End of year updates from the Public Engagement Network

PEN Community Engagement Officer for the Midlands, Diane Lewis, visited The Young at Heart Group in October, where she enjoyed meeting group members and speaking with them about the Public Engagement Network, the role of Care Quality Commission (CQC) and local services.

Diane heard from members that GP appointment systems are inaccessible when reliant upon technology that people don’t always have access to.

Thank you kindly to everyone at Young At Heart for sharing your experiences with us.

Diane Lewis, PEN Community Engagement Officer for the Midlands, attended a peer support group at the Dementia Carers’ Hub in Bournville.

The group discussed the benefits of giving feedback to CQC and gave feedback to Diane about their own experiences in health and care.

With thanks to all at the Dementia Carers’ Hub for providing us with such valuable information.

Dronfield Woodhouse Community Hub is a new group based in North East Derbyshire which provides a meeting place for people to improve their mental health and wellbeing.

Thank you to the Hub manager who introduced group members to Diane Lewis, our Community Engagement Officer for the Midlands.

Diane spoke individually to people at the Hub about their lived experiences of health and care services. We are thankful to all who engaged with us there.

The Leicester Café at the Peepul Centre is run by local volunteers who understand what it is like to live with Parkinson's and come from the local Asian community. The Café is welcome to everyone affected by Parkinson's and Dementia including family members, friends and carers as well as people living with Parkinson's.

Diane Lewis, PEN Community Engagement Officer for the Midlands, found the group very welcoming as she spoke with the Café’s members about their individual experiences of health and social care services in November.

We learned from the group about the difficulties in accessing GP appointments for a variety of reasons which they highlighted for us. Thank you to all at the Parkison’s Café for speaking with us on such an important subject.

Mind A Chat is a mental health peer support group run by people with lived experience of mental ill health and disabilities.

Diane Lewis, PEN Community Engagement Officer for the Midlands, joined the group as they participated in activities. She introduced the group’s members to the work of Care Quality Commission (CQC) and heard their experiences of using health and social care in their area.

Diane heard how the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted and significantly delayed peoples’ care, the effects of which are still being felt today.

With thanks to all at Mind A Chat who engaged with us during the session. We are grateful for your time and insights.

Tamworth Wellbeing Cancer Support Centre is a registered charity which supports people and their families dealing with cancer and other chronic illnesses. They offer practical advice, emotional support or just a listening ear.

PEN Community Engagement Officer for the Midlands, Diane Lewis, returned to visit the centre where she sang songs with the centre’s members before hearing their experiences of health and care services in their area.

Thank you to everyone at Tamworth Wellbeing Cancer Support Centre for welcoming us back and for speaking with us about your experiences of care in Tamworth.

Thank you to the Gypsy Roma and Traveller Women's Health Group, led by Dee of Surrey Gypsy Traveller Community Forum, for welcoming us to your festive celebrations this December!

Community Engagement Officer for PEN, Marta Styk, joined the group for a Christmas quiz about the NHS and British Christmas traditions.

We look forward to seeing you again next year.

Our Community Engagement Officer in London, Marta Styk, was invited to a Christmas meeting held there by PEN member, Autism Hounslow.

Marta joined a group of volunteers there, including autistic people and people with a learning disability.

This was a lovely way for Marta to engage with the volunteers, and to celebrate their hard work in 2024.

Thanks again to Autism Hounslow for inviting us!

Members of the PEN Advisory Group for Autistic People and People with a Learning Disability met in November to discuss 'What does good care look like?' and 'What does a good health and social care regulator look like?'

The meeting was led by National Lead - Choice Support Experts by Experience, Kim Arnold, and the group was so engaged that they will meet again to continue the discussion on 28^th January 2025.

We hope to see advisory group members then, whether or not they attended the November meeting.

A big thank you to all in the group for your insights and engagement throughout 2024!