Here at Engaging Communities Solutions (ECS) employee wellbeing is at the core of everything that we do, as we are a community interest organisation which works to create a culture of inclusiveness, openness, and support within the workplace.
This week we held our first employee wellbeing event at the Wolseley Centre, a beautiful tranquil location, tucked away in the Staffordshire countryside, run by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust.
Read MoreThe team at Healthwatch Stoke-on-Trent arranged a focus group with members of Staffordshire Sight Loss Association (SSLA) and spoke with those attending appointments during an observational visit to the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust's (UHNM) Eye Clinic to find out about the health and social care experiences of those with visual impairments in Stoke-on-Trent.
The report we have produced features a background of why Visual Impairments was decided as a priority project for this year, key findings from the Staffordshire Sight Loss Association (SSLA) focus groups discussions and our observational visit to University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust's (UHNM) Royal Stoke University Hospital Eye Clinic, and concludes with recommendations for local services as a result of our findings. You can read the full report here.
Read MoreHave we got news for you……
How many projects did Healthwatch Walsall complete in the 2023-2024 work programme you ask??
Lets take a look…..
Read MorePharmacy First Service Survey launched by ECS
The Pharmacy First scheme was launched by the government and NHS England on 31 January 2024 to give patients quick and accessible care and ease pressure on GP services. Pharmacy First builds on previous service provision under the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) and enables the public to access community pharmacies and be provided with advice, prescription medication or referral to another healthcare professional by a pharmacist. There are seven common conditions that community pharmacists are now able to provide prescription medication directly to patients for when appropriate as well as the services that were provided under the previous CPCS.
The new service can be accessed directly as a walk-in to a participating pharmacy where they can offer an appointment or see people immediately depending on service capacity. The public can also be referred to a pharmacist by GP practices; NHS 111; Urgent or Emergency care; or ambulance services.
Read MoreWe’re joining in on ‘Wear It Green Day’ today to help raise awareness for Mental Health Awareness Week. For more information about Mental Health Awareness Week please click here: https://mentalhealth.org.uk #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek #WearItGreen
Throughout ECS, staff have been wearing green to show their support and also making a donation. We have raised £50 which we are pleased to be able to donate to such a good cause.
By going green, we can support the Mental Health Foundation in carrying out vital research and delivering programmes for different communities. The campaign is part of Mental Health Awareness Week (13-19 May) and ECS have been happy to turn the organisation green to support good mental health!
Read MoreOur team at Healthwatch Walsall welcomed a special guest to their public board meeting on 15 May, when Professor David Croisdale- Appleby, Chair of Healthwatch England visited. This visit marks the campaign being undertaken by Professor Croisdale-Appelby to visit as many Healthwatch as possible throughout the network.
Read MoreHealthwatch England today launched three new video animations to help increase the public’s awareness of Healthwatch and its functions.
The videos have been produced to explain who we are as Healthwatch and what we do to encourage people to share their views and experiences of NHS health and social care. By sharing experiences, Healthwatch can help to ensure that NHS health and social care services are designed by and for local people and people get their voice heard.
Read MoreIn January 2024 the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) published their report 'Healthy Places, Prosperous Lives'. At ECS, this made us reflect on the health outcomes and levels of deprivation in our seven local Healthwatch areas-what challenges are there in those areas and how do they differ?
The statistics show us that what impacts in each area is different and that the need for a localised approach to engagement is vital to ensure that all members of our communities are able to provide feedback to improve access and experiences of health and social care services.
Read our full report by our Research Manager, Deb Faulks here.
Read MoreThe NHS is encouraging local dental practices with the highest demand to hire new dentists using a new recruitment incentive scheme.
Around 240 dentists will be offered bonus payments of up to £20,000 to work in under-served areas for up to three years, with NHS guidance issued to practices today to encourage them to advertise the “golden hello” scheme.
The scheme - first announced in the dental recovery plan - will fund incentives for up to 240 dentists who join practices that can prove they have found it difficult to recruit staff. Golden hello payments will be phased over three years - £10,000 in the first year and £5,000 each for the next two, to persuade them to stay in the area.
Read MoreHealthwatch Bedford Borough joins with the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board (BLMK ICB) and Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Health and Care Partnership at Bedford Academy for an in-person discussion on the findings of the Denny Review and what it means for our community.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to be part of the conversation and make your voice heard! To book your place please visit: https://eventbrite.co.uk/e/creating-a-fairer-blmk-a-spotlight-on-the-denny-review-in-bedford-borough-tickets-896334770427… #FairerBLMK #DennyReview
Read MoreThe Government has launched a public consultation on the NHS Constitution. It's crucial everyone takes part in the consultation to voice what's most important to them. Find out more. https://healthwatch.co.uk/news/2024-05-07/responding-nhs-constitution-consultation…
Read MoreLast year Healthwatch Walsall was pleased to have been contacted by Walsall Manor Hospital Trust to invite two cohorts of service users from our sensory loss and disability groups to visit the new department during the latter stages of its construction. The purpose of this was for the Trust to hear first-hand the views of these groups with regards to the suitability of the facilities. Following on from this and six months after the opening of the new Urgent and Emergency Care Centre, Healthwatch Walsall wanted to hear from patients directly to find out about how the new facilities and services were working for them.
Read MoreAll of our Healthwatch teams at ECS ensure they regularly update people on our work to show people how sharing their views can make a difference to the health and social care services in their local area. Healthwatch Warrington have just launched their Spring Edition newsletter giving an update on their activities and themes and trends on feedback received from the public. In April the Healthwatch Warrington team held their virtual priorities event and launched the Priorities Virtual Voices- this was to determine the work plan for the year ahead, with the top three priorities chosen as: Domiciliary Care, Health Inequalities and Dentistry under 5's.
Read MoreUnder new plans, people will benefit from millions more NHS dental appointments over the next year. Read our update in the areas where ECS deliver local Healthwatch to see the latest picture.
Read MoreWARRINGTON Borough Council has awarded the new Healthwatch Warrington contract to existing provider Engaging Communities Solutions Community Interest Company.
This means ECS (Engaging Communities Solutions) will continue to deliver the contract they have held since August 2018 and maintain the high level of support offered to local residents throughout the borough. The contract will include Healthwatch services and also the NHS Complaints Advocacy service contract.
Read MoreAs a social enterprise, ECS has embraced volunteerism as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy. ECS encourages employees to volunteer in local communities, focusing on initiatives related to health and social care, wellbeing, tacking social isolation and loneliness, environmental sustainability and building community cohesion. To enable this, all employees are encouraged to use two paid days off each year in order to volunteer in their community. Our hope as an employer is that our commitment to volunteerism not only improves lives but helps to ensure we remain a socially responsible employer.
Read MoreA vital part of the remit of local Healthwatch is to carry out Enter and View visits. All Healthwatch delivered by ECS conduct a range of both announced and unannounced visits to health and social care premises in their local area to find out how they are being run and make recommendations where there are areas for improvement.
Read MoreThe NHS has released the first survey of Dental working patterns since the pandemic. This release covers a number of metrics about the hours worked by dentists and the time spent on NHS work as well as the results of large scale survey questions on motivation. We have looked at some of the key results compared to previous years. Whilst the survey is UK-wide we have focused on English figures.
Read MoreOur e-bulletin brings you the latest local health and social care news around Halton, what's happening at Healthwatch, and how you can get involved. When subscribing to receive our monthly e-bulletin you are giving consent for your email address to be stored on the Healthwatch Halton database.
Read MoreECS has achieved Cyber Essentials Plus Accreditation for the second year running, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to cyber security. The growing threat of cyber-related crime is quickly becoming a major concern for most organisations and business leaders. With regular reports of high-profile businesses falling victim to cybercrime across the globe, it’s the responsibility of every organisation to ensure they adequately protect themselves and their customers.
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