Agenda item - Healthwatch Brighton and Hove Annual Report

Report of the Executive Brighton and Hove Healthwatch (copy attached)

RESOLVED - That the Board agrees to note the Healthwatch annual report

26.1     The Board considered the Annual Report of Healthwatch, Brighton and Hove for 2020/21.

26.2     Healthwatch, the local independent consumer champion for health and care as required by the 2012 Health and Consumer Care Act was a co-opted member of both the Brighton and Hove Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Health and Wellbeing Board. As part of its statutory management responsibilities the council continued to monitor the Healthwatch Brighton and Hove contract through its performance framework. Healthwatch were required to produce an Annual Report as part of their statutory requirements. The development of the Annual Report was based on Healthwatch’s consistent approach to seeking to hear people’s stories about their experiences of health and social care services, using these to develop an effective evidence base. They use their statutory powers to Enter and View any premises so that their authorised representatives can observe matters relating to health and social care services. Enter and View has not been possible this last year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, during which time more attention has been given to online and telephone engagement.

26.3     In answer to questions it was explained that notwithstanding the constraints and limitations due to Covid Healthwatch had been able to deliver 32 reports and to support 3,500 local people following their discharge from hospital. Healthwatch were grateful that a contract had been awarded to them for a 3 year period which provided a degree of certainty in respect of forward planning going forward.

26.4     Councillor Appich commended the report and the valuable work carried out by Healthwatch, noting that the work of the Brighton and Hove Healthwatch was widely respected and was cited as a beacon of good practice.

26.5     The spectrum of issues dealt with was welcomed and the support provided to those in the care home across Sussex was particularly welcome at the present time. It was noted that a series of webinars had been arranged and had been well received and that postal surveys had also been undertaken in order to maximise the means by which input could be given. Currently a joint review was being undertaken in respect of the joint equipment service. Lola Banjoko, the Managing Director, Brighton and Hove CCG and Rob Persey, Executive Director, Health and Adult Social Care both referred to the valuable input provided by Healthwatch in the role of critical and impartial friend.

26.6     RESOLVED - That the Board agrees to note the contents of the Healthwatch annual report