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Shape the NHS forward plan
We want everyone in the Black Country to have improved health, now and in the future. We're writing a NHS Joint Forward Plan with local healthcare partners to set out how we'll work together to meet your health needs, and you can help too. -
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Your monthly catch-up on health and social care experiences, topics, and themes, and useful information. -
Advice and Information -
People are doing everything that they can to manage the cost of living crisis. People have cut back on their food shops, turned their heating off to sit in the cold and have even started to work from home to reduce the amount of money that they are spending on their petrol each week.
However, constantly having to battle against things that are out of your control is always going to take a toll on your mental health, and suffering from mental health issues at this time won’t be making things any easier.
Unfortunately, over 1.5 million people across England are currently suffering from debt and mental health issues due to the cost of living [1]. We are actually already seeing the outcomes of this, with a recent study carried out from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy discovering that 66% of all current working therapists have said that their client’s mental health has started to decline with the current cost of living [2].
As we all know, a decline in public mental health has consequences that affect the rest of society, with more people abusing alcohol and other substances when they feel depressed or anxious. [3]
The infographic/ PDF to download highlights some additional facts and figures surrounding the cost of living crisis and how this links to poor mental health.
References [1] https://www.moneyandmentalhealth.org/money-and-mental-health-facts/ [2] https://www.bacp.co.uk/news/news-from-bacp/2022/8-september-cost-of-living-crisis-survey-shows-impact-on-mental-health/ [3] See alcoholism rehabilitation article.
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With the NHS under extra pressure this winter, we need to hear your experiences of care to help services understand what is working and spot issues affecting support for you and your loved ones.
The NHS is facing added pressures this winter. This means that it can be more challenging for people to receive the care they need.
Feedback from the public can play a vital role in helping health and social care services understand what is working and spot issues affecting the care of local people.
This is why we have launched a campaign to get more people to share their experiences of care this winter.
If you or a loved one have used GPs, hospitals, pharmacies, care homes or other support services this winter, we want to hear about your experience.
Every experience matters
Have you faced challenges or delays accessing health and care services this winter? If you have, we want to know how this has affected your health and wellbeing.
Have you found accessing NHS services easy? Are there any aspects of the care you got that you really valued?
Your positive or negative feedback can help services hear what is working and spot issues affecting care for you and your loved ones.
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A great graphical and informative presentation. Well done Baljot Kaur, great work. -
Advice and Information -
This useful information flyer that identifies support, information or advice. -
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To observe, and capture the experiences of service delivery from the residents' and relatives’ points of view. -
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We are asking children and young people aged 12-24 from Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, and Wolverhampton their views
about how mental health services can encourage people to get involved in helping to improve these services.
The survey will take approximately 15 minutes and will be completely anonymous.
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An independent charity providing free, confidential specialist bereavement counselling support to the residents of Walsall, West Midlands.
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On the 3rd of February Healthwatch Walsall saw the return of our First Friday Focus. Members of the public joined us to discuss their experiences of Health and Social Care services in Walsall and tell us what they think. -
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A copy of our public meeting/ minutes. -
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Free & Confidential NHS tests: Cholesterol, Blood Sugar, Blood Pressure, BMI, Lifestyle Advice
Friday 12th May 10.00am - 3.00pm at The Crossing at St. Pauls, Darwall Street, Walsall. -
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Diabetes UK, the UK’s leading national charity for people living with and affected by diabetes, has teamed up with Healthcare Professionals to provide advice in English, Urdu and Sylheti, to support you in making the right decision about whether or not to fast in this holy month.
Our advice is culturally tailored, acknowledging the difficult decision that thousands of Muslims have to make about whether they should fast, and the impact of this if they are living with a long term condition such as diabetes.
Also included is advice on small changes that you can make to your food throughout Ramadan and beyond, to help you and your family have a healthier Ramadan.
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Your monthly catch-up on health and social care experiences, topics, and themes, and useful information. -
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On the 3rd of March Healthwatch Walsalls, First Friday Focus meeting was around bereavement services. Download a summary of that meeting. -
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Those eligible for the COVID-19 spring booster vaccine are:
People aged 75 and older
Residents in care homes for older people
Those aged 5 and over who have weakened immune systems.
If you are eligible for a spring booster, you will be contacted by the NHS by letter, text message or via the NHS App. Appointments can be booked via the National Booking System or NHS App, with first appointments available from Monday 17 April.
The last date you will be able to book a spring booster will be 29 June, with the last spring vaccinations on offer the following day, 30 June.
To book for yourself or a family member, go to www.nhs.uk/CovidVaccination , visit the NHS App, or call 119 for free. -
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The latest NHS data shows that a record number of people are waiting for care. However, our new research indicates that there is also a hidden waiting list, and more needs to be done to understand what it's like for people trying to get referred.
New NHS data indicates that over seven million people are on waiting lists for specialist clinical care or surgery.
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To observe, and capture the experiences of service delivery from the residents' and relatives’ points of view. -
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This training will aim to improve early diagnosis of cancer, addressing some of the health inequalities. Talking helps breakdown fear and barriers. This training program is designed in conjunction with Cancer Research UK, and will give participants the knowledge and confidence to have conversations in their community about cancer prevention, myth busting and early diagnosis. -
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Dementia: shaping support in Walsall, Wednesday 10 May 2023, 9.30 am - 1.30 pm
Attend and help shape the future of services for people with dementia in Walsall. -
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Our 1st Friday Focus Meeting has been re-arranged! So there is a great opportunity to join us and raise your awareness of Bowel Cancer.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87588598286?pwd=SkU4RGhVbDV6ZThsdWxUaTNoM0ttZz09
If you need it? Meeting ID: 875 8859 8286
Dial by your location Telephone dial by your location: 0131 460 1196 United Kingdom
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Find out about what services and aspects of those services we will be looking at from 2023 to 2024 as part of our work plan. -
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COMMUNITY OUTREACH LEAD - £24,000 PER ANNUM
37 HOURS PER WEEK, FIXED TERM TO END MAY 2024
Healthwatch Walsall is the local health and social care champion for the people of Walsall. We make sure that NHS leaders and other decision makers hear peoples’ voices about the services and care they receive. We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic, experienced and self-motivated individual to be our Community Outreach Lead in Walsall. The individual will work flexibly from both the home base and the Healthwatch Walsall office, with the need to travel extensively across the Borough. The successful individual will work closely with the Healthwatch Walsall team to ensure that the views of Walsall people from all communities about NHS services, children’s and adults social care are captured and recorded. The role entails meeting people, often going to where people are naturally around in their day to day lives and striking up conversations to find about peoples experiences. If you are comfortable doing that then this is the role for you. -
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'Virtual Wards' 'What are they?'
Guest speaker: Fiona Micheli - Lead Nurse Care Navigation Centre /Virtual Wards
Join us for an informative presentation about what they are and have a chance to ask questions and learn all about it.
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Our' Cost Of Living Crisis' report is now available. See how people have made adjustments and whats important to them. -
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Our latest Enter and View Report on Touchwood Pharmacy - Blakenall Village Centre is now available.
If you wish to receive a paper copy please call: 0800 470 1660. -
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We have finished our young persons project around barriers to communication when accessing health and social care services. It was really good to be able to link in with so many young people and to hear their views. Click the link below to see what young people are saying about services in Walsall. -
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Here is our Spring Newsletter filled with information, updates, and messages from our partners. -
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Our Engage & Share Report on Drake Court is available. To read or download the report use the link below. -
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Our Enter and View Report on Blakenall Family Practice is now available. The visit took place in March 2023. If you would like a paper copy of the report sent to you please call 0800 470 1660. -
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Our Healthwatch Advisory Board - Public Meeting Minutes are now available. 18th April 2023. -
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Reflexions is a Mental Health Support Team (MHST), that are a service that helps increase access to mental health
support for children and young people in schools. -
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Healthwatch Walsall want to hear from Black and Asian women living in Walsall about their maternity experiences. Were you happy with the treatment and care you received? We want to listen to your feedback and use this to influence service changes to make maternity services better, be more accessible, inclusive and for service users to have the highest quality of care.
Share your feedback by taking part in our short survey. It takes just a couple of minutes. What you tell us can help shape services for the people who use them.
Your feedback is anonymous, we will not ask your name and you do not have to tell us anything personal about yourself.
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So if you have tried to access NHS dental care/treatment in the past year, we ask you to take part in a short questionnaire. Please use the link: https://tinyurl.com/4hmfmadr
We will collate patient responses and publish a report on patients' experiences of trying to get NHS dental care/treatment in Walsall. -
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Read about our recent visit to Selwyn Court Care home, 17th May 2023 -
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Download and read what we have been doing and achieved over the last year. -
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You have the right to make a complaint about any aspect of NHS care, treatment or service, this is written into the NHS Constitution on GOV.UK.
From 1 July 2023 the way you make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner is changing.
By primary care services we mean GPs, dentists, opticians or pharmacy services.
Click on the 'Downloads' button to find out more.
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A great presentation about the 'Care Navigation' service in Walsall. Thank you to Fiona Micheli for presenting about the service.
To learn about Walsall Care Navigation then click on 'Download' to see the presentation. -
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A great presentation about the 'Virtual Wards' service in Walsall. Thank you to Fiona Micheli for presenting about the service.
To learn about Walsall Virtual Wards then click on 'Download' to see the presentation. -
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A great presentation about the 'Bowel Cancer' awareness in Walsall. Thank you to Jo Barlow for presenting.
To learn about Bowel Caner awareness then click on 'Download' to see the presentation. -
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A brief outline of some of the themes and issues that patients have faced using Walsall Services during June 2023. Also, things that you can get involved with! -
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he launch of our Joint Forward Plan comes as the Black Country ICB and the ICS celebrate its one-year anniversaries. In the last 12 months, we have already achieved a great deal by working in partnership with organisations in the health and care sector. However, there is no question that this is a challenging time for health and care services, which is why our plan recognises the collective strength in working together to resolve our shared challenges and describes our ambition to improve quality and outcomes for people who use our services.
This plan is just the start of our journey and I look forward to working with you to bring it to life and make a real difference to the health of people in the Black Country.
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Packed with what we have been doing and going to be doing with messages from our partners. -
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Read about our recent visit to Pleck Health Centre on 14th June 2023 -
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Yes, it will be on Tuesday 17th October from 11.00 am till 2.30 pm.
The meeting venue is Ryecroft Community Hub, 28 New Forest Rd, Walsall WS3 1TR.
This is an opportunity for you the public to meet the team and to find out the work we have been doing and are currently undertaking.
We will present our Annual Report 2022/2023 as well as give an update on our 2023/2024 work projects.
There will be guest speaker(s) and advice and information from support organisations. -
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Childhood vaccinations video - English -
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Ahead of the August bank holiday weekend, people in the Black Country are being reminded how to access NHS health services if they need help.
The NHS often sees increased demand over bank holidays, and with consultants planning strike
action 7am on Thursday 24 August until 7am on Saturday 26 August, health services in the
Black Country are likely to be under significant pressure over the long weekend. All health and care partners in the Black Country are working together to prepare for the industrial action and bank holiday weekend and are asking the public for their support.
Due to the bank holiday (Monday 28 August), some GP surgeries and pharmacies may be closed or working reduced hours. Selected pharmacies will still be available for prescriptions, non-urgent medical advice, and treatment of common ailments. A full list of participating pharmacies, including opening hours, can be found here. Link: https://tinyurl.com/23duv3xn
People who need medical help that isn’t an emergency should contact NHS 111 in the first instance by visiting 111.nhs.uk or by calling 111.
NHS 111 can help direct people to the most appropriate local health service if they aren’t sure where to go – this could include an out of hours GP, a pharmacy, an urgent treatment centre, or a hospital accident & emergency (A&E) department.
Sarb Basi, Director of Primary Care for the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board, said: “The NHS is expecting an extremely busy weekend over the upcoming bank holiday weekend, with services under significant pressure. That’s why it’s important that people choose services wisely during this time and take simple steps to ensure care is available for patients who need it.
“If you or a loved one needs medical help over the bank holiday weekend then please remember that NHS 111 online is available to help you. It will direct you to the most appropriate health service for your needs. If for any reason you are unable to use 111 online, then please phone 111 from your mobile or landline.
“A number of pharmacies will also remain open over the bank holiday and should be your first port of call for any minor illnesses. Pharmacists are trained medical professionals who can help with a range of ailments, from abdominal pain and sore throats to coughs and colds and urine infections.
“It is also useful to think about stocking your medicine cabinet up with any essentials in case you need to treat any unexpected minor health concerns at home over the long weekend. You can ask your local pharmacist for advice on any medicines you might need. “Choosing the right service not only means you receive the treatment you require, but also helps reduce pressure on urgent care teams, allowing them to focus on those who need them most.
” A&E departments and 999 are there to treat the most serious and life-threatening conditions.”
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From our current project, we have called Walsall Dentists to see who is registering new NHS dental patients. Attached is a shortlist of the ones we established that are on 25th August 2023. Note this list may change due to registration availability and waiting lists and times.