Delivering innovative Healthwatch Services during the Covid-19 pandemic

The way health and social care services operate has been affected by coronavirus (COVID-19) with non-urgent treatment postponed, face-to-face appointments reduced and homes and services limiting public access.

At Engaging Communities Solutions (ECS), the way in which we deliver our nine local Healthwatch services has been affected because of the outbreak and we have seen significant changes to our work, with much of our planned public engagement and visits to services paused and a greater focus on providing advice to the public (especially hard to reach groups) and supporting the local response to COVID-19.

The Pandemic has not stopped our work. Local Healthwatch Services are here to help

However, this does not mean that the work of our local Healthwatch teams has stopped and our staff are working hard to find new and innovative ways of making sure people can continue to share their experiences of health and social care issues so we can make their voices heard. This is particularly important in the current climate.

We are trying to get the message out that local Healthwatch is here to help during this difficult time, and to explain that our job is simple- Healthwatch is here to help make health and social care work better for you. During this challenging time, this role has never been more important. Whether you are struggling to find the right health and care information or you have an experience of care that services need to hear– we want to hear from you.

Our teams across England have developed new ways of working with their local communities

Here are a few examples: 

·       In Healthwatch Walsall have developed a partnership with Diabetes UK and now host an online peer support group for patients with diabetes to ensure people can share their experiences and access support from professionals.

·       In Healthwatch Leicester and throughout our ECS Healthwatch teams, we have held virtual public meetings, spotlight meetings with prominent local speakers giving talks to the public about issues which matter to them, and we have held virtual coffee mornings to try and ensure people do not feel socially isolated.

·       Our team at Healthwatch Warrington have had great success with their launch of their Virtual Voices project where residents can get involved by taking part in email polls, online questionnaires, and surveys with all participants being entered into a prize draw to win vouchers for Local Warrington Businesses. Virtual voices is a chance for local Warrington residents to make their voice heard and it also supports the local economy.

We are also doing an organisation wide project, in collaboration with Healthwatch England and Diabetes UK on digital exclusion - seeing how people have been affected during the pandemic with our report being published in July 2021.

These are just a few examples of the innovative work that is coming from our teams highlighting the way our staff have adapted their approach and found fresh new ways of working during the current restrictions.

We recognise that with a fast-moving response to COVID-19, real-time intelligence for services about the issues the public are facing is valuable. It is also important that health and social care services understand the impact these changes are having more broadly – especially when they concern people’s safety or will have implications once services begin the return to normal.

We have reviewed our work and prioritised the services we deliver to maximise the usefulness of our role

This work has included:

  • Providing advice and information to the public

  • Alerting services to issues that could impact on the safety of people

  • Supporting the wider community response to COVID-19

  • Supporting communities who find it hardest to be heard or get the support they need.

The Covid-19 pandemic has seen health and social care services stretched to their limits and we get a lot of positive feedback about the NHS which we share with service providers to say thank you, and to show recognition for the amazing role they do.

We will continue to work hard to reach as many people as possible to get their views and experiences of local health and social care provision and share it with the providers to ensure we continue to learn from experiences, give people a voice and help shape the design and delivery of NHS services both during the pandemic and beyond when we can start to hope of life returning to pre- pandemic conditions.

Contact us for more information about our Healthwatch Services

ECS