Healthwatch Ealing Engagement Report Q3 2020

Healthwatch Ealing, much like other organisations that work with the public in a face-to-face capacity, have had to learn and adapt our scope and methods because of the Coronavirus pandemic. All our face-to-face work has been suspended based on risk assessments, and we have had to move to online/remote working. As such, we have been using much of this time to reassess and develop new methods of engagement and delivery with the public.

Healthwatch Ealing gathers insights from local people about their experiences with local NHS services - including but not limited to hospitals, GPs, dentists, and social care providers. This gives us a chance to find out what is working well, what isn't, and what needs to be improved - which can be relayed to the appropriate service, Trust and CCG.

Healthwatch Ealing remained working from home, with suspension of all face-to-face public engagement in Q3 of 2020. Therefore, it is still difficult to reach members of the public. However, we have been able to get back in contact with different services and speak to service users through them as they begin to onboard more clients onto digital spaces. It should be noted this still excludes many who do not have digital access, and Healthwatch Ealing remains available by phone and email throughout as a means of interacting with the public.

Healthwatch Ealing decided to conduct a number of engagement events and engaged with a number of organisations from October to December 2020. These included meetings with Acton Town COVID task group (with 30+ participants), a number of forums with Ealing Children and Young People Providers’ Forum: Diversity and Inclusion (with 20+ participants), Ealing Mental Health Forum (with 20+ participants), a full list of the engagement activities can be found on page 4 of the report.

The findings are discussed in more detail in the main body of the report, which is complete with recommendations, follow-up, activities and next steps.