Survey Outcomes

We Asked

Why you had visited the Emergency Department (ED), if you were aware of any alternatives to the Emergency Department, and questions relating to your experience whilst receiving care at an ED

We distributed over 3000 surveys to A&E departments within 5 hospitals across the Humber Coast and Vale region. In addition people were encouraged to complete the survey online from 22nd July 2020 to 25th August 2020.

Over 2000 people responded to the survey either by completing a hard copy within an A&E or online. 

 

You Said

Majority of respondents 1490 (74%) had either seen or been given information about when it is appropriate to visit an Emergency Department

Alongside this there were 513 (26%) respondents who said they had never seen information relating to when it's appropriate to visit an ED. 

You were either advised by NHS 111 or made the decision yourself that it was appropriate for you to attend the Emergency Department

Majority of respondents advised that the NHS 111 service had advised them to attend A&E. This is a positive response to the 'Think 111 First' campaign. A large number of respondents advised they had decided they needed to visit an ED themselves. 

Your GP and NHS 111 is the first port of call 

When asked about awareness of alternative treatment options, most respondents advised they had used their GP or the NHS 111 service. Alternative options also included Urgent Treatment Centres, the out of hours GP and the pharmacy. 

You were advised by a health care professional to attend the Emergency Department

Feedback given to 'Why did you choose A&E?' mirrors the respondents awareness to alternative options, with it being likely that NHS 111 and GPs advised A&E attendance for many respondents.

Other themes as to why people attended A&E related to accessibility; factors such as not being able to get a GP appointment and not having a local Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) nearby resulted in some A&E attendances. 

Some respondents also presented an unawareness of alternatives, with some advising they don't have a GP, A&E was a convenient option due to living nearby, and some thinking the ED is for any health problem. 

Quick waiting times to be seen

Most respondents were seen within 4 hours, this is the target for patients that attend A&E to be either treated, admitted or discharged within this time. Within this, majority advised they were either seen within 30 minutes by a healthcare professional or did not have to wait. A small number of respondents advised they were waiting more than 4 hours to be seen, this is outside of the standard target time. We consider that waiting times reflect the number of people within A&E; waiting times will hopefully improve as awareness around EDs and alternative options increases with patients and the public. 

We Did

As a result of all your feedback, next your local NHS will:

• Review their individual websites to ensure that the services offered within their hospitals are described accurately 
• Review terminology within their websites to ensure wording is accessible and understandable 
• Continue to promote educational 'Choose Well' messages to help the public decide whether attendance at A&E is necessary
• Promote '111 Think First' as some respondents had not heard of this service and helps as the call handler is able to advise and direct the caller to the appropriate service for them

We Asked

Across the three Emergency Departments (ED), Healthwatch Humber conducted a total of 11 Enter and View visits and engaged with 153 patients.

You Said

Most patients who Healthwatch Humber spoke with said they were advised to attend their local Emergency Department by their GP. 
From the 153 engagements, Healthwatch found that a total of 112 (73.2%) patients (Hull: 52 patients, Scunthorpe: 35 patients and Grimsby: 25 patients) were advised to attend their local ED by their GP. 

Other services most commonly known to patients were GP surgeries and NHS 111.

18.8% of patients who Healthwatch Humber spoke to said they had attended their local ED because they could not get an appointment with the GP

Most patients Healthwatch Humber spoke to had travelled to their local ED by car. 
When asked how patients arrived at their local ED, Healthwatch found the most common method of travel to each hospital was by car, followed by patients being brought to hospital by a family member/friend.

89.9% of patients who Healthwatch Humber spoke to said they feel safe when waiting in their local ED.
In light of the pandemic, Healthwatch Humber wanted to know how patients felt when attending and whether they felt safe waiting in their local ED. They found large percentages of patients felt safe with 88.9% patients (Hull: 69 patients, Scunthorpe: 42 patients and Grimsby: 33 patients) answering ‘yes’ to ‘do patients feel safe in their local ED?’ 

The patients who said 'no' they did not feel safe, reasons provided included; poor mental health, anxiety, feeling intimidated by they security staff and crowded. 

To read the full report, click here. 

We Did

The feedback received has highlighted key issues and challenges and has provided crucial insight into how and why people access urgent care. 

The Humber Acute Services Programme will use the findings presented in the feedback report to help shape and design the potential future models of care for urgent and emergency care in the Humber region.

We Asked

Between June and July 2021, questionnaires were posted to 105 patients who had been identified as being impacted by the temporary changes made to ENT in-patient services in July 2017. 

101 patients identified accessed ENT inpatient services as an elective patient meaning their treatment was scheduled in advance and not a medical emergency. 5 patients identified accessed ENT care an a non-elective patient meaning their condition was unexpected and classed as a medical emergency. 

Participants were encouraged to share their experiences so we could understand if the temporary changes had a positive or negative impact on their patient journey, quality of care and outcomes.

We received no responses from impacted non-elective patients and 10 responses from impacted elective patients. 

You Said

You were satisfied with the care you received..
The majority of respondents were extremely satisfied with the quality of care they received, saying the care was efficient, the staff were friendly and caring, they felt well informed and they were provided with clear explanations of any procedures. Respondents also said that they were happy with the care they received after their treatment/procedure, saying they were kept comfortable, their pain was well managed and the treatment/procedure achieved the results they were hoping for. 

Travel times have increased for some of you...
There was a 50/50 spilt between respondents having to travel 30-45 minutes and 45-60 minutes to Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby, the longest journey times reported from respondents living around Scunthorpe. The majority of respondents told us they travelled to hospital in their own car. The lack of available parking at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby was flagged as an issue for some respondents. 

We Did

Next, we will:

The feedback captured during this engagement exercise from both patients and staff will be shared with the Surgery Health Group Board and Trust Management Board within Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust for approval.

This will also be shared with the Humber Acute Services Programme’s ENT Steering group, Interim Clinical Plan group, Joint Development Board and Committees in Common for information and action.

Externally, this will be shared with the North and North East Lincolnshire’s Primary and Secondary care Interface group.

The feedback captured during this engagement exercise will be reviewed and considered against our evaluation criteria to help inform any proposal(s) for service redesign/reconfiguration, including whether these temporary changes are to be made permanent. 

Please click the document links below to read the feedback reports from both staff and patients. 

We Asked

The Humber Acute Services Programme is about designing the future of hospital services, that are safe, sustainable and meet the needs of the local population. 

Clinical teams worked together to come up with different ideas about how services could work better together in the future. These dates were developed into potential models of care. 

We held a series of workshops to gather feedback on the different ideas from a wide range of stakeholders. 

Step 1 – Advantages and Disadvantages 
The first step of the evaluation process involved a series of workshops with 117 attendees, including clinical teams and wider stakeholders to review the high-level models of care for:
• Urgent and Emergency Care
• Maternity, Neonatal Care and Paediatrics
• Planned Care

The workshops identified key advantages and disadvantages of each of the potential models of care across the three workstreams. As a result of the feedback, some models / variations were not taken forward into the next stage of evaluation and some previously discounted models were reconsidered for further evaluation.

Step 2 – Small Multiples / Balanced Room Approach
Between January and March 2022, Step 2 of the evaluation process considered a range of potential future models of care for urgent and emergency care, maternity, neonatal and paediatrics.

To ensure a robust and consistent process was followed, all possible combinations of the models set out in the pre-consultation business case for urgent and emergency care and maternity, neonatal care and paediatrics were combined and taken through step 2 of the evaluation process (unless there was a clear rationale from step 1 to discount the model/variation). This included reviewing some previously discounted ideas.

A balanced room approach was adopted, and 130 stakeholders attended a series of workshops including clinical teams, other professionals, partners, patient representatives and other lay members.

Attendees used the evaluation framework and questions to evaluate and score all the models, potential variations and site options using small multiples to provide a judgement on how well each model/variation met the different questions posed within each criteria. 

You Said

Step 1 – identified the advantages and disadvantages of each of the high-level models. Each model had different strengths and weaknesses. Some key areas of feedback include: 

• All models improves the ability to meet clinical standards through consolidation of specialty teams.
• All models have the potential to improve performance on waiting times
• Secondary transfers lead to poor patient experience, particularly for frail or elderly patients
• Operating a time-limited Paediatric Assessment Unit increases transfers required for short-stay patients

Step 2 - also identified a wide range of different strengths and weaknesses of different potential models of care. Some key areas of feedback include:

• There was a high degree of variation between the views of participants in relation to almost all questions. 
• Differentiation between the models was limited.
• Overall, stakeholders gave a high score to the idea of creating a central site for all acute care. 

For the full findings, please click here to read the Evaluation Feedback Report 

We Did

The findings and outputs from this work will form part of the programme’s Pre-Consultation Business Case (PCBC), which will set out the options we would like to consult with the public on, and that we believe represent the best potential solutions to the challenges faced across the Humber and will provide the best outcomes for our population.

For more information on the Humber Acute Services Programme, please click here to visit our website. 

We Asked

You, your family, friends and carers to attend a series of workshops across the Humber area to share with us your experiences of accessing specialist services. 
Over the course of the five events, a total of 70 people attended and took part in the focus group discussions. In addition, 49 people took part in focus group discussions hosted by the MS Society at their meetings in Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Hull. 

You Said

Develop and support the workforce
Participants in the focus groups highlighted a number of opportunities to develop and make best use of the workforce within our acute hospitals. Opportunities identified include:

• Offer group appointments and ‘one-stop-shops’ to make best use of clinicians’ time;
• Do more to promote the area as a positive place to live and work
• Improve networking and cross-site working to provide peer-support for staff in similar roles;
• Provide higher level training to patients and carers to enable them to support themselves and their loved ones better and help avoid crisis situations.

Give patients more information, knowledge and control
A common theme amongst participants was that they wanted more information about what was happening in their care, how long they would have to wait and what to expect next in their treatment.

In order to improve the experience of patients and their families and to enable them to look after themselves better, a number of opportunities exist, such as:

• Develop simple and easy to understand guides for patients that explain treatment pathways and what to expect when
• Communicate to patients where they are in the queue and how long they should expect to wait;
• Provide support, training and permission for patients and their families to look after themselves and manage their condition (with the option for responsive advice and support when needed).

Make better use of technology
Participants were keen to see that hospitals are making the most of technological innovations to improve services and make the most of scare resources (especially workforce). Technological solutions were put forward by participants as a way to overcome access challenges and disparities of service between different areas and support those in remote rural locations.

• Suggestions for how to develop services through technology include:
• Make shared care records available to all those involved in a patients’ care (including the individual) as standard;
• Support better cross-site working through the use of technology;
• Enable video consultations to improve access;
• Invest in wearables and other technology to improve remote monitoring and make services more responsive to need.

Support patients to improve their wider wellbeing
In almost all groups, participants recognised the benefits of getting to know other people who have had similar experiences. It is particularly important to those with long-term conditions, progressive diseases and/or other disabilities to have access to wider services that can improve their overall wellbeing that are not directly linked to the primary condition that they are being treated for. Opportunities to improve services were identified, which include:

• Ensuring those providing acute services are aware of, and are actively linking patients with, support groups and other activities/sources of support in their community;
• Working with local authorities and wider health partners to improve the accessibility of leisure services and other wellbeing support services.

Improve access to and equity of service
Travel and access issues were raised by many (though not all) participants. Many participants recognised the need to travel, particularly for more specialist treatment, but were concerned (often on behalf of other patients) that this might make accessing treatment more difficult. Many participants noted that there are opportunities to improve the experience if they do have to travel:

• Make it easier to park and/or drop off loved ones more easily;
• Consolidate appointments to reduce frequency of travel;
• Enable more remote monitoring and video consultations;
• Make sure patients from all geographical areas can access the same services as their neighbours.

We Did

Next we will:
The diverse feedback given over the course of the events should, wherever possible, will be taken into consideration when undertaking the next stage of the review and developing proposals for the future of these specialities.

The full findings of the report are available here

We Asked

You to share your experiences when accessing care in hospital, the good, the bad and the indifferent, and to share any ideas or suggestions on what we could do to make your experience better in the future. 
Over the 18 workshops held across the Humber between February -October 2019, 192 people attended in total, representing various different 'seldom heard' groups.

These groups included; carers, people living with a mental health condition, homeless, people living with learning difficulties, LGBTQ+, children and young people and gypsy and travellers. 

Conversations were framed around the four key challenges faces by the local NHS:

1.  Quality of care - the quality of care a patient receives can vary depending on where and when they are treated
2. Healthcare is changing - more patients could be treated out of hospital, closer to home. This would free up beds for those patients who really need to be in hospital. 
3. Workforce - Despite efforts to recruit, we still struggle to find and keep all the doctors and nurses we need. 
4. Finance -  Demand and costs of providing care is rising faster than available funding. 

The full findings of the report are available here

You Said

Challenge 1 - Quality of Care
Generally you received excellent care within hospitals with nursing teams playing a key role in "lifting spirits"
However, some concerns were raised around the quality of care some patients received, particularly around personal hygiene, for example, having to wait long periods of time to be able to have a shower and brush their teeth. 

You want care and treatment plans to be developed with the needs of the patient and their carers at the centre.
You said that you would like better communication in relation to end of life care to ensure patient's wishes can be granted earlier, also you said staff need to have a better understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 to ensure patients receive the most appropriate care for their needs. 

You sometimes miss appointments because of lack of access and high parking costs.
Generally, people told us that they were happy to travel to receive care, however some people told us they often miss appointments because they simply cannot afford to travel to a hospital or pay the parking fees, especially when appointments are delayed, or they don't have access to public transport. 

There are some simple changes we can make to make the environment more inviting and accessible.
Some examples provided included the use of  visual aids and simple language to improve signage, making it easier to navigate around the building/hospital site. Increase provision of toilets, in particular the locations of accessible toilets. Quiet, comfortable spaces for people to wait in who find being around people triggering. 

You said that ineffective communication is having a negative impact on your patient experience and needs to be addressed.
Communication challenges and some gaps that still exist between different parts of the health and care system are impacting on some patients’ experiences of care. Examples provided included how nobody gets back to you when you contact them and personal details are sometimes not updated on the system so letters get lost and appointments missed. 

Don't make assumptions that we understand what you are saying.
Concerns were raised regarding equality and diversity. Some people felt that there was an assumption that everyone could see, hear, write, be fully able-bodied and able to fully understand what was being said to them.  For example, there was an expectation for a deaf person to use the phone to book an appointment and for them to hear their name being called at the clinic

Challenge 2 - Healthcare is changing
You could see the benefits of having some services provided outside of a hospital, closer to your home.
By having services closer to home it would reduce travel costs and travel times meaning you would be more likely to attend your appointment, there would however need to be better public transport links established. Carers also told us this would be beneficial as the constant travelling to appointments can be very stressful. You did however, raise concerns as to how local services would work, especially when there are already significant workforce issues. 

You recognise technology can sometimes be used to help provide follow-up care
You said you can see a place for technology in supporting the delivery of ongoing healthcare, and the use of virtual/video appointments can be beneficial to some patients as it eliminates the need to travel to appointments. However, some felt virtual appointments were often a waste of time as no physical examination could be undertaken. Others also raised concerns around the difficulty some patients may face with digital appointments, for example stroke patients, patients with mental health issues, or patients living in rural areas with poor connectivity. 

You would like to see better out of hospital support in the community.
Providing services outside the acute hospital setting and into the community was considered extremely important to you with vulnerabilities such as Mental Health, Learning Disabilities, Dementia, Drug and Alcohol issues. Having locally based community services that where available generally and at times of crisis was seen important to you. For example, Learning Disabled people would like to have more access 24/7 to specialist nurses and/or Epilepsy Clinics to prevent A&E visits. There were very strong views that some people being treated in the acute hospitals should be able to access an alternative environment safeguarding other patients and staff. 

 

Challenge 3 - Workforce
You recognise that there is significant workforce issues and understand the challenges faced by the local NHS to recruit and retain staff

The following were some factors identified by you as to what makes  a career in health less attractive; The cost of medical degree progammes and student loans accrued whilst learning which need to be re-payed once earning; Long shifts and pressures to fill gaps on rotas; Staff leaving the NHS to work for the 'Bank' as there is more flexibility and better T&Cs. Proposed solutions included; reintroduce bursary schemes; more emphasis on a healthy work-home life balance, including flexible working patterns and improved hours of work; Better training and career development opportunities. 

 

Challenge 4 - Finance
Generally, the public have a good understanding of the financial issues faced by the NHS. 

You agree there is a need to review current service provision and delivery in an attempt to reduce costs.

There was recognition that changes in service delivery and cost (or savings) in one part of the system often had a knock-on effect to another service or part of the system. There is also a belief that there are too many managers and not enough investment in the medical workforce. The following suggestions are some made by you on how the NHS could save money; missed appointments should incur a cost; listen more to the workforce on where efficiencies could be made; recycling unopened medication instead of disposing of it. 

 

We Did

Next We Will
Remain in contact with the groups and provide regular updates on progress.

Ensure that the feedback and data captured from this crucial engagement is considered and informs any future decision making as to what the future for health and care in the Humber could look like in the future.

We Asked

What the potential impacts would be on women and birthing people from Lincolnshire if maternity and neonatal services at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby and Scunthorpe General Hospital were provided differently in the future. 

Between October-December 2022, we visited Children's Centres and antenatal clinics in Mablethorpe, Binbrook, Louth and Skegness and engaged with 33 new and expectant parents.

 

You Said

45.5% of the people we spoke to had used maternity services at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby within the last two years to give birth, or were planning on using maternity services there in the near future. The remaining 54.5% who had not used maternity services in Grimsby had mainly birthed at Pilgrim Hospital, Boston, and all lived in Skegness. 

'A Good Reputation, 'Closest to where I live' and 'Private Rooms' were the main reasons people gave for Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby being their preferred location to give birth at in the future. 

On average, the people we engaged with rated their experience of accessing hospital services at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby as 8 out of 10,with the majority saying they would 'Certainly' choose to birth at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby again if they were to have another child. 

We then asked what the impacts would be to people and their families if they were for any reason unable to give birth at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby in the future. Below are the key themes from the feedback we received:

• Increased travel - “All the other alternatives would be too far to travel”
• Choice been taken away - “I wouldn’t know where else to go”
• Concerns around safety - “In an emergency, the extra travel could have poor outcomes”
• Feeling they have to give birth at home - “Would have no choice but to give birth at home, but wouldn’t feel comfortable giving birth without medical help on hand”
• Caring responsibilities - “I would struggle to get childcare for my other children after I’ve given birth”

 

We Did

The feedback we have gathered throughout our engagement with women and birthing people across Lincolnshire will be used to update the Programme’s Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) and help decision-makers see how different options could affect different groups of people and communities.

Along with our Pre-Consultation Business Case (PCBC) the IIA will form part of the final assurance that we need to go to formal public consultation next year.

We Asked

In early 2019 a number of focus groups took place across the Humber to hear from patients accessing neurology services. This also included three listening events hosted in partnership with the MS Society. 

Participants were encouraged to share from their experience, what is working well and what is not working well within neurology departments in the Humber area. They were also challenged to come up with suggestions for how care could be improved for patients in the future as well as solutions on how to address some of the current challenges within the services, such as workforce shortages and performance issues.  

In total 129 people took part. The findings of the report is available here. 

You Said

What's Good when accessing neurology services in the Humber?
You told us that the service is responsive and able to adapt to a patients changing needs.
One positive aspect that was highlighted by a number of the patients who contributed to  discussions about neurology services was the way in which services responded to their changing needs. For example, clinicians arranged home visits if needed or followed up with a letter or  summary email to ensure the individual didn’t forget important information. 

You told us that the neurology service provides high quality care
A number of services and individual clinicians were praised for the excellent service that they provide.

You told us that you liked how neurology services provided multidisciplinary care (when different services work well together)
A number of participants highlighted the way in which neurology services worked with a broad range of other health and care professionals to provide holistic support.

What needs to change within neurology services in the Humber?
You said that ineffective communication is having a negative impact on your patient experience and needs to be addressed
Communication challenges and some gaps that still exist between different parts of the health and care system are impacting on some patients’ experiences of care. Examples provided included how nobody gets back to you when you contact them and personal details are sometimes not updated on the system so letters get lost and appointments missed. 

You said that delays and/or lack of capacity is a concern and needs improving
Waiting times and lack of capacity were also raised as concerns. Some examples provided included ling waiting times, lack of beds and procedures being cancelled numerous times resulting in a deterioration in health, :

You told us that there can sometimes be access issues depending on where you live
Where an individual lives in one Local Atuhority area but is registered with a GP in a different Clinical Commissioning Group area, they often come up against difficulties accessing services, even when they are recommended by their acute clinicians. 

Your ideas for change and improving services
You would like a single point of contact with a specialist clinician for advice and guidance without having to go through your GP first. 
You would like to have access to advice and guidance when needed with a specialist clinician, rather than having to wait what can be a long time for a check up appointment. You think this would help you manage your condition better and mean appointments can be retained for those patients who really need to see a clinician.

You would like to see digital solutions used better in delivering outpatient and follow-up care
You suggested making better use of IT and digital solutions to deliver outpatient care, examples included using Skype to offer video outpatient appointments as the clinician could still measure balance remotely, and a central care plan held digitally that GPs, hospital staff and patients can access and update.

You would like us to make better use of the workforce
Many participants made suggestions about how to make best use of the specialist workforce within neurology. Suggestions included; offer group clinics for advice and guidance which would also help build peer support; separate planned and urgent care to reduce cancellations of planned procedures; use healthcare assistants to do more home visits to help prioritise the consultants time for those who need it most; and enable and educate patients on how to self-care to reduce avoidable A&E admissions.

You would like more holistic support for your broader needs 
Some participants told us that their lives would be better if they could access a broader range of wellbeing services more easily. Some examples provided included more hands-on physiotherapy, more accessible local leisure centres with additional disabled parking and better mental health support for both patients and carers. 

You would like access to be more equitable
Some participants want to see equity of service, for example why do some patients go to Hull and others to Grimsby? You would also like more flexibility over appointment times, home visits when too ill to travel and clinics all in one place and time to reduce travelling.

The things you don't want to see change
You don't want the quality of services provided changed or diluted
You said that you would not want to see a reduction in staff or services, especially the MS nurses in Grimsby and Scunthorpe.

You would like how you access neurology services to stay as they are 
You said that you want to keep home visits in place for those who need them and also that you like being able to ring and leave messages as they are responded to quickly. 

We Did

How we have developed Neurology services across the Humber
Humber-wide Neurology Service (launching October 2021)
Developing a single service responds to those areas where patients told us we needed improve – like increasing capacity, having equal access to services for all patients and improving communication.

By working together as a single service, we will be a stronger team and be able to provide a better and fairer neurology service for all patients across the region.

Staff from across both hospital trusts will work as a single team with consistent policies and procedures and doctors will be able to request tests from any site where they see patients, with the exception of some specialist tests which can only be conducted at Hull.

Patients will be assessed more quickly and directed to the right specialist clinician straight away – rather than having an initial general assessment and then being referred to a specialist neurologist (where required).

Specialist clinics and services will continue to be run in Hull (as the Specialist Tertiary Neurosciences Centre), but the new approach will shorten waiting times for individual patients, particularly those in Northern Lincolnshire, and will ensure all patients have the same access to specialist care.

Having a single service will also create more capacity by having a more streamlined service, so we can see more patients and help reduce waiting lists overall

To read more about how your voice is making a difference to neurology services in the Humber, please click here to read our 'you said, we did, we will' feedback report

We Asked

What the potential impacts would be on women and birthing people from Scunthorpe, Grimsby and Goole areas if maternity and neonatal services at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby and Scunthorpe General Hospital were provided differently in the future. 

Throughout February – July 2023 we visited children’s centres and antenatal clinics to speak with new and expectant families and spoke with 44 new and expectant parents.

You Said

When asked where they were planning on giving birth, 85% of respondents (17) said they were planning to give birth at the hospital closest to their home address (Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby or Scunthorpe General Hospital).

Overall, women from North Lincolnshire and Goole said that they would prefer to give birth at Scunthorpe General Hospital and women from North East Lincolnshire said they would prefer to give birth at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby.

3 women said they would prefer to give birth at home

We then asked what the impacts would be to people and their families if they were for any reason unable to give birth at Scunthorpe General Hospital or Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby in the future.

Below are the key themes from the feedback we received:

• Increased travel 
• Caring responsibilities
• Choice
• Safety/experience

We Did

The feedback we have gathered throughout our engagement with women and birthing people will be used to update the Programme’s Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) and help decision-makers see how different options could affect different groups of people and communities.

Along with our Pre-Consultation Business Case (PCBC) the IIA will form part of the final assurance that we need to go to formal public consultation.

We Asked

We asked you what was most important to you when accessing paediatric care with your child or young person. 
277 parents, carers, guardians, or support workers took part in this engagement exercise by filling in a questionnaire and sharing their experiences, views and perspectives of accessing paediatric care with their child or young person. 

At the same time we also listened to children and young people about what they liked and didn't like about coming into hospital. Click here to read what they told us. 

You Said

You said that being “kept safe and well looked after” was most important.
In the questionnaire participants were asked to rank nine statements in order of importance with the option to add any further comments at the end. I am kept safe and well looked after came out top. This is different to our other What Matters to You engagement where I am seen and treated as quickly as possible was ranked as the most important.

You also said it was very important that:

• You are seen and treated as quickly as possible
• There are enough staff with the right skills and experience.
• Things go well for you, and you are satisfied with your care.

The three things that were consistently ranked lowest were:

• I am able to get there
• good quality buildings and the latest equipment
• services are good value for money

This is consistent with how respondents ranked these criteria throughout our other What Matters to You engagement exercises. 

It is important to note that participants were forced to rank the statements in order of importance, so it does not mean these factors were not important at all, just less important than the others.

We asked about what matters most because we want to pay particular attention to the things people have told us are most important when we look at how we might provide services differently in the future. 

When we compare the different ways of organising our services (known as the options appraisal stage of our change process), we will look to prioritise those options which make the biggest improvements to those areas you told us were most important to you. 

We Did

Next, we will:
Use the feedback captured from all our What Matters to You engagement activities to ensure that our decision-making process is fully informed by a range of views and opinions and truly reflects the priorities and preferences of local people. 

Reflect on what went well and what could be improved and embed that learning into how we plan for formal consultation to ensure our engagement is accessible, inclusive and reaches communities and groups we didn’t hear from during our pre-consultation engagement phase.

Gather feedback from a range of stakeholders around travel and accessibility, to better understand how people travelling to receive care and treatment may be impacted should changes be made to the location of services in the future.