• Championing what matters to you: See how your feedback helped us to make health and social care services better in Lambeth

• An update from our trustees

• Let's make Lambeth a child-friendly borough!

• Help us shape the work of Healthwatch Lambeth

• Have your say about the new King’s College Hospital outpatients building in Denmark Hill

• Leaving hospital - what information would help you?

• Become a Patient Safety Partner for Guy's and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust

Our Annual Report for 2021/22 is out now! See how your feedback on health and social care services in Lambeth helped us influence local providers and make services better.

Our work and the valued feedback from the public led to:

• Improved mental health support for young people as they move from child and adolescent mental health services to adult mental health services
• Improved emotional and psychological support for young people attending hospital.

And we couldn't have done it without you! More than 700 people shared their experiences of health and social care services with us, helping to raise awareness of issues and improve care. Over 160 people came to us for clear advice and information about topics such as mental health and COVID-19. 

Visit our website to read the full report.

This month we’re delighted to welcome two new trustees onto our Board; Ruth Atkinson and Fran James, both of whom live in Lambeth and are enthusiastic about ensuring the views and experiences of local people are at the heart of planning and delivery of health and social care services. They bring with them a wealth of experience and we look forward to working with them.

We also extend huge thanks to Heather Rogers who served on the Board for 3 years and stepped down in May 2022. Staff and trustees benefitted greatly from her experience and insight across several aspects of our work including communications, strategic development, fundraising and human resources along with her willingness to listen carefully, ask lots of questions and be an excellent team player. She plans to continue to volunteer her time in other areas and we wish her the very best. Thank you Heather! 

And… after a very interesting selection day earlier this month we are pleased to announce the appointment of our new Chief Executive Mairéad Healy who will join us in early August. With previous experience as chief executive of a young people’s mental health charity on the Isle of Wight and having worked with a range of marginalised groups in different settings, Mairéad comes to us from a senior role in Amnesty International. We are very excited about the energy and vision she will bring to Healthwatch Lambeth and we know she is looking forward to meeting all of you.

Healthwatch Lambeth wants to hear from children and young people from Lambeth. Tell us what matters to you!

If you have concerns, suggestions, and ideas on how services can support you better, join us on Monday 4th July. We will make sure that what you will tell us will make or borough a Child Friendly Lambeth.

How to take part:

• If you are 18 to 25 years old, join us on Zoom on Monday 4 July at 4pm-5pm. Click this link to join the session: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84120057530
• If you are 13 to 17 years old, join us with your parent or carer on Monday 4 July at 5pm - 6pm. Click this link to join the session: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81981095334

For more information, text Natalia Sali on 07729 624 226 or call on 020 7274 8533. You can also email Natalia.Sali@healthwatchlambeth.org.uk

Check our social media channels for the flyer with more information: 

Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Instagram

We are the champion for people who use health and social care services in Lambeth. As such, we need to hear from local people about what matters to them. 

It only takes five minutes to speak up about what worked and what can be improved. The feedback we receive from this survey helps us understand our local community and its needs. Your voice will make a difference!

Examples of feedback:

• How easy was it to access the help and support you needed?
• What was your experience of care like?
• How did you feel about the care you were offered?
• Anything else that you would like to share about the care you received?

Take five minutes to submit the survey today.

Mental Health Awareness Week is an opportunity for everyone to focus on achieving good mental health. To celebrate, we are organising an online event about overcoming loneliness and staying connected.

Join us on Zoom at our event, Taking steps out of loneliness, on Monday 9 May, from 1pm – 2:30pm.

We will discuss the steps we can all take to overcome loneliness, and finding our own way to a more connected and enjoyable life.

It’s a very interactive event where we can share experiences and learn from each other. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the event.

Everybody is welcome, so please share the information with anyone who may be interested. For any queries, please email Anna D’Agostino at anna.dagostino@healthwatchlambeth.org.uk

Friday 1 July 2022 marks the first day of the new NHS South East London Integrated Care Board (ICB). Preparations are progressing well, including the recruitment of Board members.

The Board membership includes five partner members, one drawn from each of local government, acute care, mental health care, community care and primary care - bringing the perspective of those sectors to the ICB.

You can read more about this announcement on the South East London CCG website.

Last month, we marked Mental Health Awareness Week by organising the online event ‘Taking Steps out of Loneliness’.

We had an interesting discussion on how loneliness affects our health, the link with depression and anxiety and the steps people can take to tackle it. Mark Bertram (Service Manager Lambeth Vocational Services at SLAM) shared with all participants his personal experience of overcoming loneliness and Elle Dodds (Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator at South London Cares) outlined the volunteering projects that ‘build friendship’ among generation.

A variety of resources were shared at the end of the event which was well received. Some feedback included:

• “I felt the audience was very engaged, the content made the audience feel herd and that they could ask specific questions
• “A good mixture of research and personal lived experience..;
• “It was a brilliant even, it felt safe and insightful

New research by the Policy Institute at King’s College London and Ipsos UK (marketing agency) finds that:

• Three in 10 UK adults (31%) say they are feeling lonelier now than before the pandemic (58% report no change).
• Nearly half think they see friends and family less (46%) and leave the house less (45%) than before the pandemic began.
• Four in 10 of 16-34 year olds (39%) say they feel more lonely than before the pandemic started about two years ago.

For expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing, visit NHS Every Mind Matters.

The government has removed remaining domestic restrictions in England. There are still steps you can take to reduce the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19:

• Get vaccinated: find out where you can grab a jab here
• Let fresh air in if meeting indoors, or meet outside
• Consider wearing a face covering in crowded, enclosed spaces

Download the latest poster clarifying who is eligible for which Covid vaccine dose.

Questions about COVID-19?

Visit nhsvaccinefacts.com for answers to questions you might have, or follow @our_healthier_sel on Instagram or Twitter to stay up to date with upcoming events.

Lambeth Council have partnered with the Jen Group to deliver a half day suicide prevention training open to anyone who lives and works in Lambeth.

Join one of the training sessions to learn how to think and talk about suicide with someone who is at risk, as this is how we can help save lives. You will also think about the impact on you when you have these conversations, and how to look after yourself.

The course will run every month until February 2023. To join, register your interest on Eventbrite using the link below. 

Guy's and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual that wants to improve patient safety to become their new Patient Safety Partner.

This role requires a commitment of 10 hours per month for an 18-month duration working with the Quality and Assurance Directorate within the Medical Director’s Office.

The Patient Safety Partner will be actively involved in the continuing design of safer healthcare at all levels of our organisation and will:

• Support the Trust to develop and embed the new National Patient Safety Strategy, with a focus on the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework
• Ensure the patient safety committee continues to consider and prioritise the service user, patient, carer and family perspective and champions’ diversity of views
• Be prepared to put forward ideas of how Patient Safety Partners can support the further improvement of patient safety across the organisation and work with staff to put these in place.

The right person for the role would represent the needs and interests of patients, and ultimately improves the quality of patient care.

You will need to have an awareness of the range of experiences and perspectives that different people within our communities might have. For example, people that find it difficult to access health services because of socio-economic issues, existing health conditions or accessibility needs.

To find out more about the role or to apply, contact Guy's and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust at PSIRF@gstt.nhs.uk

King’s College Hospital wants to improve the information they provide to patients and relatives about leaving hospital after a stay on one of the wards.

If you have ideas about how King's College Hospital can provide better information about the discharge process and contact information when someone goes home, they would love to hear from you.

The patient and public involvement team is running some online sessions to hear your views:

• Tuesday 28th June 5-6pm
• Tuesday 5th July 4-5pm
• Monday 11th July 130-230pm

If you would like to take part or send suggestions by email please contact the team at kch-tr.KingsPPI@nhs.net or leave a message on 0203 299 3682.

More LGBTQ+ people live in Lambeth than anywhere else in the UK. The national health charity LGBT HERO has teamed up with Lambeth Council to find out what life is like for LGBTQ+ people living, working and socialising in Lambeth.

This is your chance to shape the future of Lambeth for the LGBTQ+ community.

To find out more, email hello@lgbthero.org.uk

The NHS national data opt-out is a service that allows patients to opt out of their confidential patient information being used for research and planning.

You can view and change your personal preferences on this on the NHS website or the NHS App. But the deadline for making these changes is coming up soon.

You have until Sunday 31 July 2022 to tell the NHS if they can use your data for research and planning.

To find out more about how they may use your data, and to tell the NHS if they can use your data, go to the NHS website.

If you have questions, you can contact nationaldataopt-out@nhsx.nhs.uk