Content originally from Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System
Welcome
With Halloween now only weeks away and Christmas decorations appearing back on supermarket shelves, your local NHS is preparing for winter.
As we said in our August newsletter, we’re expecting high pressure on healthcare through the colder months of the year, so we’re making some temporary changes to services.
These changes will give residents the best possible availability for healthcare in either community settings or in their own homes through our “virtual wards”. You can read more about the latter below.
Some of the changes we make could support our health and care system in the longer term, and we will be holding conversations with residents about that as it becomes clear what is working well and where further changes are needed.
We will be talking to residents, patients and community groups about any significant plans. As always, subscribing to this newsletter offers you a way of hearing about those plans and discussion. You can encourage friends and neighbours to sign up for this and other updates via our website.
Claire Hankey, Director of Communications and Engagement
NHS Mid and South Essex
New diagnostic centres for mid and south Essex a step closer
During two face-to-face events and an online public meeting, Braintree residents have asked questions and shared their views about a new clinical diagnostic centre, or CDC, in their town.
The ultrasound, MRI and X-ray facilities planned for the centre will mean more people can receive services closer to home that they would previously have had to travel further for, for example to Broomfield Hospital.
Now it’s the turn of Pitsea residents. Another CDC is planned for this area of eastern Basildon to serve local residents and the surrounding area. The first face-to-face meeting giving people a chance to ask about the plans happened in Pitsea last week and more than 80 people came along to ask questions.
National survey on women’s reproductive care
Women across England are being encouraged to help shape future reproductive health policy by sharing their experiences of a range of issues, as the government launches a new landmark survey.
Delivering on a key commitment in the Women’s Health Strategy, the Women’s Reproductive Health Survey will seek women’s views across England on issues including periods, contraception, fertility, pregnancy and the menopause.
You can find out more about the survey on the gov.uk website and add your voice to the findings using the button below.
Anonymous feedback, shared with everyone
A reminder to everyone helping us by sharing their views that, unless we specifically state otherwise, NHS Mid and South Essex will use collected data only for analytical and reporting purposes. No personal information that could identify you will be included in any public or internal reports.
And don’t forget, we share the anonymised highlights of what you tell us through the Insight Bank on our website, which gives our partners a chance to learn from the work we have already undertaken without having to repeat it themselves.
Crucially, it also shows that we are listening and have taken on board what you said. Thank you, as always, for the valuable insight and lived experience that you share with us.
Your views on pneumococcal vaccination
Pneumonia remains a leading cause of hospital admission and disproportionately affects our older population and people with long term conditions. NHS Mid and South Essex has been asking people to help us increase uptake of the vaccine that can help prevent pneumonia, and we need to hear back soon.
Figures show that people aged 85 to 95 are twice as likely to contract pneumonia compared to those aged between 65 and 69. Given that many cases are preventable through vaccination, the local NHS wants to increase vaccine take-up among eligible groups.
To help us understand the level of support and information people need to make an informed choice, we asked series of questions to people eligible for the vaccine. We had a great response—thank you—with nearly 600 people sharing their comments. Everyone’s answers will be kept anonymous as we collate the information.
Thank you for sharing your views about outpatient letters
We are grateful to all our residents, community groups and patient representatives who took part in a recent engagement around the way hospitals send details of appointments and treatment guidance.
Response to this survey was good and our colleagues at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs local acute hospital services, will use the views you shared to help improve patient letters and other communications.
Share your thoughts about overnight stays in NHS hospitals
Independent research company Picker runs several different research projects and surveys for the NHS and our watchdogs, such as Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The Adult In-patient Survey is currently underway for the CQC and Picker would like to hear from people aged 16 years and over who stayed overnight in an NHS hospital at least once in the past six months.
Answering questions for the 2023 In-patient Survey will take about an hour, and all your answers are confidential. To take part or find out more, email volunteer@surveycoordination.com or call 01865 208127.
Picker will offer participants a £40 voucher as a thank-you for sparing an hour of their time. Please share the poster available from the button below with your networks and anyone you think may be interested.
Reports on how we worked with and for you in the past year
Our Annual Report and Working with People and Communities update were presented to NHS Mid and South Essex board members at our recent Annual General Meeting. Both documents cover the period from the legal creation of our organisation on 1 July 2022 and 31 March 2023 and are now available online.
These reports contain a summary of the work we undertook in that time, how we spent our funding from the government on health services for our residents, and how we engaged with local communities to ensure they had a voice in the decisions.
Our 2022/23 Annual Report and Accounts, the Working with People and Communities report and our One Year On review are all available from the NHS Mid and South Essex website.
The site also hosts the final accounts for the period 1 April 2023 to 30 June 2023 of the five clinical commissioning groups from which NHS Mid and South Essex was formed.
Share your cancer story to help improve NHS care
Everyone who goes through a cancer diagnosis and treatment will experience it differently.
Local people who have had cancer treatment or supported someone who has, are being invited to complete our online survey to share their experiences.
The East of England Cancer Alliances, which work as part of the NHS to transform local cancer services, want to know what worked well and what might have made things better for patients and their families or supporters. The Cancer Alliances have launched a short survey to help improve cancer services across the region.
The closing date for this survey is Friday 13th October.
SWF Health & Social Care Group 