Local people are being encouraged to share their thoughts on the standards of care they receive at GPs, dentists, hospitals and care homes, with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
CQC is particularly keen to hear from deaf and hard of hearing people about their experiences and has teamed up with Disability Rights UK to help make this easier.
It has recently launched SignLive on its website, where people can provide feedback in BSL. People can also get in touch using the RelayUK app, for those preferring to communicate by text.
It is essential for people to share their experiences of healthcare provision right across the region, to inform CQC’s monitoring of local services and to ensure people are receiving safe and effective treatment.
CQC’s chief inspector of Adult Social Care, Kate Terroni, said:
“We are committed to addressing health inequalities and reducing barriers to care.
“The lived experience of people who are deaf and hard of hearing, and the wider community, is significant in understanding how care for them can be improved. We want to learn from their experience and drive these improvements and ensure people received good, safe care”
Head of Advice & Information at Disability Rights UK, Michael Paul, said:
“We have a long and successful relationship with the Care Quality Commission in encouraging disabled people to share their experiences of care services they use. We’re really happy to again work together to reach more disabled people, and ultimately improve care services for disabled people and everyone else.”
It is estimated that one in six people are deaf or hard of hearing, which represents approximately 11 million people. This is expected to rise to 15.6 million by 2035.
There are 151,000 people in the UK who use BSL and, of these, 87,000 are deaf.
People can give feedback on their own experiences of care, or those of someone they care for, on the CQC website: https://www.cqc.org.uk/contact-us/general-enquiries/get-help-contacting-us-if-youre-deaf-or-hard-hearing
Feedback can also be given through the local Healthwatch, which can also help with advice, information and support.
Contact
For media enquiries:
- Claire Keegan, regional communications and engagement officer – 07789 875053 – claire.keegan@cqc.org.uk
Notes to editors
Because We All Care Campaign
The Because We All Care campaign aims to help services identify and address quality issues and support patients by encouraging people to share feedback on individual experiences of health and social care services in England. The campaign was first launched by CQC and Healthwatch England in July 2020 and over 50,000 people so far have shared their ideas and experiences of how care can be made better.
Everyone has different experiences of care, so we want to hear feedback on health and social care from everyone. Tell us about your care to ensure services work better for us all.
All providers of NHS care or publicly funded adult social care must meet accessible information standards, that includes NHS hospitals, GP services, dentists and publicly funded care homes. It applied to people who have an information or communication need due to disability, impairment and/or sensory loss. https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/meeting-accessible-information-standard
Wherever possible, inspections review the use and implementation of the standards, including of people’s care plans as part of the responsive key questions.
People can give feedback on their experiences of care, or those of someone they care for, on the CQC website or if they wish to raise a concern about their care, or about the care received by a loved one or by someone they care for they can let CQC know by filling out our Give feedback on care form, or calling our contact centre on 03000 616161.
Contacting us if you’re deaf or hard of hearing – We use a service called SignLive. SignLive gives you an interpreter so you can talk to us with sign language. You can use it on your smartphone, tablet or computer: https://www.cqc.org.uk/contact-us/general-enquiries/get-help-contacting-us-if-youre-deaf-or-hard-hearing
