You said, We did

1. Children and young people – reducing self-harm - January 2018 - now (ongoing engagement)

Children and young people living in Kingston have high rates of self harm. We spoke to 56 children and young people, 109 parents and carers and 19 teachers in Kingston about what we could do to reduce self-harm.

Parents told us

“We are desperate for help and we don’t know where to go”

We did

We are developing an online list of services which shows the support available in our Borough.

Children and Young people told us

“Groups are great because they help you feel more accepted and less likely to take frustrations about loneliness out on yourself” "You can focus on friendships within activities."

We did

We are developing a whole school approach which provides support to children outside of a medical environment.

Teachers told us

“A lot of teachers are really lacking confidence when it comes to addressing or talking about mental health issues with children and young people. Improving their awareness and confidence (as well as their own wellbeing.”

We did

We are working closely with schools to develop a whole school approach and to deliver mental health and wellbeing training to teachers and other staff.

What we heard very clearly was that, whatever improvements are made, children and young people, their parents and carers and teachers need to be further involved.

2. Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) living in Kingston – Autumn 2018

You said

“We’d like to be more involved in service change for our children”

We did

Working with and a local SEND charity, we have set up a parents co-production and information group to help us shape our services so they work for people living in the borough. 

3. Choosing Wisely - Spring-Summer 2017

The CCG has a substantial financial challenge and we have a duty to spent our funding wisely. We asked local people, patients, carers, local groups and organisations for their views on the proposals.

We asked:

Should we change the criteria for IVF and specialist services?

You said

"This will impact more on some people that on others and will create health inequalities."

We did:

We decided not to change the criteria for IVF.

We are doing:

We continue to work with the assisted conception unit to monitor clinical outcomes for women using their services. 

We asked:

Should we support patients to lose weight and give up smoking before funding surgery?

You said:

"It is against the principles of the NHS to place restrictions on who can access it based on lifestyle choices. While support should be offered to help people stop smoking, weight is more complex. People with Type 1 diabetes and low thyroid function, for instance, will be discriminated against."

We did:

Based on your feedback we decided not to make losing weight and stopping smoking a requirement of surgery. We have reviews our guidance to GPs to support patients to be in the best possible health before surgery. 

We are doing:

We continue in our efforts to work with partners to help people in Kingston stop smoking and to live healthy, active lifestyles. 

We asked:

Should we stop prescribing self-care medications, gluten free foods, baby milk and specialist infant formula, and vitamin D?

You said:

There could be a longer term impact on both parents and the NHS if people are not able to access appropriate diet and supplementation. Milk protein allergies are very complex and this could impact on some people in Kingston more than others.

We did:

We decided to continue prescribing baby milk and specialist infant formula and recognised that some of our healthcare professionals needed further training.

We are doing:

We are developing improved guidelines and education for GPs and other healthcare professionals to advise when prescribing formula is suitable or not.

 

 

Earlier feedback and response 

Proposals for changes to St George’s Mental Health Trust facilities were put forward for consultation in December 2014

You said:

• Significant public support for building two new centres of excellence at the Springfield and Tolworth sites
• Concern expressed about the level of proposed provision and clinical expertise within community mental health services
• Preference for adult deaf services to remain at Springfield instead of being relocated to Tolworth, as originally proposed
• Concerns were also expressed about the number of available inpatient beds, in light of future increased demand

We did:

• Keeping adult deaf services on the Springfield site
• Location of future mental health inpatient services at Springfield and at Tolworth
• Provision of robust community mental health services to support people close to home through Home Treatment Teams
• Flexibility to increase the number of inpatient beds within the overall development at Tolworth hospital to reflect demand

Improving ophthalmology (eye) services in Kingston (April 2015)

You said:

• Patients want improved access and signage for visually impaired people
• The appointment system is too complicated 

We did:

• Kingston hospital is looking at improving patient access by installing directional lines from Norbiton station and bus stops outside the hospital
• Administration issues at Kingston hospital are listed as a priority in the Trust’s Quality Accounts, with an action plan approved

Empowering people with long term health conditions (LTC)

You said:

• You need education to understand and have confidence to manage your own LTC
• You want to talk to one another and share experiences with those managing similar conditions, through activities such as networking and peer support

We did:

• Run the Expert Patient Programme (EPP). 10 EPPs have run across Kingston in 14/15 offering support to around 100 people
• Many patients are now involved in voluntary work and community projects, and enjoying a better quality of life and more control of their condition