Reports Hub

Online survey consultation, key points we raised were

• People in Solihull tell us that Housing and Healthcare need to work better together. Housing need to ensure that they are considering the different offer from healthcare across Solihull, and the accessibility to medical letters which need to be paid for, and how this can affect people on lower incomes.
• This consultation has only been made available online with users requiring an account to submit a response. We feel that this is limiting the number of people who are able to respond which is in turn limiting how well this consultation represents the views of the people of Solihull. People in need of housing or homeless people may be less likely to have ease of access to the internet which may mean people who are directly affected by this consultation are unable respond. It is also disappointing to see that the strategy document is only available in its current format. Both the survey and strategy document should also be provided in more accessible formats in order to receive feedback from individuals with additional sensory and language needs. It should be a priority to make consultations accessible to as many people as possible. This will ensure that the final strategy is able to meet the needs of as many people as possible within Solihull.

Healthwatch Solihull are proud to present our 2023-24 annual report, showing how we have used what local people have told us about their own experiences of health and social care services to drive the changes they need.

This year we have heard from 4,500 people from right across the Borough. By acting as the voice of local service users, we have addressed issues such as:

• Impact of the cost-of-living crisis on people’s health
• Urgent Care in Solihull
• Support for prostate cancer patients
• Patient safety at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB)

At a time when the NHS and local authority services are under great pressure, Healthwatch Solihull’s role as an independent public champion is more vital than ever.We would like to thank the public, our volunteers, stakeholders and third sector organisations for their support this year.

This report explores Solihull residents’ experiences of using community pharmacies following the launch of the Pharmacy First scheme in January 2024. While feedback was largely positive, key barriers included limited public awareness of services, low confidence in receptionist referrals, and concerns about privacy in consultation spaces. Healthwatch Solihull will monitor progress and continue working with NHS partners to support improvements and ensure services meet local needs.

This report explores patient experiences on the NHS prostate cancer pathway, following Healthwatch Birmingham and Healthwatch Solihull’s joint report Experiences of the NHS Prostate Cancer Pathway in Birmingham and Solihull (July 2023). It highlighted concerns around information, delays, and follow-up care. As a result, University Hospitals Birmingham made improvements to appointment access, needs assessments, and post-treatment support.