Transcript Document
Effective Engagement & Patient and Service User Experiences Jenny, Paul & Priya Who are we? • Healthwatch Hertfordshire is the independent consumer champion for health, public health and social care • We find out what patients and the public think about services • We use our influence to improve services in Hertfordshire • We challenge health inequalities • We help people to find information about local health and social care services How do we find out what people think? • People contact us: phone, email, website, social media • Enter & View • Work on targeted campaigns and projects • Involvement with community events • Our Members in the community “I’m not happy with the service I’ve received and I don’t know who to tell!” “I can’t get an appointment to see my GP when I need to” What do people tell us? “My GP referred me to a specialist for an operation and I still don’t have a date for the surgery” “Decisions have been made about my son’s care that I don’t understand” In groups • Why is it important to engage? • What are the barriers to engagement? Community Engagement It’s not just questionnaires! Barriers to engagement • • • • • Staff capacity Time Money Access to the community Lack of experience / understanding Community Engagement It’s not just questionnaires! Why Engage? • • • • • To find out if something is working To find out if there is need / demand for change To find out what the local population is like To justify a planned change Because you have to! Community Engagement Why do it well? • • • • • Useful for planning better services Strong evidence – a more compelling case Doesn’t seem tokenistic People feel genuinely involved Publicity - Raise the profile of your team / organisation / project / plans Planning Engagement Activity What? Why? Who? Where? How? When? Access to General Practice What have we learned about engagement? Top Three Tips! • Think ahead – what is this trying to achieve? • Understand the local context • Keep in touch – let people know what you found out and how it has helped Access to General Practice What have we learned about engagement? When out in the community • Think about how you look – don’t put people off • Make use of incentives and thank yous – Everyone loves a pen • Get used to rejection – It’s almost certainly not personal. Planning engagement activity Scenario: Randomburg Council is deciding whether or not to agree to host Awesomefest, a 3 day live music festival. Around 50,000 people are expected to attend. The location chosen is on the edge of Randomburg Town, near farms and on road routes connecting surrounding villages with the town centre. The application is being decided on in 6 weeks. Planning engagement activity You have 6 weeks to engage the community and gather evidence about people’s views on the possibility of Awesomefest. You are: 1. The organisers of Awesomefest 2. Randomburg Town Residents Association • Who do you want to hear from? • How will you engage with them? • Why have you chosen these forms of engagement?