‘Parents expect too much from us’
ACHILDREN’S centre in Widnes has told a watchdog that expectations of its services were ‘unrealistic’ after it mixed up medical records and lost vital paperwork.
Woodview Children’s Centre on Crow Wood Lane has been issued with a Contract Performance Notice and Action Plan after an investigation by local watchdog, Healthwatch Halton revealed major concerns.
However, staff at the centre initially responded by saying that parents expected too much of the service – despite the majority of complaints being over basic administration and communication errors.
Healthwatch Halton reported that in the past 12 months it had received an increasing number of comments and concerns from parents. A full report on the failings revealed parents were concerned that calls were left unanswered and messages were not returned, they were not told how long they would have to wait for an appointment or referral and were often given incorrect information, including on how to make a complaint about the service. Other parents complained about lost referrals paperwork, mixed up medical records, delayed appointments, a lack of communication or support and lengthy appointment waiting times.
Eighty-one parents filled out an online survey about the service finding that when asked to name three good things about the service, the most common answer was ‘nothing’.
One parent’s feedback said: “Diagnosed with sensory difficulties and anxiety but no info on what we should do left us still struggling to maintain any sort of normal life with nowhere to turn because Woodview won’t return our calls.”
Another parent whose child accessed CAHMS mental health services at age 11 said: “We sought help at the age of two and a half. How can a service neglect a child to the extent they are talking about not wanting to live any more at the age of eight?
“We have a long road ahead of us, to get our child in a better place mentally because of the neglect caused by the lack of support for the past nine years.”
The report showed that staff shortages were a problem, with one in five children waiting a year from referral for their first appointment.
However, Healthwatch has said that the pressure on services would be eased if ‘basics are done right’.
It called for a major re-think of the way services are delivered.
Staff at Woodview said that ‘parents sometimes have too high an expectation of what the service is able to do’.
However, the report said: “Expectations may be high, but that could be in part because they aren’t being told early enough what the service can and can’t do.”
“Information on the service and what the processes are, and what to expect, should be given to parents at their first contact with the service.”
Healthwatch Halton wants to see the service do the basics right and suggested each child having a named case co-ordinator to act as a single point of contact for parents or carers to improve communication.
It also believes drop-in sessions should be reintroduced and the staff shortages be dealt with.
The Woodview Centre provides a number of services for children including speech and language, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and child development assessments for special needs.
The majority of services are provided by the Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
A spokesperson from the trust said they welcomed the report and would take the findings ‘very seriously’.
It said: “Bridgewater aims to provide the highest quality care and we are deeply concerned by the experiences that some families have received at Woodview.
“The trust’s senior leadership team has already started working with staff and families to put together a robust action plan to address the issues raised by this report and individual complaints.
“We will also be carrying out a full internal investigation.”
NHS Halton CCG were also informed of the report and said: “The issues identified are totally unacceptable and as the responsible commissioner of local health care services, we are working closely with Bridgewater Community Health Care NHS Foundation Trust as they implement the improvement plans.”
“We will continue to monitor the delivery of the actions until we are confident and have the required assurance that all the issued have been resolved.”