Healthwatch Salford’s future work programme in response to COVID-19

Currently, Healthwatch Salford are working to capture patient’s experiences of health and care to aid the management of the response to the coronavirus pandemic locally in the city of Salford. Healthwatch Salford are also working with stakeholders to ensure people have the best possible information about the effect of COVID-19 on changes to health and care service.

Their work plan has been developed to run from October 2020 – March 2021 and includes the following priorities:

• Care in the Community and COVID-19 – Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic our board identified Care in the Community as a key priority area for our work programme. They will restart this work stream and will ensure patient feedback is used as part of the recovery planning process and review the impact of service changes since the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Inequalities and COVID-19 – The COVID-19 pandemic has helped to highlight the inequalities that currently exist within the health and social care system and this has been exacerbated since COVID-19. In addition, COVID-19 has highlighted the impact of other inequalities including digital exclusion. They will work to identify and highlight inequality issues to commissioners and providers and whilst working with partners to create inclusive messages in an accessible format.
• Doing Things Differently – Due to COVID-19, Healthwatch Salford have had to change their normal ways of working. Moving forward over the next 6 months they will continue to build on their partnership working. They will work with partners including Salford City Council, Salford CCG and local voluntary sector organisations to engage with their local community including seldom heard groups.
• Opportunities Fund – Healthwatch Salford will provide a small grants scheme that enables groups to apply for two pots of funds which will include Healthwatch Salford Network fund or the Opportunities Fund which will be used to deliver digital projects that enhance and promote health and wellbeing within local communities. All Opportunities Fund projects aim to increase the involvement of seldom heard communities in health and social care services and give Healthwatch Salford a chance to get valuable feedback about their experiences.
• Patient feedback – Triangulation of data – COVID-19 has highlighted the need to listen to the patient’s lived experience and use their feedback to help shape services across the Salford City. Healthwatch Salford want to independently and anonymously highlight trends and share their data in accordance with GDPR, with statutory partners across Salford, to support in the required changes to local health and social care services. They also want to hold commissioners and providers to account on feedback on local services, and share up to date patient experiences to enable change now, when it is needed most.