Healthwatch Bulletin - Health, Social Care and COVID-19 (30.11.21)
Welcome to our bulletin on health and social care and COVID-19. This is attached as a separate document for you to click on and download.
This month:
- Read our latest report on people’s views about remote access to appointments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Read our latest findings on the dental crisis affecting Brighton and Hove.
- Take our Healthwatch survey to share your experience of trying to get support from doctors’ surgeries.
- Read about how to share your experience if the pandemic has affected your gynaecological care.
- Read the latest on second dose recommendations for 16 and 17 year olds, and booster vaccinations.
Also within our bulletin:
1) We are seeking to recruit a Project Officer to join our small, dedicated, and friendly team.
2) Read advice and information on health and social care.
3) Read a range of articles including: raising awareness of Pancreatic Cancer and Mouth Cancer, the relentless rise in upheld complaints within social care, COVID vaccination milestones - and much more!
We are recruiting
We are recruiting for a Project Officer to join our small, dedicated, and friendly team.
Salary £22,157 / Full Time 35 Hrs pw with flexible work options
To apply, please send a CV and covering letter to office@hwbh.co.uk.
Deadline: Monday 13th December 2021 at 9am
We will hold interviews on Monday 20th December (or soon after), by Teams/Zoom or face-to-face, with the successful candidate notified before the festive break and hoping to start early January 2022.
People’s views about remote access to appointments during the COVID-19 pandemic – compilation of evidence.
Following our ‘Accessing health and care services – findings during the Coronavirus pandemic’ (October 2020), we have strengthened our understanding of people’s opinions towards remote consultations though a compilation of recent evidence. This review includes evidence from 28 studies since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Healthwatch learns that no local dentists are offering NHS treatment to new patients
NHS Dentistry remains the second most common reason why people contact Healthwatch Brighton and Hove.
In November, we called every dental practice in our city and we were extremely disappointed to learn that at the current time, no practices are taking on new patients for routine NHS treatment.
Have you needed to access your doctor’s surgery in the last six months?
Healthwatch teams across Sussex want to find out about your recent experience of accessing your doctors’ surgery/GP-led Services. We are interested in peoples’ experience of trying to get support from doctors’ surgeries.
The survey closes on Friday 31 December 2021.
This survey should take no more than 15 minutes to complete. If you need the survey in another format, please call us on 0300 012 0122 or email helpdesk@healthwatchwestsussex.co.uk
How has the pandemic affected your gynaecological care?
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is undertaking a project to look at the impact of the pandemic on gynaecology waiting lists.
The College would like to hear from people whose gynaecology care has been affected by the pandemic.
State of Care report
In October, the health and care regulator, the Care Quality Commission, published their annual review of NHS and social care support.
The report, which draws on the experiences of care people have shared with Healthwatch England, has found that health and social care services face some highly concerning challenges.
Sussex passes 3 million COVID-19 vaccination milestone
More than 3 million first, second and booster COVID-19 vaccinations have now been delivered across Sussex.
This means that over 82% of the eligible population in Sussex have had their first dose, and over 76% have had their second dose and around 70% have had their booster.
If you are eligible and you have not yet received your vaccination, Book through the NHS website or call 119 to arrange your appointment.
Booster COVID vaccinations
A series of changes have recently been announced by the government, amid concerns about the new COVID variant, Omicron. These have yet to be implemented so do please keep looking out for updates.
You are eligible for your booster now if you are:
- aged 40 and over
- aged 16 and over with a health condition that puts you at high risk from COVID-19
You are eligible for a COVID-19 booster when you reach six months (182 days) from the date of your second vaccination. You can attend a walk in clinic or book an appointment using the links above.
16 and 17 year olds recommended to have a second dose
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that all 16 to 17 year olds who are not in an at-risk group should be offered a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
For those in this age group who have had COVID-19 infection, the second vaccine dose should be given 12 weeks or more following the first vaccine dose, or 12 weeks following a positive COVID-19 test result – whichever is later.
This advice is in addition to the existing offer of 2 doses of vaccine to 16- to 17-year-olds who are in ‘at-risk’ groups.
Have Your Say
We are interested in your experience of health and social care services.
If it matters to you, it's likely that it matters to someone else too.
We can help to bring your concerns - and praise - to the attention of those in charge, so share your story with us today.
Your story has the power to make a difference.
