Reports

In June and July 2014 Healthwatch Cheshire West took part in a special inquiry into unsafe discharge, led by Healthwatch England.

We talked to local people with experience of being discharged from a hospital, care home or secure mental health setting within the past 18 months.

Our engagement with local people focussed on those with experience of a mental condition and older people; groups that we know are particularly affected.

The purpose of this report is to share local intelligence and feedback collected by Healthwatch Cheshire West as part of the Special Inquiry. Healthwatch England will publish its national findings and recommendations in November 2014.

Jonathan Taylor, Service Manager Healthwatch Cheshire West, said:

“We have heard that things can go wrong when people are discharged from local hospitals and care homes”.

“Many local people shared with us their stories of being sent home without proper support and feeling isolated in our communities. In some cases people are ending up in crisis situations that could have been prevented”.

“Stopping short of making ground breaking recommendations, Healthwatch Cheshire West urges local commissioners and providers to read our report and listen to and respond to the views of local people in shaping potential improvements going forward.”

In September 2014 Healthwatch Cheshire West ran two events to launch our Mental Health Citizens’ Panel. During these events we talked to participants about the issues facing local people with experience of a mental health condition, and how a Citizens’ Panel might drive the work of Healthwatch Cheshire West in tackling mental health as a work plan priority.

The Citizens’ Panel is being set up to bring together local people who have an interest in mental health, review the intelligence gathered by Healthwatch Cheshire West, and to use their own knowledge and expertise to identify specific project work that we can support.

The purpose of this report is to share the comments collected by Healthwatch Cheshire West at the two launch events with participants, commissioners, providers and other stakeholders. This report has been shared directly with those who attended the Mental Health Citizens’ Panel Launch, and will be discussed at its first formal meeting in October 2014.

Jonathan Taylor, Service Manager Healthwatch Cheshire West, said;

“Co-production is an activity which involves professionals and decision makers working alongside people who are affected by those decisions in an equal and reciprocal way. As the independent consumer champion for health and social care in Cheshire West, we want to encourage partners to engage with the citizens’ panel and to utilise this model more widely to achieve service improvement”.

Every year each local Healthwatch is required to produce an Annual Report detailing activity that has taken place within the previous twelve months.  Below you will find our report for the year 2013/14.