Physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges for the usual ways in which Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) seeks the views and experiences of people who access our health and care services.

To keep engaging with local people, our HSCP’s Community Engagement staff have been running Locality Engagement Forum (LEF) sessions online. This was a safer way to meet with people and gather their views on our health and social care services. Online engagement sessions took place in April and June 2022 and were well attended by up to 30 people at each session from across Glasgow. Topics covered and reports from the events are available on our website.
 
May Simpson, HSCP Community Engagement and Development Officer for North West Locality said: “A city-wide engagement was held on the topic ‘The New Glasgow City HSCP Strategic Plan Priorities and What Matters to You?’. This session was part of a number of Strategic Plan and service priorities engagement sessions and focus groups. These were facilitated both online and in person by HSCP Engagement Officers from March 2022 until early July 2022.”

Focused discussion took place with a range of organisations including Thriving Places Networks; Community Council; Knightswood Connects - an older person's project; North West Voluntary Sector Network; Mental Health and Wellbeing Network; North West Youth Health Network and North East Women's Recovery Group. There were also a number of sessions held in partnership with Cerebal Palsy Scotland and feedback was gathered from service users and carers affected by Cerebral Palsy and learning disabilities. 
 
Another city-wide engagement session covered recent developments in GP Services, Pharmacy Services and Primary Care Mental Health Services.

Tony Devine, HSCP Community Engagement and Development Officer for North East Locality said: “Primary Care services are provided by, among others, GPs, Dentists, Optometrists, District Nurses, Health Visitors and Physiotherapists. Within Primary Care our strategy is to enable these professionals to fulfil the role that they are uniquely qualified for and to maximise access for local people. This ensures that they get the right support at the right time and in the right place. 

“Primary Care was often the first point of contact for most health concerns and 90% of health care episodes start and finish in Primary and Community Care. The HSCP wants to involve patients and service users in designing, developing and delivering health care services and these discussion sessions will help us to achieve this goal.”

A final city-wide engagement – Demystifying Power of Attorney and Anticipatory Care Plans – was held in June just before the HSCP’s recent campaign on social media to increase public awareness of the importance of a Power of Attorney.

Callum Lynch, HSCP Community Engagement and Development Officer for South Locality said: “Power of Attorney is for when you’re still here. If you’re in hospital for example on a ventilator, or a care environment or even your own home, no one can act for you. Even simple things like paying bills or managing utilities can be difficult. Your next of kin doesn’t have power to act or even manage your welfare decisions unless you’ve made your plan. People going into hospital should also consider speaking to a health or social care professional about setting up an ACP (Anticipatory Care Plan)”.

The aim of all the sessions was to gather feedback and comments from a question and answer session, which would then inform the planning and provision of future HSCP services.

More information is available on the work of our HSCP’s Locality Engagement Forums.