What is an Enter and View?
If you have been following Healthwatch Lancashire, or any Healthwatch for that matter, you may be wondering: what is an ‘Enter and View’?
An Enter and View is where our team visits a healthcare setting such as a GP surgery, hospital, pharmacy, or care home to speak with staff and patients about their experiences working there or receiving care. We also look at the accessibility of the healthcare setting which includes things like ramps, dementia-friendly equipment and other accessibility needs.
We carry out Enter and View visits using our statutory rights under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 and Part 4 of the Local Authorities Regulations 2013.
How Does an Enter and View Work?
Our team organises an Enter and View visit, typically via email, and sends a pre-visit questionnaire to the manager. This questionnaire may include questions about the demographic of patients served, any specific feedback the organisation would like us to gather, and anything else relevant to the visit.
Following this, our team visits the healthcare setting at the agreed time and date. Enter and View visits are not designed to be surprises or investigations; rather, they are opportunities for us to engage with NHS and social care premises. We speak to staff, patients, carers, and other service users to understand their experiences.
The information we collect is not about catching anyone out; instead, we aim to use individual experiences to support improvements in care across Lancashire and beyond.
After completing an Enter and View, we write a short Enter and View Report summarising our observations and the feedback shared by staff and patients. We then provide a list of recommendations, based on our findings, to help improve the service for both staff and patients.
Before the report is published on our website, we will send it to the manager of the service for them to read. The manager can then send us a response reflecting on the recommendations we have made, and whether they intend to action them. These responses will be included in the final report.
How Do We Choose an Enter and View Location?
Choosing our Enter and View locations isn’t as simple as picking services out of a hat. In most cases, we base our decisions on feedback from the local community.
Whether the feedback has been positive or in some cases negative, we use it to inform our Enter and View calendar. This allows us to investigate and offer recommendations on best practices to benefit the community.
Why Do We Do Enter and View Visits?
We conduct Enter and View visits to identify best practices in health and social care settings and to pinpoint areas requiring improvement. These visits allow us to listen to staff and patients, address poor practices, challenge organisational norms, and provide helpful, constructive feedback to improve local services.
In very rare cases, an Enter and View visit may prompt a referral to the Care Quality Commission (CQC). This would only occur if we observed behaviours or practices that require escalation. However, this is extremely uncommon and has happened only once in five years. The majority of health and social care settings are committed to providing high-quality care.
FAQs About Enter and View Visits
How long are they?
An Enter and View visit can last anywhere from a couple of hours to most of the day. This depends on factors such as the size of the healthcare setting and how busy it is.
Who attends?
Enter and View visits are conducted by members of the Healthwatch Lancashire team, and may include one of our volunteers. Each authorised Enter and View representative attending has undergone comprehensive training and a DBS check.
Can I refuse a visit?
We understand that allowing us into your organisation may feel daunting, but rest assured we are here to work with you, not against you. While we have the legal right to enter any health and social care organisation, we prefer to agree on visits in advance to build positive relationships with you and your team.
Are we expected to assist you during an Enter and View?
Although having external visitors may seem disruptive, we aim to keep disruption to a minimum. A brief tour and a 10-minute sit-down discussion to understand the care provided is all we need to get started. After that, we will carry out the visit independently, speaking with staff and patients without interfering with your routine.
I still want to learn more!
No problem, you can learn more on our website, or by reading our Enter and View Protocol.
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Enter and View visits are a vital tool in improving healthcare services. They allow us to identify best practices and areas for growth through meaningful engagement with staff and patients. By utilising our statutory right to enter health and care services across Lancashire, we can work collaboratively with organisations to create a better and more effective caregiving service.
You can contact our team to learn more or to organise an Enter and View at your organization:
Email: info@healthwatchlancashire.co.uk
Tel: 01524 239100