Welcome to the latest news from Healthwatch Bradford and District, your voice on health and social care. Hit the play button below for the latest update from our Lead Officer Helen.
Healthwatch news
Young people's experiences with mental health in Bradford
At Healthwatch, our job is to listen to people in Bradford and District about what matters to you about health and care, and to help make sure that the support and services available locally are meeting your needs.
Members of our team are out and about across our area meeting local people and ensuring that your voices are heard by those responsible for planning local health and care services. We also take part in various meetings with all sorts of organisations and partnerships whose job it is to plan and manage these services.
It was at the latest meeting of the Bradford and Airedale Wellbeing Board that we heard from the Bradford Citizens Young People’s Action Team about a growing "pandemic" of issues facing people aged under 18 in our area around mental health.
We want to work with local young people to help do something about this.
The first step? We want to hear from young people aged 18 and under in our area about your experiences, in your own words. Tell us what's what, and how things need to improve for you.
- Listen to Helen discussing young people's mental health on BCB Radio (106.6fm) on Monday (interview starts at 16 minutes)
- Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust reached out to young people and their families during Children's Mental Health Week last month to encourage them to make meaningful connections.
Get involved in new West Yorkshire Voice to help influence health and care decisions
People and communities across Bradford district are invited to be part of a new network called ‘West Yorkshire Voice’ and play an important role in influencing decision-making across the area.
West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, which plans and delivers health and care services for people across the area, has asked Healthwatch in West Yorkshire to develop the new network.
West Yorkshire Voice will be a network made up of people, communities, organisations, local panels and groups from across the area. It aims to empower people to have their say about services and to put the voice of people at the heart of decision-making.
Sharanjit Boughan, West Yorkshire Healthwatch, said: “Ensuring diverse voices are heard from across the area is essential to help health and care services meet the needs of all our communities.
"We especially want to hear the voices of those who experience the greatest health inequalities and who we might not usually hear from. Please come forward and get involved."
Healthwatch hits the streets of Keighley with colleagues from Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership
Keighley was the latest stop for the Listen In series of community events during February.
Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership makes decisions about the health and care services in our area and is responsible for improving the wellbeing of everyone who lives here.
Along with the Healthwatch team, the partnership’s board members, senior leaders from organisations such as Airedale Hospital and Bradford District Care Foundation Trust, were among those going out to listen to local people, visit local groups and see first-hand the impact of the decisions they make about health and care services.
Information was available about cost-of-living support and health services, as well as healthy lifestyle advice from the Living Well team, blood pressure checks and support from social prescribers.
Previous Listen In events have taken place in Craven and Bradford South, and more will take place across the district during 2023.
Healthwatch England releases annual report
The Healthwatch England annual report, released this week, demonstrates the power of public feedback to help services think about how care can be better. But, with the NHS facing such big challenges, public feedback is more critical than ever.
The NHS and social care system, which we value and rely on, faces enormous challenges. Millions of people are currently on NHS waiting lists for vital surgery and treatment. Waiting times at A&E departments have risen. And seeing essential community services, such as a GP or dentist, has become more challenging for many people.
Latest news from Healthwatch England
- An open letter to NHS England to improve the Accessible Information Standard plus Why does accessible healthcare matter?
- 'Referrals black hole’ - new findings of people’s experiences of GP referrals
- NHS plans to tackle a deepening staffing crisis - our response
- Recent research highlighted that long delays for hospital treatment, last-minute cancellations, and a lack of personalised information and support were huge concerns for people. Find out what Healthwatch is calling for.
- From December 1 2020, the NHS introduced a new system called NHS 111 First. Find out what we’re calling for to ensure the service works for everyone.
Latest news from local health and care services
Junior doctors to go on strike
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Airedale Hospital, has confirmed that it will be affected by strike action by junior doctors in England for a period of 72 hours from Monday March 13.
Junior doctors are doctors working in hospital who are not consultants but have an important role in patient care.
Airedale Hospital maternity care gets a good report from new mums
Airedale Hospital has been highlighted as providing good maternity care and treatment, according to a survey published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) this month.
The most positive results for Airedale were of women’s experiences of being cared for by maternity staff, both during pregnancy and in labour and birth, with high scores for women being involved in decisions about their care, good communication and support for their mental health during their pregnancy.
During 2022, a questionnaire was sent to all women who gave birth in February 2022 and responses were received from 140 patients at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, with 51% of those being asked taking the opportunity to share their experiences.
Video launched to support families with babies to help them sleep safely
NHS teams in Bradford have launch a new video for parents and carers offering safer sleep advice.
Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership has been working with parent education teams at Airedale Hospital and Bradford Royal Infirmary after the Lullaby Trust expressed concern over the impact increasing social deprivation may have on the numbers of babies dying due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in light of the current cost-of-living crisis.
New NHS day case unit at St Luke’s Hospital will increase operations in Bradford by over 5,000 a year
A £18m investment into a planned new day case surgical unit at St Luke’s Hospital will help tackle and reduce the local backlog of patients waiting for surgery.
The new state-of-the-art day case unit will be separate to Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s main acute site at Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) and will solely deliver planned surgery. This means it will provide additional resilience to the NHS in Bradford and help future-proof this service for local patients.
New unit opens its doors for patients at Lynfield Mount Hospital
Families across West Yorkshire will be able to benefit from a new therapeutic hospital unit for people with complex learning disabilities which has opened in Bradford.
The Assessment and Treatment Unit (ATU) has begun providing care from a refurbished unit, on site at Lynfield Mount Hospital.
Bradford to benefit from Family Hubs and Start for Life funding
Bradford is one of 75 local authorities set to benefit from the government’s Family Hubs Start for Life programme.
It means the district will receive about £5 million of the national £300 million fund. The money will be focused predominantly on ages pre-birth to babies up to 2 years, often called the first 1,001 days.
The national programme aims to:
- Provide support to parents and carers so they are able to nurture their babies and children, improving health and education outcomes for all.
- Contribute to a reduction in inequalities in health and education outcomes for babies, children and families across England.
- Build the evidence base for what works when it comes to improving health and education outcomes for babies, children and families.
Support and information
Local doctors offer advice on getting ready for Ramadan
The holy month of Ramadan begins later this month (March 22 – April 21) and will be observed by Muslims in Britain and around the world as a month of fasting (sawm), prayer, reflection, and community engagement.
In an article published by West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, Dr Sohail Abbas, Deputy Medical Director for NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, and Dr Waqas Tahir, Clinical Diabetes Lead for the partnership, offer these tips to help people have a healthy and happy Ramadan.
These simple steps can help everyone have a successful and healthy fast:
Take breaks – take a couple of short breaks instead of a lunch break.
- Eat well – when not fasting, it’s tempting to indulge in unhealthy foods, but it’s important to eat a healthy balanced diet for our bodies and our brains.
- Stay hydrated – in the non-fasting hours, drink plenty of water to help your body stay hydrated. Try to avoid tea, coffee and salty foods as these can cause dehydration, which can in turn cause headaches and fatigue.
- Stay active – many of us, including us GPs, often spend most of the day at our desks. This is never healthy, but when we’re fasting, we may be more tempted to rest rather than be active. Exercise is good for our bodies and for our minds, so try to incorporate some light physical activity into your day, such as going for a walk after iftar.
- Do what you can to prepare – for example, if you usually drink caffeinated drinks such as tea, coffee or cola, the lack of caffeine during the fast may initially lead to headaches and tiredness. This should ease as your body adjusts to going without caffeine, but you can help by cutting down on tea and coffee or trying decaffeinated drinks for a couple of weeks before Ramadan starts.
Charity reaches out to unpaid carers in Bradford during Ramadan
Local charity Carers’ Resource is running a series of events in Bradford to reach out to unpaid carers during the period of Ramadan this spring.
The latest figures show that about 46,000 people in the Bradford district identified themselves as unpaid carers in the 2021 census – but it’s believed there may be as many as 100,000 unpaid carers in the district.
Promotional events are due to take place at:
- SaveCo in Thornbury Rd, Bradford, from 11am-4pm on Saturday March 18 and Friday March 24th
- Manchester Superstore in Florence St, Bradford, from 11am-4pm, on Saturday April 1st and Wednesday April 5th.
Healthwatch advice: Prevention is the best medicine - what to expect from your smear test
Cervical cancer screenings save at least 2,000 lives every year in the UK. Here's what you should expect from your smear test and why these screenings are important.
Get involved and shape Parkinson’s UK Bradford event
Parkinson’s UK are planning a 'living well with Parkinson's' event for the South Asian community, to take place on Saturday June 17 at City Hall in Bradford, and are looking for local people to help shape the day. In particular they are inviting people with experience of Parkinson’s, including clinicians and family members of those with the condition, to get involved. If you’d like to share your views or are a clinician that can take part and run information sessions please get in touch with Liz Nash lnash@parkinsons.org.uk
Early thoughts on the event include a range of information stalls and activities to help people understand more about Parkinson’s and the support available. To provide an inclusive experience for our communities the event is looking to deliver talks by Consultants in Care of the Elderly and Neurology from South Asian backgrounds, as well as people with Parkinson's, going around and talking individually to people.
Safe Spaces crisis service job opportunities
The Safe Spaces is a collaborative service run in partnership with The Cellar Trust, Mind in Bradford, Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust and Bradford Metropolitan District Council. It offers a calm and friendly alternative to A&E for people in mental distress between the hours of 12.30pm – 2.30am, 365 days per year; it is available to people who live in Bradford, Airedale, Wharfedale or Craven. There are a number of vacancies - find out more.