In May 2023 the Infection Prevention and Control team in ICB launched a urinary tract infection (UTI) and Catheter Care Workstream across Herts and West Essex.  As a result the following priorities were identified:

1. Communication
2. Baseline data
3. UTI Prevention
4. Training
5. Management of urinary catheters
6. UTI diagnosis/treatment

The group are currently developing a task and finish group for priority three and would really value hearing the patient and carer voice in the project.  

If you have experience of UTI or catheter care,  an interest in this area or would just like more information then we would like to hear from you.  There is an opportunity to get involved in the task and finish group which will start in February or to share your views in other ways.

Please contact heather.aylward@nhs.net to express an interest. 

Workshop reminder

We have organised a workshop with the Patients Association to provide an update on their work developing GP Practice Patient Groups in Herts and West Essex and to talk through next steps.

Monday 4 December

11am – midday

Zoom link: Click here to join the meeting

Learn more about Hospital at Home in east and north Hertfordshire

You can learn all about Hospital at Home and the progress made in remote monitoring services for patients at a free Healthwatch Hertfordshire webinar on 12 December.

Hospital at Home is about how patients can be discharged from hospital earlier to recover at home, and how patients can be referred to Hospital at Home if their condition doesn't require specialist acute hospital treatment. Instead, they receive hospital-equivalent care and monitoring at home.

Dr Elizabeth Kendrick, Herts Community NHS Trust’s Medical Director, will be joined by Dr Maha Balakrishnan, GP and Hospital at Home Clinical Lead, and questions can be sent to them in advance to Healthwatch Hertfordshire non-exec member Alan Bellinger at abellinger@gmail.com . Alan is also a member of the ICB’s Patient Engagement Forum and other groups.

For more details about the event, between 11.30am-12.30pm on Microsoft Teams, visit:

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/hospathome/hospital-at-home/2023-12-12/11:30/t-jzqdrqg

Published: 28/11/2023

Health in Herts

Published: 25/10/2023

NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board are working with the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) to arrange three face to face focus groups across Herts and West Essex where  experiences will help to inform investigations into a theme around NHS workforce.  In particular HSSIB are interested to hear your experiences of:

• Accessing GP appointments
• Being cared for by other people other than a GP or practice nurse
• How you feel your healthcare needs to be prioritised.  Do you think you get the right care from the right person at the right time
• Care delivered by temporary staff, such as agency nurses or locum doctors

Focus Group details:

Your GP surgeries in Hitchin & Whitwell Primary Care Network have organised two face-to-face PPG (Patients Participation Group) meetings on Thursday 15^th June at Hitchin Town Hall in the Lucas Room. We will have two events – one from 1-2pm and repeated from 6.30-7.30pm. You only need to come to one of them!

Clinical Director Dr Tara Belcher will give a brief update on the PCN and then the floor will be open for discussions. Refreshments will be available.

There are 60 spaces at each event, but you must book in advance and tickets are first come, first served. In the event of unexpected demand, we will try to schedule another event.

Free tickets are available online at Eventbrite:

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 13:00 - 14:00 Event

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hitchin-and-whitwell-patient-participation-group-event-afternoon-tickets-627090754327

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 18:30 - 19:30 Event

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hitchin-and-whitwell-patient-participation-group-event-evening-tickets-627105438247

We have reserved some spaces for patients who don’t have on-line access – just ask your surgery to pass your details to the PCN!

Published: 08/05/2023