Urgent Care Briefing
As Healthwatch Sheffield is represented by different staff and volunteers in different forums, we wanted to bring together our experiences and clarify where we see the challenges and opportunities for the public to be involved in the future.
We’ve written a briefing to summarise our discussions and have shared this with NHS Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Our recommendations are informal, based on our ‘critical friend’ relationship with the CCG.
Between 6th September 2017 and 31st January 2018 NHS Sheffield CCG ran an 18 week consultation into the future of urgent care in the city.
Consultation proposals aimed to:
• Improve the way people access services
• Change the way people get urgent GP appointments
• Change where people would go for minor illness and injuries
• Change where people go for urgent eye care
The CCG is in the process of considering responses to the three options put to the public, and considering the alternative options put forward by local people.
At Healthwatch Sheffield we believe that improvements can be made in health and social care through equal partner relationships between statutory organisations, those in the voluntary, community and faith sectors and with local people.
Our position
We believe that by addressing our concerns in the following areas, all partners will benefit:
• The communication and inclusivity of the consultation proposals.
• The ability of primary care services to provide urgent appointments.
• Transparency.
• Access for people in the South of the city and vulnerable people in the city centre.
If you need these documents in a different format, please email info@healthwatchsheffield.co.uk or call 0114 253 6688.
