GLOUCESTERSHIRE residents are being encouraged to share their experiences of Cheltenham and Gloucester A&E units following the recent winter crisis.
Healthwatch Gloucestershire is an independent consumer champion for health and social care, acting as the voice of patients by directing their comments – both positive and negative – to the appropriate NHS bodies.
The organisation is now keen to hear from people with recent experiences in both Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.
One of the primary functions of Healthwatch is to use the views and experiences of patients and the public to help improve or influence the planning and provision of services locally.
Over the past eight months Healthwatch has collected in excess of 2,200 comments from the public about care in Gloucestershire
Now, after both of Gloucestershire's major hospitals declared a 'major incident' status early this month, they are seeking information on emergency and other types of care - including cancellations of planned surgery and experiences of being discharged from hospital.
Chairwoman of Healthwatch Gloucestershire Dr Claire Feehily said: “When the health and care system is under such pressure, it is more important than ever for the public to be able to make their views and experiences known.
“The public can be assured that their views about their care will be taken seriously and escalated where necessary.”
As a regular contributor to Gloucestershire County Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Healthwatch will be participating in the update requested by the chairman for the next HCOSC meeting in March, and patient and public feedback will be included in those reports.
Healthwatch also provides the public with information and advice on health and social care when they don’t know where to go for help.
By visiting the Healthwatch website at www.healthwatchgloucestershire.co.uk and going to the ‘Find a Service’ page, people can search for the information they need to help them make the right decisions about their care.
If the information can’t be found, our team of experienced advisers can do some research. Call free on 0800 652 5193.
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