The input of local people, partners and local organisations is invaluable to us in shaping healthcare services.

We often have involvement exercises running, and the details of any that are currently active will be available below - simply click the title to read more.

Current ICB involvement opportunities

Our digital first team have been working to update and standardise GP practice websites across the Black Country.

NHS England have conducted research into how patients use websites and the language that is most user friendly, the research findings have enabled NHS England to produce a guide on ‘creating a highly usable and accessible GP website for patients’, which gives advice and guidance on the look, feel and the content that is helpful to be included.

The digital first team have been working to improve GP websites across all of our 174 practices and have used surveys disseminated through practices to gain patient feedback. The team have also attended People Panels, GP/PCN events and are actively visiting PPGs across the Black Country to demonstrate the features of the new website and educate patients on the functionality. The team are using a multifaceted approach and are also educating and signposting patients to the Black Country Connected scheme for those without digital access and helping people sign up to the NHS app at the same time to enable more patients to be digitally empowered with their health care.

If you are a PPG or PCN and would like to invite the digital team along to demonstrate the new GP website to your group, please get in touch via email: bcicb.digitalfirstteam@nhs.net 

If you are hosting an event and would like the digital team to come along, please get in touch with the digital first team via the email above.

The four acute provider trusts in the Black Country (Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust) are proposing to make changes to the urology services provided by the hospitals. 

To safely meet the demand of the local population, the four acute trusts, propose to:

  • Develop a centralised Renal Surgery Centre (Nephrectomies, and Partial Nephrectomies) (preferred site Dudley)
  • Expand the existing Pelvic Surgery Centre (Bladders and Prostatectomies) (preferred site Wolverhampton)
  • Develop a centralised service for Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL) at a designated centre (preferred site Sandwell).

These proposals mean we will have urology departments operating across The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust and The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust’s hospital sites, dedicated to delivering safe, responsive and high-quality care to the residents of the Black Country.

Under this approach, cross-site urology departments will ensure that patients with a planned service will have access to experts in their area of surgery, a reduction in waiting times and access to services faster.

You can find out more about the proposed changes and how to have your say within this document.

Current partner consultation/engagement activities

Get involved and have your say about the development of a new Oxley Health and Wellbeing facility.

Read about the plans here

Feedback and ideas can be shared online wolverhampton.gov.uk/oxleyhwf

Do you look after a family member, partner, friend or neighbour who could not cope without the support you offer? If the care you provide is unpaid – you are a carer. Does your job include supporting informal carers?

If so, we want to hear from you.

Have your say!

We want to understand your experiences to help us to shape a new Carer Support Service in Sandwell. The service will be a key contact point to refer to, and provide a central contact point for unpaid carers to access information and advice. You can influence decisions about the service and help to improve carer’s lives.

Complete our short survey online, request a call-back or come along to one of our drop-in sessions at a community venue. 

If you cannot attend a drop-in or complete a survey you can contact Sandwell Advocacy on 0121 520 8070 to give your views by Friday 3 May 2024.

https://www.sandwell.gov.uk/carers/shaping-new-carer-support-service-sandwell

The National Diabetes Experience Survey is the first NHS survey of its kind. Until now, there has not been a national survey of this scale among people living with diabetes. This is an exciting new opportunity to have your voice heard.

The National Diabetes Experience Survey gives people living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes in England the opportunity to feedback on their experiences. People who are randomly selected will be invited to take part from March 2024. This important survey was developed together with people living with diabetes.

If you are invited, please take part to help the NHS to understand what it is like to live with diabetes in England today. Your voice can make a difference in shaping future NHS diabetes care in England. We need as many people as possible to respond to the invite so that the results reflect the views of different people living with diabetes. We want to make sure that your views are represented. Whoever you are, whichever services you access, and whatever your experiences of living with diabetes, your opinion is important to us.

NHS England will use the findings to understand and improve experiences of NHS care and self-management for people living with diabetes. The results will be available in Autumn 2024 at national and local level. For more information, please visit www.diabetessurvey.co.uk.

Following on from a series of public and citizen engagement events in 2023, Healthwatch Sandwell are now hosting a second round of events to take place in each of the six towns of Sandwell, on behalf of the Sandwell Health and Care Partnership.

The original events aimed to identify what matters most to local people around health and social care and other factors contributing to their health.

The purpose of the upcoming sessions is to provide an update on the top priorities that were raised by local people. There will also be updates on any related work now being carried out across the partnership and an opportunity for people tell us whether any priorities are missing and where there may be gaps in local services.

Please visit our events page for the to view upcoming workshops.

To find out more about the previous town events and view the report please click here.

Healthwatch Walsall asks you to share your experiences and views by participating in these surveys. They help them understand what has or is happening in Walsall's health and social care services.​​​​​​

Take part in these important surveys | Healthwatch Walsall

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