Highland Health Council
Highland Health
Council
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Caithness Voices |
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At the event in Wick on 4 September and the drop-in sessions in Wick and Thurso on 4 and 5 September, run by Highland Health Council, the following five concerns were given the highest priority by the people attending: Closure of the A&E Department at Dunbar Hospital, Thurso Lack of staff (e.g. vacancies can’t be filled, loss of GPs from the area) Poor communications (e.g. about the A&E Dunbar, between patient and doctor, about NHS24) NHS Dental Services Chiropody Highland Health Council would like to confirm with the people of Caithness that these are the five most important concerns. We would like as many people as possible to complete this questionnaire, so please feel free to photocopy it or contact us for more copies, using our Freephone number, 0800 834017. We would be grateful if you could return the completed questionnaire by 30 November 2002 to our Freepost address: Highland Health Council FREEPOST SCO2643 Inverness IV3 8BR If you would like a large print version of the questionnaire, please contact the Health Council on 0800 834017. For each of these five concerns we have listed the issues raised and the solutions suggested by the public. Concern: Closure of the A&E Department at Dunbar Hospital, Thurso Issues suggested by the public: Transport issues· Difficult for older people to drive · Difficult for sick people to travel · Lots of families without transport · Expense · Tying up of the ambulance Distance issues· What about the people that live west of Thurso · For schools – difficult to contact parents, takes up teachers time to go to Wick Other issues· Safety – will a service based in Wick provide a safe service for the people who would have used the Dunbar · Need to keep people informed · There should be protocols determining what doctor can cover out of hours and what would need to be done at A&E · Increasing demands on the pharmacist workload, particularly out of hours · Winter weather, road conditions · Perception that closure due to upgrading of A&E at Caithness General Hospital 1. In your opinion, are these all the issues?
If no, please add the issues you feel are missing ....................... ....................... Solutions suggested by the public:· Nurse led unit for Thurso · Training for GPs in Thurso · A suitably qualified person from CGH being responsible for the A&E in Dunbar · Independent doctors for the A&E in Dunbar · Appointment of locums for the A&E in Dunbar · Need for public to be informed, NHS create trust with public 2. In your opinion, are these solutions acceptable?
If no, please state which solutions you feel are unacceptable ....................... ....................... 3. In your opinion, are these all the solutions?
If no, please add the solutions you feel are missing ....................... Concern: Lack of staff Issues suggested by the public: Vacancies are not filled Loss of GPs from the area Loss of NHS dentists from the area Lack of staff for mental health services In your opinion, are these all the issues
If no, please add the issues you feel are missing Solutions suggested by the public: Creative ways of recruiting and retaining staff Emphasize quality of life Remote/rural weighting (like London weighting) Joint recruitment with other major employers in the area (e.g. Dounreay) Allow flexible working Go into schools and promote careers in health care In your opinion, are these solutions acceptable?
If no, please state which solutions you feel are unacceptable In your opinion, are these all the solutions?
If no, please add the solutions you feel are missing Concern: Poor communications Issues suggested by the public: Poor communication between GP and patients Lack of information about NHS 24 Lack of information about A&E Dunbar Poor communication between NHS organisations Delay in discharge letters reaching primary care Patients not informed if outpatients clinics are running late Lack of information in appropriate language for young people In your opinion, are these all the issues?
If no, please add the issues you feel are missing Solutions suggested by the public: Better communication skills for health professionals Electronic Clinical Communication Implementation (ECCI) should improve communications between different parts of the NHS More time with doctors/nurses Explanations in “plain English” In your opinion, are these solutions acceptable?
If no, please state which solutions you feel are unacceptable In your opinion, are these all the solutions?
If no, please add the solutions you feel are missing Concern: NHS Dental Services Issues suggested by the public: Lack of NHS dentists Waiting times Travelling times In your opinion, are these all the issues?
If no, please add the issues you feel are missing Solutions suggested by the public: Employ salaried dentists for Caithness Caithness patients travel to other areas of Highland for treatment Creative ways of recruiting and retaining staff (see above - Lack of staff) In your opinion, are these solutions acceptable?
If no, please state which solutions you feel are unacceptable In your opinion, are these all the solutions?
If no, please add the solutions you feel are missing Concern: Chiropody Issue suggested by the public: Length of wait In your opinion, is this the only issue?
If no, please add the issues you feel are missing Solutions suggested by the public: More chiropodists Trained assistants Vision for the future Creative ways of recruiting and retaining staff (see above) Research project on recruitment and retention issues for Allied Health Professionals In your opinion, are these solutions acceptable?
If no, please state which solutions you feel are unacceptable In your opinion, are these all the solutions?
If no, please add the solutions you feel are missing Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire Please return it by 30th November 2002 to Highland Health Council |