NHS Frimley is responsible for planning, agreeing, funding and monitoring your local health care services, so it’s important to us that we get it right for you.
We are committed to being an organisation that delivers the best possible health and wellbeing outcomes for people who live within our local communities. This means adapting to new ways of working, ensuring a local focus but with the additional benefits of support, sharing good practice and learning across NHS Frimley and the wider Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care System (ICS).
Working in partnership with people and communities, and our colleagues across the ICS brings a different perspective to our understanding - sometimes challenging our view of how we think services are responding to your needs.
The NHS England ICS Design Framework, June 2021 states:
“ICSs must listen consistently to, and collectively act on, the experience and aspirations of local people and communities. This includes supporting people to sustain and improve their health and wellbeing, as well as involving people and communities in developing plans and priorities, and continually improving services.”
The COVID-19 pandemic posed fundamental challenges in how we talked to local people and communities but also encourage new thinking. Although we had to and still have to prioritise the health, safety and welfare of patients, staff and wider society in our response to the pandemic, we have also been working hard to ensure that the voices of our local communities still sit at the heart of our decision making processes.
We know that health and care services can be improved if we can learn more about the views, experiences and concerns of local people and communities. The introduction of restrictions on everyday activities and face to face activities has mean that we have had to rethink how we reach out to people. We recognise a continued and critical need to talk to and hear local people and patients throughout this time.
Read on for two ways in which you can get involved today and join the covnersation.
Insight and Engagement Portal and Community Pannel
As part of a wide reaching engagement programme we are pleased to share our new Insight and Involvement Portal with you.
The portal will:
- offer you the opportunity to explore a wide range of projects and work where we are seeking your input and involvement
- access a variety of tools including surveys, quick polls, Q&As, maps, document sharing and ideas boards
- be a space to share your experiences, hear from others, build networks and share feedback
- allow you to sign up to our Community Panel to take part in regular surveys and hear about other opportunities to support us in creating healthier communities.
Our Community Panel is embedded within the new portal. Recruited in 2019 and still growing, our online Community Panel of over 1500 people support us to better understand our local communities. Panel members may also be invited to take part in project work, focus groups and face to face opportunities.
We would encourage you to take a look around and get a feel for the site and check back regularly as we will be continuing to add and update content throughout the year.
Click here to access our Insight and Involvement Portal
Privacy and data sharing
The Insight and Involvement Portal is supported by bespoke software that ensures secure storage of participant data. All of the engagement and survey responses and participant data is held securely by Civica (via their Involve Platform) and NHS Frimley on behalf of Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care System. A data sharing agreement, privacy policy and fair processing notice are available via the links above or on request.
