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.
Read about the winning projects here.
Recognition for excellence in consultation and engagement
Ruby Ward
Ruby Ward is the last remaining mental health dormitory ward in Kent and Medway. In the summer of 2021 a public consultation was launched to hear people's thoughts about moving Ruby Ward to a new purpose-built building in Maidstone. We were able to evidence that the team went out of their way to hear from people who may have thoughts to share.
As a result, the case for change was clearly and effectively communicated to a wide range of people and is a good example for others to follow.
Stroke review
This was a complex and long-running project. Feedback from thousands of people across Kent and Medway was captured, including those who are harder to reach and people who live outside of the area but who may travel to Kent or Medway hospitals. Healthwatch Medway and Healthwatch Kent were independently involved from the very beginning, and their advice influenced the way patients and public were engaged and informed in Medway and Kent.
Healthwatch’s role is to make sure that the public are given every opportunity to share their thoughts. Trained Healthwatch volunteers who had not been involved in the review and who were impartial, scrutinised the process and found that people had been adequately involved and listened to as part of the decision-making process. The scrutiny review and recommendations were included as part of the Judicial Review, which ruled in support of the consultation.
Recognition for excellence in enabling local people to monitor the standard of services and be involved in improving them.
NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group and Millbrook Healthcare : Driving improvements to the wheelchair service
Following feedback from users and Healthwatch in 2018, Millbrook and the CCG have worked with Healthwatch and the Kent Physical Disability Forum to improve the wheelchair service. They listened to the feedback from people who are using the service to make changes including:
- quicker repairs
- shorter waits for assessment and wheelchairs
- better communication with wheelchair users and carers
- reduction in complaints and increase in positive feedback
Recognition for excellence in enabling local people to monitor the standard of services and be involved in improving them
NHS Kent and Medway CCG and Kent and Medway NHS and social care Partnership Trust (KMPT): Committing to an exciting and innovative way of working with people with lived experience to transform services
A new lived experience team has become central to the transformation of community mental health services across Kent and Medway. The team, made up of people who have experience of mental health services, are key to making sure the voice of people with mental health experience is heard and used in the creation of new pathways and services.
The Lived Experience Team represents a significant investment and it was important that, although funded by NHS England, it is an independent organisation. The team engages and listens to people from all communities. They are also working to close the loop and make sure people who have shared their experiences know their feedback has helped to drive change.
In just six months the team has:
- co-produced a new pathway for people with complex emotional difficulties
- involved people with complex emotional difficulties being involved at every stage
- made sure that over 300 people have had their voices heard since September
- involved more than 80 people and professionals in focused discussions to inform the development of the new core model for community mental health services.
A recognition for excellence in listening to people's views and thoughts about services
NHS Kent and Medway CCG: Working with people who have had a stroke and their families to design the new stroke service.
Throughout the Kent and Medway Stroke review it was important the voice of people who had experienced a stroke and their families were heard. Their experience was particularly important to help shape the details of future stroke services including the three new hyper acute stroke units. The CCG and the Stroke Network worked with Healthwatch and the Stroke Association to create the Stroke Advisory Group.
The group, which is made of up people who have had a stroke and their families, work in partnership with professionals to share their experiences and ideas. The group has travelled to visit the sites of the new hyper acute stroke units to see the plans for themselves and discuss in detail what patients and families will need. As a result:
"Stroke survivors and carers were able to help us understand what is important for people using stroke services"
Louise Ward, Clinical Director for Stroke, NHS Kent and Medway CCG
Recognition for excellence in acting on recommendations made by Healthwatch
NHS Kent and Medway CCG: For listening to feedback and changing their plans for the Urgent Treatment Centre in North Kent
Around 20,000 people responded to the public consultation about the urgent treatment centre in north Kent. The proposal detailed two options for where the new urgent treatment centre could be based: either Darent Valley Hospital or Gravesham Community Hospital. The CCG involved Healthwatch and local people, every step of the way and listened to the views of our volunteers about how best to engage with people.
Based on the feedback the CCG changed its plans and created two Urgent Treatment Centres; One at Darent Valley Hospital and another at Gravesham Community Hospital.
Recognition for excellence in helping individual people to get the information they need
GP practices - Manor Clinic, College Practice and New Surgery: For helping resolve individual people's issues
Despite the pressure they are facing, practice managers at these GP surgeries quickly responded and listened to feedback from their patients. They spent time talking about the issues and helped resolve the problems people were facing wherever possible.
Nicola, from Manor Clinic helped a family to get registered with the surgery and confirmed staff would be trained to make sure other families would also be able to join the surgery.
Angela, from College Practice helped Healthwatch to understand and escalate an individual patient story.
Jackie, from New Surgery spent time with Healthwatch answering questions from the public about the eConsult service.
Pic: Nicola from the Manor Clinic
Recognition for excellence in helping individual people to get the information they need
NHS Kent and Medway CCG Primary Care Quality Team: For helping to support people with GP services
The Primary Care Team listened to feedback from patients and from Healthwatch and responded quickly to find solutions to issues being faced. By working together, they helped people to get registered with a GP, answered people's’ questions about eConsult and helped to escalate complaints.
Recognition for excellence in involving people in commissioning and delivery of services
East Kent Health and Care Partnership (HCP): Involving and listening to people to help improve the diabetes service in east Kent.
Patients were involved alongside clinicians, commissioners, Healthwatch and the Paula Carr Diabetes Trust, with a clear aim to improve the Diabetes Service.
They have developed an approach and a range of tools, including a website and a number of focus groups, to enable them to hear about the diabetes service, and explore what people want and need from a new service.
Feedback from patients is already being used. For example, conversations are happening following suggestions from patients that they would benefit from the talking therapy service being offered through the diabetes clinic.
Working together with the voluntary sector, a peer support model is being developed in response to patient feedback. A new clinical model has been put in place in one area. Early signs show significant improvements in feedback from patients and staff. This learning will now be used to inform the roll out across East Kent.
NHS Kent and Medway CCG is a partner in the E Kent HCP.
Recognition for excellence in helping individual people to get the information they need
Kent and Medway vaccination team: for helping us to get vaccines for front line staff and vulnerable people
The CCG and partners worked with Healthwatch to help front line staff be vaccinated, to answer individual concerns and share accurate information about the vaccine roll out.
Examples included, worries from staff that they may need to display self-harm scars, and concerns from people who are house bound about how they accessed their vaccine.
We shared many stories from people about their experience at vaccination centres. Kent Community Health Foundation Trust (KCHFT) took our feedback and visited sites to see how it could make improvements. Changes included better privacy, access to British Sign Language interpreters and community spoken languages on the video and phones systems.
