Health & Care Services | Evolving Communities https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk Listening to you and your customers Mon, 06 Oct 2025 14:51:53 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Evolving-Communities-Icon-150x150.jpg Health & Care Services | Evolving Communities https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk 32 32 Kernow Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership: Annual Report 2024-25 https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/kernow-mnvp-annual-report-2024-25/ Mon, 06 Oct 2025 14:50:12 +0000 https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/?p=20405 Kernow MNVP engages with maternity and neonatal service users from across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and represents their views by working with care providers and decision-makers to design, develop and improve maternity and neonatal care at a local and national level.

In 2024-25, following expansion of the team, Kernow MNVP worked hard to build connections and reach a range of communities across the breadth of Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. They attended over 45 community projects and events and had the privilege of speaking to hundreds of families, listening to their personal feedback and experiences with maternity care. Over 90 people completed ‘Have Your Say’ forms offering valuable insights and deepened their understanding of what truly matters to parents.

In addition, Kernow MNVP focused their work last year on some key projects and engagement activities:

  • Kernow Parenting Journey: Kernow MNVP collaborated with partners and service users to advance the Pregnancy Circles initiative through face-to-face sessions by community teams. including launches in Penrice and Isles of Scilly. This was enhanced by the Personalised Care and Support Plans to help people make informed decisions about their care.
  • Maternity Natters Bitesize: This initiative made significant progress, with Kernow MNVP collaborating with the Cornwall IT Services team and healthcare providers to shape website development alignment with Personalised Care and Support Plans.
  • 15 Steps to quality care in community maternity services: Kernow MNVP focused their visits with staff, volunteers and service users at community venues in St Austell, Helston and Newquay. Using NHS England’s 15 Steps process, their report contained some recommendations around improvement in communication and information but also highlighted some wonderful areas of good practice.
  • Overnight support pilot: Kernow MNVP supported Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust develop a pilot on the postnatal ward to allow birthing people the support of their partner or support person overnight. Following feedback that showed this was an overwhelming positive experience for those that stayed on the ward, it has been agreed that this will be a permanent change.

Susan Bracefield, Chief Nursing Officer at NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board, praised the value of Kernow MNVP’s work: “This year, Kernow MNVP has again demonstrated its role in improving experiences for women and families across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly who are using maternity and neonatal services.

“Through public engagement and close community partnerships, the team ensures local voices are heard at the heart of maternity and neonatal care. Among recent successes, the overnight support pilot on the postnatal ward – now made permanent – is a clear example of the positive change it helps to bring about.

“We are grateful for the work of Kernow MNVP and proud to continue supporting its important mission to champion those who use our maternity and neonatal services.”

Announcing the annual report, Nicki Burnett, Senior Lead for Kernow MNVP, said: “I am so proud of the work we have done this year and so grateful to the leaders across Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust and Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board who have consciously made the decision to invest and support, meaningful and sustainable service user voice even when it is challenging. We hold the voices of our communities at the heart of everything we do.”

 

More information

Read the full Kernow Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership Annual Report 2024-25

To keep up to date with KMNVPs work or to share your experience of local maternity services:

]]> Evolving Communities wins contract to deliver Devon Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/evolving-communities-wins-contract-to-deliver-devon-maternity-and-neonatal-voices-partnership/ Wed, 25 Jun 2025 14:20:59 +0000 https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/?p=18902 Devon MNVP is the ICB’s formal partner, responsible for providing the voice of service users to inform development of maternity and neonatal care in the county. Devon MNVP supports the Local Maternity and Neonatal System to ensure services are delivered in a kind, personal and safe way by making sure the service user voice is central to all decision-making and quality oversight.

Evolving Communities is a community interest company which specialises in gathering and reporting people’s views and experiences of health and social care to help drive and guide improvements in services. The company has extensive experience of delivering independent local Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnerships and has been running Somerset MNVP for several years along with Kernow MNVP and Dorset MNVP, as well as several local Healthwatch services and a broad range of national and local community engagement projects.

Evolving Communities has recently recruited new members of staff (Lara, Helen and Caitlyn) to form the local team – as Senior Lead, MNVP Trust Lead and Volunteer & Engagement Officer –who will raise awareness of Devon MNVP, engage with people who use maternity and neonatal services, and share their feedback and insight with those who provide care to help shape local services.

Lucie Woodruff, CEO of Evolving Communities, said: “To provide quality maternity and neonatal care, services need to understand how to meet the needs of their diverse local communities. We are delighted to be supporting our new Devon MNVP team to connect with local people and champion their views. We look forward to working with maternity and neonatal care professionals to ensure continued development and improvement in Devon, and to sharing good practices across all our MNVP services in Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset.”

Charli Mardon, Devon Maternity Commissioner and Local Maternity and Neonatal System Programme Manager, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Lara, Helen and Caitlyn to the Devon Local Maternity and Neonatal System Team. The voices of families are pivotal to ensuring that our maternity and neonatal services are the best that they can be and reflect the needs of our community. We are looking forward to working with them in continuing to coproduce improvements to our services.”

Find out more about Devon MNVP and get in touch with the team to share your views and experiences about local services or get involved as a volunteer:

]]> New report: Evaluating people’s experiences of Cornwall’s community maternity services https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/new-report-evaluating-peoples-experiences-of-cornwalls-community-maternity-services/ Mon, 02 Jun 2025 14:56:34 +0000 https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/?p=18801 15 Steps to quality care in Cornwall’s community maternity services details findings from Kernow MNVP’s visits in November 2024 to three community maternity settings: Midwifery Led Units (MLUs) at Birthing Centres in Helston (West Cornwall) and Penrice (St Austell/central Cornwall), and the community clinic at Mount Wise Health Centre in Newquay.

During the visits, a group of service users joined Kernow MNVP staff and local midwives and used the NHS England 15 Steps toolkit to observe first impressions of the care environment and interactions with staff. They identified strengths and areas for improvement across five key themes:

  • Welcoming and informative
  • Safe and clean
  • Friendly and personal
  • Organised and calm
  • Accessible and inclusive.

Overall, the report highlights the value of delivering quality maternity care in community settings and shines a spotlight on Penrice MLU in St Austell as an example of best practice. Common areas for development are identified across the sites, mainly around signage, parking, information and communication, and recommendations are made for improvement in each setting.

Announcing the report, Nicki Burnett, Senior Lead, Kernow MNVP, said: “Kernow MNVP is committed to ensuring that service user voices are at the heart of improvements in maternity and neonatal care. We want to thank everyone who joined us for the 15 Steps visits and contributed so constructively – your personal stories, insights, and recommendations are at the heart of this report.

“Community birth settings have always been an important and integral part of delivering maternity care in Cornwall, not least because of our many dispersed and rural communities. It is important that all families are aware of their maternity care options so that they can make informed choices and create personalised care and support plans that meet their needs.

“Overall, these visits felt like a celebration of our community maternity spaces, with Penrice Birthing Centre clearly demonstrating how to get things right for local families. Service users could see and feel the time, consideration and dedication that has gone into making sure service users have a great maternity experience.

“It’s important that all our maternity care spaces and facilities, whether in hospitals or community settings, contribute to quality care experiences that are safe, inclusive and supportive for all families; the 15 Steps visits enable us to guide improvements where they are needed.”

Kernow MNVP has shared their report with the Local Maternity and Neonatal System and the Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust to guide plans for improving delivery of maternity care across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Kernow MNVP will monitor progress made in these community settings and carry out 15 Steps visits to other settings during 2025.

Susan Bracefield, Chief Nursing Officer, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB), welcomed the report: “The local maternity and neonatal system is incredibly grateful to the Kernow MNVP team for producing this report. The feedback and intelligence contained within the document is vital to supporting the system to continue to develop and deliver safe, personalised services in a meaningful way. We are proud to work so closely with Kernow MNVP and to have the voice of those that use our services embedded within our work.”

More information

Read the full report or share your feedback about maternity or neonatal care in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

]]> New report highlights success of community support in improving health and wellbeing for people with COPD in Somerset https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/new-report-highlights-success-of-community-support-in-improving-health-and-wellbeing-for-people-with-copd-in-somerset/ Mon, 02 Dec 2024 09:54:00 +0000 https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/?p=18285 The report, Supporting people to live well with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), evaluates the impact of a community engagement project carried out in 2023-2024 in Bridgwater, Somerset, where there are heightened rates of COPD and associated health inequalities.

The project, which was delivered independently by Evolving Communities on behalf of NHS Somerset, focused on understanding the needs of people living with COPD and aimed to improve diagnosis, care, and support.

Through a series of engaging and accessible community activities, including ‘Sing 2 Breath’ sessions for breathing and anxiety management, informal coffee and chat mornings, and facilitated support groups, the project encouraged participants to actively manage their condition and fostered a sense of community and social connection. These sessions were supported by a Project Coordinator and volunteer Community Connectors with lived experience of COPD, helping participants feel understood and supported in a non-judgmental space.

Key findings: Positive Impacts on health, wellbeing, and social connectivity

People who participated in the project experienced several positive outcomes.

  • Physical health improvements: Participants experienced greater breathing control and improved posture as a result of increased physical activity.
    “My lungs don’t feel so laboured, and I have better breathing control.”
  • Enhanced mental health and emotional wellbeing: The project helped participants gain more control of their breathing which alleviated anxiety, and built confidence, positivity, and a sense of empowerment in managing COPD.
    “Mentally, I feel more positive, not as isolated and troubled by my diagnosis as I was.”
  • Increased social connectivity: The sense of belonging and connection created through the project helped reduce social isolation and strengthened community ties among participants and health and care groups and support services.
    “The best thing is feeling part of a group and the amazing amount of laughter and joy that each session brings.”
  • Access to practical support: Participants shared valuable tips and information and became more aware of available health and support services, learning to manage COPD more effectively in daily life.
    “The best thing is listening to other people’s stories, sharing knowledge, and helpful tips.”

Recommendations: For future COPD support in Bridgwater and beyond

The report concludes that it would be beneficial for COPD community support activities to continue and includes recommendations for how NHS Somerset could extend the positive impacts of future initiatives.

  • Ongoing and varied promotion: Use diverse promotional methods to increase awareness of support groups, including reaching those who are digitally excluded, and raise awareness via all healthcare and community settings.
  • Enhanced social media engagement: Use social media to reach more people and attract wider participation, including by sharing personal testimonials and interactive content.
  • Strategic information timing: Provide details on support groups at different stages in patients’ healthcare journeys, and don’t overwhelm them too soon after diagnosis.
  • Multiple and accessible locations: Hold activities across multiple community hubs to improve access and participation.
  • Holistic support: Engage a range of professionals to address both medical and social support needs.
  • Long-term funding: Seek sustained funding sources to continue support services and develop peer support networks.

NHS Somerset will use the project evaluation to inform ongoing work aimed at supporting people living with chronic conditions, including COPD, and reducing related health disparities in Somerset.

Vicky Wright, Long Term Conditions Commissioning Manager, NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board (ICB), said:

“Somerset ICB will continue to work with groups though various channels to provide a consistent message to ensure the project remains visible. We are committed to using diverse locations for groups and activities for all groups across the ICB to ensure accessibility for participants. Personalised care and holistic support integration is something that is a priority and is being focused on across the system.

“The next step for Somerset is to look at how we can replicate the work done within this COPD project, to create similar groups for multimorbidity, to provide peer support for the population of Somerset, and enhance the patients voice in the commissioning of services to support their needs.”

For more information read the COPD project case study and the reports (in full and summary).

]]> Improving people’s experience of maternity and neonatal services at Yeovil District and Musgrove Park Hospitals https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/somerset-mnvp-15-steps-report-nov-2024/ Mon, 18 Nov 2024 13:27:44 +0000 https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/?p=18123 Somerset Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP) has published a new report evaluating maternity and neonatal services at Yeovil District Hospital and Musgrove Park Hospital from the perspective of service users.

The report details findings and recommendations for improvement following Somerst MNVP’s annual ’15 Steps’ visits to the hospitals in July 2024.

During the visits, a group of current and recent service users and Somerset MNVP staff and volunteers used the NHS England 15 Steps toolkit to observe first impressions of the care environments and interactions with staff. They identified strengths and areas for improvement across five key themes:

  • Welcoming and informative
  • Safe and clean
  • Friendly and personal
  • Organised and calm
  • Accessible and inclusive.

The report outlines key recommendations for each hospital, including suggestions for improved signage, decluttering and refreshed décor, accessibility for people with mobility issues, and the introduction of more personal touches in the hospital environments to create a warmer, less clinical and more inclusive atmosphere.

Key recommendations for Yeovil District Hospital include:

  • Welcoming and informative: Enhance signage, particularly in the main maternity reception, antenatal and scanning areas, to ensure clarity and better navigation; and use language that is sensitive to diverse service users.
  • Safe and clean: Maintain high standards by regularly inspecting and cleaning and repairing damaged areas.
  • Friendly and personal: Use artwork and more welcoming cots to create a more homely, less clinical atmosphere in maternity and neonatal areas, and improve privacy in the Special Care Baby Unit and the Day Assessment Unit.
  • Organised and calm: Create a more relaxing environment with natural lighting, including in labour rooms, and reduce clutter, including in the Special Care Baby Unit and the Early Pregnancy Assessment Centre.
  • Accessible and inclusive: Ensure wheelchair accessibility in all areas, especially reception spaces, make sure information is easy to find and use, and provide key information in more inclusive formats and languages.

Key recommendations for Musgrove Park Hospital include:

  • Welcoming and informative: Improve signage, including for the Early Pregnancy Assessment Centre, Bracken Birth Centre and Transitional Care, making them easier to find and follow for patients and visitors.
  • Safe and clean: Regularly address maintenance issues, such as repairing cracks in bath panels, removing mold in shower rooms, and replacing stained seating, and add tap monitors to prevent scalding.
  • Friendly and personal: Enhance environments so that they feel less clinical, more homely and welcoming, including in the Early Pregnancy Assessment Centre, Special Care Baby Unit, and the Bracken Birth Centre. Add frosted plastic to windows to improve privacy in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, labour ward bathrooms and recovery rooms.
  • Organised and calm: Improve storage solutions and use of space, reduce clutter and information overload in areas like the antenatal clinic.
  • Accessible and inclusive: Standardise the language used on signage and ensure that all areas are accessible, including adding handrails and chairs in labour ward bathrooms.

What Somerset MNVP liked about both hospitals

The visiting group highlighted several positive aspects of the services at both Yeovil District and Musgrove Park Hospitals. Many members of staff were praised for their warm, friendly, and welcoming approach, helping to make families feel cared for and respected. Additionally, the improvements made in recent years were appreciated by the group, including updated signage and the addition of personal touches in some areas.

Announcing the report, Dylan Perry, SMNVP Lead, said: “Somerset MNVP is committed to ensuring that service user voices are at the heart of maternity and neonatal care improvements. I want to thank all the service users who joined us for the 15 Steps visits and contributed so constructively; their personal stories, insights, and recommendations are at the heart of this report.

“We know the NHS faces many challenges, but the warmth, friendliness, and dedication of the staff we met is reassuring. The 15 Steps visits enable us to guide improvements to hospital spaces and facilities to ensure they match the quality of care provided by staff, so that maternity and neonatal care in Somerset is safe, inclusive, and supportive for all families.

“We have shared this report with leadership teams at Yeovil District and Musgrove Park Hospitals, as well key partners and stakeholders in maternity and neonatal care, and we will review progress in 2025 during regular safety walkabouts and further 15 Steps visits.”

Sally Bryant, Director of Midwifery for Somerset NHS Foundation Trust (SFT), said: “I want to say a very big thank you to Somerset MNVP and their service users who have given up their time to visit our maternity units at Musgrove Park Hospital and Yeovil District Hospital and give us their feedback on the environments within our units.

“It is incredibly important to hear the voice of mothers, pregnant people and families, and we will incorporate this feedback into our ongoing work to improve our maternity services. This includes positive feedback about areas that are welcoming – and that we may be able to replicate – and feedback about areas that we need to improve.

“These include additional changes to make signage clearer, work to make some environments more accessible, feel less clinical and support privacy, and a need to review posters and information displays to avoid information overload and make information inclusive and accessible to all.

“A lot of the feedback reported relates to the condition and maintenance of our estate. The poor condition of the building in which Musgrove Park Hospital’s maternity unit is housed is a big concern to us. We have been working for a number of years on plans to replace it as part of the New Hospitals Programme and are awaiting the outcome of the national review of the programme.

“Nevertheless, this feedback highlights the importance of ongoing maintenance and replacement of older fixtures and fittings and of making it clear when improvements are being made or are imminent. For example, at the time of the visit, essential maintenance work was being undertaken and the cleaning team was onsite to ensure a speedy response to the works, but our visitors were understandably not aware of this.

“Once again we thank the Somerset MNVP for their feedback and their willingness and commitment to working with us.”

Read the full report: 15 Steps for maternity and neonatal care in Somerset – Yeovil District Hospital and Musgrove Park Hospital (Nov 2024)

Share your feedback about maternity or neonatal care in Somerset.

]]> Evolving Communities wins contract to deliver Dorset Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/evolving-communities-wins-contract-to-deliver-dorset-maternity-and-neonatal-voices-partnership/ Mon, 11 Nov 2024 10:43:39 +0000 https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/?p=18061 Dorset MNVP is the ICB’s formal partner, responsible for providing the voice of service users to inform development of maternity and neonatal care in the county.

Dorset MNVP supports the Local Maternity and Neonatal System to ensure services are delivered in a kind, personal and safe way by making sure the service user voice is central to all decision making and quality oversight. This enables the ICB to fulfil its responsibilities in line with the NHS three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services in England.

Evolving Communities is a Community Interest Company which specialises in gathering and reporting people’s views and experiences of health and social care to help drive and guide improvements in services. The company has extensive experience of delivering independent local Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnerships and already manages MNVPs in Cornwall, Devon, and Somerset, as well as several local Healthwatch services including Healthwatch Dorset, and a broad range of national and local community engagement projects.

Evolving Communities will manage and support the local team to raise awareness of Dorset MNVP, to engage with people who use maternity and neonatal services, and to share their feedback and insight with those who provide care to help shape local services.

Lucie Woodruff, CEO of Evolving Communities, said: “To provide quality maternity and neonatal care, services need to understand how to meet the needs of their diverse local communities. We are delighted to be supporting our Dorset MNVP team to connect with local people and champion their views. We look forward to working with maternity and neonatal care professionals to ensure continued development and improvement in Dorset, and to sharing good practices across all of our MNVP services in South West England.”

Hannah Leonard, Deputy Director of Maternity and Perinatal Services, NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board, said: “Dorset maternity and neonatal services are committed to putting the voices of women, birthing people and their families at the heart of care. We know that to deliver the very best care we needed to invest in our Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership, and we are excited to be working with Evolving Communities to enable this to happen.

“It is an exciting time in Dorset with a new maternity and neonatal hospital opening in the East and we strive to be always improving following our CQC inspection reports. We want our maternity and neonatal services to offer high quality care and service experience for the families of Dorset and we can only do this if we listen to the voices of our community.”

Complete the survey about your recent experiences of maternity and neonatal care with Dorset MNVP.

Find out more about the work of Dorset MNVP and how you can get involved, including as a volunteer:

]]> Kernow Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership: Annual Report 2023-24 https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/kernow-maternity-and-neonatal-voices-partnership-annual-report-2023-24/ Tue, 03 Sep 2024 06:00:28 +0000 https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/?p=17472 In its new annual report, Kernow Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (KMNVP) highlights how improvements in maternity and neonatal services can be achieved when those who provide care value the experience and expertise of those they serve.

KMNVP engages with maternity and neonatal service users from across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and represents their views by working with care providers and decision makers to design, develop and improve maternity and neonatal care at a local and national level.

In 2023-24, KMNVP sat alongside maternity and neonatal professionals on over 30 regular strategic planning and decision-making meetings and co-production project groups. The broad range of topics covered included patient safety and quality surveillance, birth planning and choices, perinatal mortality, birth trauma, multiple births, maternal mental health, perinatal pelvic health, parenting support, infant feeding, equity and access to services.

In addition, KMNVP focused their work last year on some key projects and engagement activities:

  • Personalised Maternity Care and Support: KMNVP brought local service users and professionals together to coproduce a revised, more accessible, Personalised Maternity Care Plan to help people make informed decisions about their care.
  • Kernow Parenting Journey: KMNVP collaborated with partners and service users to develop and coproduce a new approach to providing accessible and effective information and support for local parents, including a new antenatal programme offering face-to-face support and new digital resources including videos and a website.
  • 15 Steps to providing quality maternity care: KMNVP visited Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust with staff, volunteers, service users and midwives, to carry out their annual ’15 Steps for Maternity Challenge’. They used NHS England’s 15 Steps process to evaluate maternity services and recommended actions to support change and improvement.
  • Neonatal care: KMNVP gathered feedback from people who had received care from the neonatal unit or transitional care ward at RCHT and reported back to the neonatal leadership team at the RCHT. This resulted in the Trust developing personalised maternity outreach for people who have just given birth, even if they are on the neonatal unit with their baby; and a project to minimise separation of babies from parents and swift and compassionate communication when separation is unavoidable.
  • Multiple births: The KMNVP team brought service users and professionals together to share experiences, feedback and ideas to help shape RCHT’s new specialist care pathway for multiple births.
  • New national MNVP guidance: KMNVP supported NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly ICB and NHS England to develop new guidance, providing a national framework for Local Maternity and Neonatal Systems to effectively commission and set up a MNVP.

Susan Bracefield, Chief Nursing Officer, NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board, highlighted the value of KMNVP’s work, commenting: “Kernow Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership is a key player within our system, capturing the voices of local people and ensuring they influence how services are delivered, and this annual report describes many great examples. Their success is recognised at a national level, as seen in the recent all party parliamentary review on birth trauma and in the recently published national guidance for MNVPs. Nationally, maternity and neonatal services have continued to receive a high level of scrutiny through a series of national reports and publicity. A key theme from these reports puts listening to and working with women and families at the heart of improvements that need to be made. NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board highly values the role of KMNVP in making this a great strength in Cornwall.”

Announcing the annual report, Nicki Burnett, Senior Lead for Kernow Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership, said: “We’re proud of what we have achieved by working with local people and partners and I want to thank everyone who has shared their experience and supported our work. As we move forward, we renew our commitment to the families of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly that we will champion your voice, be vocal about the need for equitable and accessible services for the most marginalised and vulnerable families in our communities and use what you share with us to support the oversight and assurance of quality care.”

 

More information

Read the full Kernow Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership Annual Report 2023-24

To keep up to date with KMNVPs work or to share your experience of local maternity services:

]]> Somerset residents share their views to help shape same day urgent care services https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/somerset-residents-share-their-views-to-help-shape-same-day-urgent-care-services/ Tue, 13 Aug 2024 11:57:35 +0000 https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/?p=17378 NHS Somerset first asked Evolving Communities to independently gather public feedback about urgent care in West Somerset in 2022, before extending the public engagement project across the whole of Somerset during 2023.

Urgent care is defined as any form of unplanned healthcare that is required on the same day as the patient becomes aware of the health need; it is different to emergency care where there is an imminent threat to life. Urgent care can include minor or major injuries or any form of acute illness. It can be provided by a range of services depending on the circumstances, including General Practice, Urgent Treatment Centres, Minor Injuries Units, Opticians, Dentists, Pharmacies, NHS 111, and A&E.

Healthwatch Somerset supported Evolving Communities to deliver the project, which included a countywide survey and talking with local people at community groups, libraries and other public spaces. They gathered feedback from 736 people and produced 10 reports about how residents view and use same day urgent care services in:

Somerset (countywide survey)
Bridgwater
Central Mendip
Chard, Crewkerne and Ilminster
Frome		 North Sedgemoor
Taunton Dean
West Mendip
West Somerset
Yeovil, South Somerset East and West

 

 

 

 

Each report contains localised findings and recommendations, though some common issues can be identified:

  • A lack of public awareness and understanding of the different SDUC services, with poor recall about the role of pharmacies, dentists and opticians.
  • People want to be seen on the same day for their urgent care needs, even if their condition is not life-threatening.
  • Difficulties getting to hospitals/urgent treatment centres were a concern, largely due to public/community transport.
  • Mixed experiences, good and bad, were reported of using urgent care services.
  • Mixed levels of confidence were expressed about finding information on urgent care.
  • Mixed experiences were recorded around accessing GP appointments, both across Somerset and within areas.
  • Accessing dental care was difficult in some areas.
  • There was uncertainty and concern in some areas about the possibility of services closing.

Based on the public feedback gathered, Evolving Communities made recommendations to help address the issues raised in each area and across Somerset. These are mainly around improving public information and communication to raise awareness and understanding of the different SDUC services and treatment options, and further investigation and action around transport and GP services to improve access to care.

The reports were shared with NHS Somerset at the end of 2023 to inform their strategy for developing same day urgent care in the county. They welcomed the reports, acknowledged the value of public feedback in helping to shape services, and explained how they are using the reports to guide and implement change.

Kirsty Ash, Head of Urgent and Emergency Care, NHS Somerset, said: “NHS Somerset would like to thank the residents of Somerset who provided information to help improve access to urgent care services for local people. This project has formed a core part of our Same Day Urgent Care improvement work and we are looking at how we might address all the recommendations made within these engagement reports.

“The findings have informed the development of a new public communication strategy supporting different urgent care services across Somerset; and helped us to improve access to self-care resources for patients and to support neighbourhood groups to explore different ways of providing services to meet local needs. We have also developed a network of Urgent Treatment Centres based around our previous Minor Injuries Units and we are progressing our workforce plan to help further develop the Same Day Urgent Care services.”

Read the project case study

]]> Evolving Communities wins contract to deliver Kernow Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/evolving-communities-wins-contract-to-deliver-kernow-maternity-and-neonatal-voices-partnership/ Wed, 07 Aug 2024 09:48:04 +0000 https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/?p=17108 KMNVP is the ICB’s formal partner, responsible for providing the voice of service users to inform development of maternity and neonatal care in the county. KMNVP supports the system to ensure services are delivered in a kind, personal and safe way by making sure the service user voice is central to all decision making and quality oversight.

Evolving Communities is a community interest company which specialises in gathering and reporting people’s views and experiences of health and social care to help drive and guide improvements in services. The company has extensive experience of delivering independent local Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnerships and has been running Somerset MNVP and Devon MNVP for several years, as well as several local Healthwatch services and a broad range of national and local community engagement projects.

Evolving Communities will manage and support the local team to raise awareness of KMNVP, to engage with people who use maternity and neonatal services, and to share their feedback and insight with those who provide care to help shape local services.

Lucie Woodruff, CEO of Evolving Communities, said: “To provide quality maternity and neonatal care, services need to understand how to meet the needs of their diverse local communities. We are delighted to be supporting our KMNVP team to connect with local people and champion their views. We look forward to working with maternity and neonatal care professionals to ensure continued development and improvement in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and to sharing good practices across all our MNVP services in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset.”

Aisling Crombie, Director of Nursing at NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board, said: “Kernow Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership has a vital role in ensuring that we engage with, listen to, and take influence from local women and their families throughout the perinatal journey. Evolving Communities have demonstrated their values and experience in this area. We look forward to growing their role in working together, as part of our ongoing commitment to delivering excellent NHS maternity services for the people of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.”

Find out more and get in touch to share your views and experiences with Kernow Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership

Look out for KMNVP’s Annual Report 2023-24 to be published this month.

]]> Evolving Communities wins Healthwatch Dorset contract to be local people’s health and care champion https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/evolving-communities-wins-healthwatch-dorset-contract-to-be-local-peoples-health-and-care-champion/ Thu, 18 Jul 2024 10:39:53 +0000 https://evolvingcommunities.co.uk/?p=16512

Healthwatch Dorset is an independent statutory body with the power to make sure that NHS leaders and other decision makers listen to public feedback and use it to improve standards of care. Healthwatch Dorset also helps local people find information and advice about local services to help them get the care and support they need to stay healthy and well. It is part of a network of over 150 local Healthwatch across England.

Evolving Communities is a community interest company which specialises in gathering and reporting people’s views and experiences of health and social care to help drive and guide improvements in services. The company has extensive experience of delivering independent local Healthwatch on behalf of local authorities and has been running Healthwatch Dorset for five years, as well as several other local Healthwatch and Maternity & Neonatal Voices Partnerships in Devon, Somerset and Cornwall.

Under the management of Evolving Communities, Healthwatch Dorset has become a trusted consumer champion for health and social care, reporting on feedback from over 7,700 local people and providing information and advice to more than 6,600 residents.

They have highlighted a wide range of issues and influenced positive changes in health and care services, locally and nationally, including most recently, young people’s mental health services, access to urgent and emergency care, support for carers with a loved one in hospital, access to NHS dentistry, and support for vulnerable communities, including those who are experiencing homelessness and food poverty.

Lucie Woodruff, CEO of Evolving Communities, said: “We are extremely proud of the quality of the Healthwatch services we run, and delighted to have retained the contract to work in Dorset. We look forward to building on our work with local people and partners, including voluntary and community groups, local Councils, and health and social care organisations, to make sure Healthwatch Dorset is an effective and representative champion for local people. We want everyone to be involved in the conversation about health and social care to make sure local services understand how to meet the needs of our diverse communities.”

Jon Price, Dorset Council Executive Director of Adult Social Care and Housing, said: “I am pleased that Evolving Communities has retained the Healthwatch contract following a competitive tender process. The organisation has a good track record of supporting residents across a range of important health and social care issues, and I look forward to helping them build on this success and supporting the ongoing development of this service.”

Find out more about the projects that Evolving Communities is involved with.

Find out more about the work of Healthwatch Dorset in its latest Annual Report 2023-24.

Keep up to date with Healthwatch Dorset’s activities by signing up for regular news updates.

You can also share your views and experiences of Dorset’s health and care services.

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