Our Priorities for 2022/23

Prioritising helps us to focus our resources and be clear with the health and social care commissioners and services on what we plan to work on and where additional resources will be needed to enable us to provide insight and support.

Our priorities

Adult Social Care 

• Collaborate with WSCC Finance Team on improvement plan and insight – review Sept 2022.
• Co-design a survey for 3750 residents affected by the financial assessment changes to understand impact and issues, including hearing from people who have ceased their adult social care as a result of charging.
• Webinar series, scheduled after each information and communication development workshop/meeting for financial assessment. With the purpose of providing an update to a wider audience (part 1) and then a feedback focus group (part 2). We see our role as being the independent facilitator/host of the webinars.
• Continue to attend monthly WSCC Care Provider Briefings and maintain strong local sector relationships.

Community Services

• Continue our partnership with the Local Community Networks to make sure communication and engagement with communities and individuals is at the heart of their priorities. We’ll make sure that Network members fully understand the findings of our GP-Access work and other insight.

Dentistry

• We’ll collaborate with Healthwatch England or Help and Care on activities to engage
  people.

Mental Health

• We’ll be involved in any further Sector Connector work.
• We’ll continue to use resources to provide an independent voice to the Foundation for Our Future Programme, for improving the emotional and mental health of children and young people.
• We’ll continue to invest resources to make sure that children and young people in West Sussex have their voices heard and understood.

Information, Advice and Signposting

• The Healthwatch Hub Team will continue to support residents with information and advice needs.
• We plan to continue to provide useful information via our website and social media.
• We plan to embed the new Healthwatch branding, beliefs and values throughout.

Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service

• We’ll continue to work within the specification of the contract for this service.
• We plan to ensure our team are supported with training for trauma-informed practice
  and maintaining emotional boundary.
• We plan to produce case studies to offer our local system learning opportunities.