Our plans for 2024-5: our new business plan
We have set out our plans for the next year in our new business plan. Each year we set priority themes to guide our work and help keep us focused on what matters to local people. We’ve reviewed all the experiences people shared with us between April 2021 and March 2022 and have also looked at what will be happening in health and social care this year to see if there are opportunities for people to have a say in what happens.
The Covid19 pandemic has dominated the health and care agenda, including the work of Healthwatch, for the last 2 years. Even as the effects of the pandemic continue to be felt, we are witnessing new developments that will require us to adapt. This includes a restructuring of the health and care system into an Integrated Care System (ICS), changes to practice in many areas from Mental Health to Social Care reforms and the potential impact of the ‘cost of living’ crisis on health and social care.
While acknowledging the need to remain flexible and respond to the situation as it evolves, our business plan describes in general terms our intended activities in the coming 12 months. Our staff and volunteer representatives at meetings and those speaking to the community will undertake various activities to advance equity in health and social care.
In 2021 we completed a self-assessment of how we work using the Quality Framework designed by Healthwatch England and used this to improve how we work. We’ve completed the action plan, but some of the quality areas will be incorporated into our objectives because they are things that can always be improved upon further.
Our main focus for 2023-4
We will focus on speaking to people to understand their experiences of the following topics:
1. Access to health care services: non-urgent, out of hospital care known as primary care
2. Autism and mental health for Children and Young People
3. Experiences of Community Mental Health Service (CMHT) changes
4. Experiences of the Acute Stroke Unit at St George’s Hospital via an Enter and View visit
This year’s collaborative projects we have already committed to include:
- Cervical Cancer Screening – hearing from the Asian community about barriers to take up.
- Access to welfare advice for people who experience health inequalities.
Working with Healthwatch in South West London:
- Accessible Information Standard in GP surgeries
- Community services
