Choosing care is one of life’s most stressful decisions
News from our partners Healthwatch Shropshire
Healthwatch Shropshire is supporting #CareAware, a national campaign launched by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The campaign followed a survey that showed that 70% of people found choosing care to be one of life’s most stressful life decisions compared to other life events, such as choosing their child’s school or getting married.
Healthwatch Shropshire is keen to highlight the resources that are freely available to everybody who is facing the decision of choosing care, domestic or residential.
Healthwatch Shropshire carries out Enter & View visits to Care homes and publishes reports. Enter & View gives a voice to the people using a service and asks them what they think of the service they receive. It looks at whether a service works for the people using it. The reports are available on http://www.healthwatchshropshire.co.uk/news/careaware along with links to CQC tips to help people choose a care provider; CQC inspection reports which can provide additional help; and a guide in five steps to choosing a care home produced by Healthwatch England, along with eight indicators of a good quality home.
Jane Randall-Smith, Chief Officer, Healthwatch Shropshire, said:
“Whether choosing for yourself or for a loved one, these independent reports and guides can help make the process less stressful. It is one of the most important decisions that an increasing number of people will take and Healthwatch Shropshire wants to help ensure families have timely information and feel better equipped and more confident to make these important choices.
“It is a two way process: Healthwatch Shopshire needs to hear about the experiences of care service users, both positive and negative, and this feedback will help prioritise Enter & View visits. People who contact us directly help with the continual drive to improve services.”
Healthwatch Shropshire is the independent consumer champion for health and social care in Shropshire. It gathers the views and experiences of patients, service users, carers and the public about services, including hospitals, GPs, mental health services, community health services, pharmacists, opticians, residential care and children’s services. It also has statutory powers that it can use to influence service provision by encouraging improvements.
Further information
Healthwatch Shropshire is one of a network of 148 Local Healthwatch in England. It is supported by a national organisation, Healthwatch England.
It has a team working in community engagement, plus a volunteer programme, a visit programme to health and social care premises and an associate membership scheme to involve the public in its work. It also has a signposting service to help people access health and social care services and support.
Healthwatch Shropshire also provides the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service (IHCAS) for Shropshire. The IHCAS service provides information, advice and, if necessary, can support people through the NHS complaints process.
