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| Annual
Review 2002/03
Contents:
Strong voice needed
New website
Quality of care for older people in hospital
Complaints
Enquiries
Results of customer satisfaction
survey 2002/2003
Council members attendance
Financial statement
Publications
Strong
Voice Needed
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Against
a background of continued uncertainty about changes
to the future role and structure of Health and Social
Services Councils, we remain committed to the need
for a strong voice to represent the interests of the
public. The awaited second phase of Developing Better
Services has not been issued. This, we hoped, would
have been the opportunity to move towards a coordinated
approach to service user and public involvement throughout
health and social services. In the meantime this continues
to be fragmented with no department or person taking
a lead role in developing a coherent strategy.
This year we
hosted an event to bring together colleagues from
England, Scotland and Wales to learn about what is
happening elsewhere. Each of these countries have
completed an extensive consultation exercise on public
involvement and are moving towards new arrangements
to facilitate this. It is our belief that we can learn
lessons from these which will help to inform our local
debate when and if this happens. |
Mr Brian Coulter
Chairman
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New
Website - www.ehssc.org
To assist in
making the Council more accessible to the public and
in particular children and young people, we developed
a new web site this year. This provides details of
the work of the Council, members and staff. It also
gives people the opportunity to contact the Council
to raise issues or concerns
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| Quality
of care for older people in hospital
‘Attention
to care’ reports the findings of a research
project carried out by the Eastern Health and Social
Services Council, during 2001-2002, into the quality
of care given to older people admitted in an emergency
to hospitals in the Eastern Health and Social Services
Board area. The research focused on the extent to
which the older people’s basic care needs (such
as personal care, privacy and dignity) were met in
hospital. Sixty-two patients, aged from 70 to 92 years,
were interviewed after discharge. About half the patients
were medical patients and half were surgical patients.
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The
research found that older people admitted to hospital
generally had their basic care needs met and usually
received a satisfactory standard of care. Most of
the patients had been admitted to hospital beds within
two hours, in accordance with the relevant standard
in the Charter for patients and clients. Three-quarters
of the patients had been cared for in single-sex wards
or bays all the time they were in hospital. In addition,
when the patients had called the staff for assistance,
the staff usually attended them quickly or fairly
quickly. Where the patients were given new medications,
the reasons for the medications had generally been
explained by the staff. Where the patients needed
help after discharge, the hospital staff had usually
made sure that the patients got this help at home
or were admitted to a residential home temporarily.
However, the
care given to a minority of patients was not always
adequate. In particular, a fifth of the patients had
waited between 6.5 hours and 36 hours before being
admitted to hospital beds. In addition, over half
the patients had been moved about in hospital (to
other beds or wards) after the original admissions.
One-in-eight of the patients had experienced difficulties
getting help from staff with personal care (for example,
washing) or eating meals. A small number of the patients
referred to the poor attitudes of some of the nursing
staff. It was usually surgical patients who had experienced
problems with getting their basic needs met in hospital
and with getting adequate help after discharge. We
have made a number of recommendations for improving
the standard of care given to older people in hospital,
and await action plans from the hospitals on how these
will be implemented.
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Launch of
Attention to Care Report
(Back row from left)
Claire McKenna, Brian Coulter,
John Reynolds
(Front row)
Meg Holmes, Gerry Potts
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To
next article
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Eastern
Health and Social Services Council, 1st Floor, Lesley House, 25-27 Wellington Place, Belfast, BT1 6GQ
Freephone: 0800 917 0222 Fax:
(028) 9032 1750
Minicom: (028) 9032 1285
E-mail:ecouncil@ehssc.n-i.nhs.uk
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