You’re invited to join in a six week conversation to help shape local NHS and care services.
A new website is being launched to ‘crowdsource’ ideas about what people would like to see in a five year plan for health and care in Norfolk and Waveney.
Anyone can sign-up to put forward their ideas for making the area a healthier place to live and to comment on other people’s suggestions. To have your say please visit https://ingoodhealth.dialogue-app.com/.
The online conversation is being run by the Health and Care Partnership for Norfolk and Waveney, which is made-up of local NHS organisations, including the James Paget, and councils. Like every other area of the country, the partnership is developing a plan for how health and care services will change over the next five years.
The independent chair of the partnership, former Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt, said: “What people say will help us shape our planning for the next five years. I would really encourage people to join the conversation, have your say and help us draft a plan that speaks for our communities.”
Every week for six weeks, different questions will be posed for people to respond to. These will cover how we can give children and young people the best start in life, through to supporting people to age well, from better managing long term conditions like diabetes and breathing problems, to preventing people from getting cancer. As the conversation develops, people will be able to add their comments or show their support for their favourite ideas.
The conversations will be used to help develop the five year plan. The plan will set-out how the ambitions of the national NHS Long Term Plan (www.longtermplan.nhs.uk) will be delivered, as well as our local priorities, including our Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
Patricia added: “Every one of us wants our NHS and care services to do more. We also have to balance rising demand and expectations with the reality that we only have a certain amount of money and we can only spend each pound once. So our job will be to listen hard to everyone and devise a plan that offers as much as we can within the limitations we inevitably have.”
There has already been a huge amount of public and patient involvement in the last year, carried out by the NHS, local councils and others, which is being used to help develop the plan. Healthwatch Norfolk has also carried out some early engagement too. Their report can be read here: www.healthwatchnorfolk.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/LTP-Report-Final-report.pdf.
This conversation will run until 27 August and the partnership will develop a first draft of its plan in September. There will be further engagement and discussion as the plan is finalised in the autumn.
Find out more about the work of the Norfolk and Waveney partnership at: www.norfolkandwaveneypartnership.org.uk