the representatives in touch with relevant officers, in addition, he was Co-Chair of the Financial Inclusion Partnership so there may be an opportunity for Healthwatch Gloucestershire to go along to one of those meetings.  In terms of volunteers, there could be scope for Tewkesbury Borough Council staff to help on volunteering days and the Gloucestershire Volunteer and Community Sectors (VCS) Alliance was based at the Public Services Centre.  He undertook to investigate the various opportunities for links with Gloucestershire Healthwatch following the meeting.

79.6           The Chief Executive indicated that the Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group was doing a lot of work around the NHS Long Term Plan and revisions to the GP network in Gloucestershire.  There was a move to develop local integrated health partnerships at a district level, based on the partnerships already in place and, if that was the case, he questioned whether that was something that Healthwatch Gloucestershire would be able to engage in.  The Healthwatch Gloucestershire Manager confirmed that trained volunteers sat on the Clinical Commissioning Group boards and supported Healthwatch Gloucestershire in ensuring that members of the public had their voices heard.  The NHS 10 year plan was a key piece of work for Healthwatch England and Healthwatch Gloucestershire would be carrying out considerable engagement alongside the Clinical Commissioning Group in that regard whilst taking care to minimise duplication. 

79.7           The Chair thanked the representatives from Healthwatch Gloucestershire for attending and it was

RESOLVED          1. That the update from Healthwatch Gloucestershire be NOTED.

2. That the Deputy Chief Executive investigate the various opportunities for links with Gloucestershire Healthwatch following the meeting.