360 questions raised over Shropshire health services
Hundreds of questions are being raised by members of the public about health and social care services in Shropshire, according to a report.
Arrangements for mixed sex wards at the Redwoods Centre in Shrewsbury and confusion of the opening times of the relocated walk-in centre at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital are among the issues raised in recent months.
They were among the comments received by Healthwatch Shropshire which have been brought to light in the You Said, We Did report covering the period from October last year until March.
According to the report, 363 comments were made to Healthwatch Shropshire about experiences and opinions of health and social care services, while 55 people got in touch requesting being directed to specific services.
Healthwatch Shropshire said the comments received had been delivered to the appropriate bodies including the Care Quality Commission, local commissioners and numerous providers.
As a result, Healthwatch Shropshire said it has successfully influenced decision-makers on behalf of local people.
Following comments from members of the public confused about the opening times of the relocated walk-in centre, Healthwatch Shropshire said it found incorrect information online and notified the care commissioning group responsible which requested urgent action to correct the websites.
It also produced a report of patient experience of the pilot phase of the Integrated Community Services (ICS) team which provides short term support after discharge from hospital. This was used by the service to inform the roll-out to other areas of Shropshire.
Healthwatch Shropshire was also involved in work to gather the public's experiences of community pharmacy services to contribute to Shropshire Council's Pharmaceutical Needs Analysis.
Jane Randall-Smith, chief officer of Healthwatch Shropshire, said: " By producing this report, we are keen to show how these comments have been used to make a difference by influencing for positive change."
Healthwatch Shropshire is the independent consumer champion for health and social care in Shropshire.
The report, detailing all the actions taken as a result of comments received, can be found at www.healthwatchshropshire.co.uk/documents
