This morning I had the opportunity to meet with Healthwatch, an organisation which champions those who use health and social care services, to discuss their annual report and the work they do here in Carshalton and Wallington.
Healthwatch’s strategy is people-first and ensures local people have their say on health and social care services and how these could be improved. The Sutton branch of Healthwatch have recently launched a consultation on how to improve care homes locally, calling on staff members, residents, and family members to have their say on how to improve future resident experiences. I look forward to reading the findings of the report which will be presented to the NHS and Sutton Council for action to be taken. You can contribute to the consultation here.
Care home experience is something I’ve been working closely on with the Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK becoming MP in 2019. As I raised in my recent ConservativeHome article, the pandemic has shown us the need for an ambitious package of measures to comprehensively reform adult social care. With at least 70 per cent of care home residents living with dementia, we must harness the determination we have shown towards tackling Coronavirus to ensure adult social care users receive the quality of life and care they deserve.
Healthwatch and I discussed this issue, as well as the important Health and Social Care White Paper. The White Paper will set out to achieve several aims for reforming social care, including enhancing public confidence and accountability and supporting the integration of services. It was great to discuss Healthwatch’s thoughts for the bill and share Robert, Imelda and Shueb’s wish for a targeted and flexible approach to health and social care, avoiding the current one-size-fits-all approach.
Another area I was pleased to discuss with Healthwatch was our fantastic community pharmacies, who I was pleased to give my thanks to during a Westminster Hall debate in March. Having worked in the NHS myself, I know first-hand the significant demand A&E departments and GP Surgeries are under and the volume of workload pharmacists pick up as a result. With COVID-19, this has increased significantly, demonstrating that it’s time we unlock the potential of community pharmacies and create a new culture of ‘pharmacy first’ within the UK. I’ve been working closely with the National Pharmacy Association on how to achieve this, including engaging with the Terrence Higgins Trust and the National AIDS Trust to see the life-changing PrEP drug be rolled out in community pharmacies. This would be an incredible opportunity to increase accessibility to PrEP, as well as see our community pharmacies take on a much greater role in modern health care.
Thank you again to Robert, Imelda and Shueb for sharing Healthwatch’s annual report and for discussing what more we can do to ensure people have a powerful voice on how health and social care works for their community.