Our Plans:
In late 2019 we set out the aims for our network. Like many other aspirations that people and organisations had for 2020, COVID-19 wreaked havoc with these plans. Now that Covid-19 is over (it’s not) reduced in number but still believe that the patient voice should be an integral part of how health and care services are planned.
Our aim in 2025/26 is to see the patient voice become an integral part of the way that the Integrated Care Board, which covers Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire (BOB) plan services for patients in Oxford. The NHS 10-year Plan (Fit for the Future) promises a greater emphasis on the voice of individual patients, but is also proposing the abolition of the collective voice of Healthwatch organisations. Just because there may be lots of individual experiences being shared will not of itself bring about organisational or cultural change in NHS organisations. We await with interest to see if the patient voice is really going to be heard.
As the health service is under more and more pressure we believe that listening to the patient voice is needed more than ever. We want to support our primary care providers and help them to help us.
As volunteers we have no resources and our focus is on:
- Patient Voice in the BOB Integrated Care System
- Digital divide
There is an increasing focus on patients accessing health services on-line. We will work with our partners to see how we can avoid creating a ‘digital divide’ for those who are not able to use or access on-line services.
- Patient Participation Groups
We will continue to support the development of PPGs in all GP practices in Oxford.
Oxford Patient Network 