The public meeting, arranged by Healthwatch South Tyneside in response to queries raised by service users at its AGM last year, was held on Tuesday February 18 at the Learning Lounge at Hebburn Central.
The first guest speaker Anna Hargrave, Divisional Director of the Division of Community Services, provided an overview of the Urgent Care in the Community service.
Her presentation covered Urgent Community Response, Virtual Wards (Hospital @ Home), Fast Track Palliative Care, Fast Track Discharge to Assess and the new Care Co-ordination Hub launching in April.
David Newell, Directorate Manager, introduced a presentation on mental health services by Clinical Team Managers Karen Kinghorn and Paula Wake, and Clinical Lead Lisa Mundell. It included how to access support through the Healthy Minds Team, Getting Help Children and Young People’s Mental Health team and through Adult Talking Therapies.
Nicola Price, Practice and Assurance Manager at South Tyneside Council, then shared an update on the support available through adult social services, including short-term and long-term care, assistive technology, transport and personal assistants.
Each presentation was followed by a Q&A session, giving members of the public an opportunity to ask questions.
Chair of Healthwatch South Tyneside, John Lowther, (pictured) said: “It was fantastic to see such a strong turnout from both the people of South Tyneside and borough healthcare professionals.
“It was a valuable opportunity for residents and healthcare professionals to collaborate, network and work together to improve and learn from health and social care services across South Tyneside.
“I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to all three of our guest speakers for their insightful and informative presentations. We are grateful to everyone who attended and contributed to the discussion, an excellent way to engage service users to provide the valuable feedback which influences the design of future services.”
The presentations can be downloaded via the following links:
