Healthwatch awards for NHS Kent and Medway

NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) was celebrated at an awards ceremony for making sure the patient voice influenced improvements in health services.

The formal public consultation to create three new hyper acute stroke units to give specialist care to patients, was a winner under the recognition for excellence in consultations and engagement in the Healthwatch Recognition Awards, organised by both Healthwatch Kent and Healthwatch Medway.

Engagement about moving patients from the last remaining mental health dormitory ward in Kent and Medway to a new purpose-built building in Maidstone was also rewarded in the same category. 

The event, which is in its first year, celebrated the best in health and social care in Kent and Medway. 

Other awards, which involved NHS Kent and Medway CCG, included:

Recognition for innovation and excellence in Kent and Medway voluntary sector 

• MEGAN Community Interest Company – a mental health user voice model, which won funding from the CCG and has worked to reach Medway residents, who are using mental health services, to hear their experience. 

Recognition for excellence in helping individual people to get the information that they need

• The CCG’s Primary Care Quality Team for working with Healthwatch to secure positive outcomes for people. 
• Kent and Medway Vaccination Team for helping to get vaccines for front line staff and vulnerable people.
• GP surgeries Manor Clinic and New Surgery in Folkestone and College Practice in Maidstone were awarded for reacting swiftly and helping Healthwatch to resolve individual people's issues.

Recognition for excellence in acting on recommendations made by Healthwatch

• The CCG for amendments made to plans for the north Kent urgent treatment centre after hearing public feedback.

Recognition for excellence in listening to people’s views and thoughts about services

• The CCG for creation of the Stroke Advisory Group. Recognition for excellence in enabling local people to monitor the standard of services and be involved in improving them
• The CCG and Millbrook for the changes they have made to wheelchair services, based on public feedback.
• The CCG and Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) for their exciting approach to involving and listening to people to inform the transformation of the community mental health service.

Recognition for excellence in involving people in commissioning and delivery of services

• SECAmb and IC24, working with the CCG, for involving and listening to patients in the design, procurement and delivery of the new NHS 111 clinical assessment service.
• East Kent Health and Care Partnership, in which the CCG is a partner, for its work to involve people in improvement of the diabetes service.