Author: Kishan Patel

A report paints a thousand words

Last weeks Healthcare tech community roadshow had inundated the researchers with a plethora of fresh data to interpret and analyse. Luckily for me, this meant that I had been presented with the unique opportunity to see the process of report-writing first-hand and live; right at the start of the week. From this, I was able to decide on the format and parameters of my own report.

My suggestion to my friends at the refugee meeting place, for an in-house written monthly publication to be written by the team of regulars that I met with, had not fallen on deaf ears. Over the next several weeks, I hope to help them develop this from an idea to its fruition. Following my visit to the Victoria Hall meeting place, I headed to the office to find it unusually quiet.

Unfortunately, the in-house DJ, who constantly played through his collection of catchy 70’s pop music for everyone in the office, was on leave. After finishing up some coding (this is where you simplify interview transcriptions into easy-to-understand issue points), I asked a colleague if I could help her deliver sessions, on the locality plan, to some community groups. And then came the saddest moment of my 4 weeks, “I would have asked for your help Kishan, but you won’t be with us by then”. Until this point, I had been pretending that my precious Summer was never going to end.

With one hand stroking my beard and the other with a mug of coffee, I spent the rest of my week behind a laptop screen, typing up what I had found out an into a report. From this I learnt, always start writing long pieces of work as soon as possible. By doing so, one is being kind to their future selves.

Bolton is home to the most fulfilling student lunch offer – 2 for £1 Pasties. So technically, London has nothing on Bolton.

Image result for carrs pasties

I’ve always felt a strong connection to my hometown and so it’s been an absolute pleasure to see how supportive the community has been to the refugee and asylum seeker populations. Speaking to Bolton’s newest inhabitants has not only offered me a fresh perspective on life and also helped me to become bolder in striking up conversations with fellow Boltonians. Furthermore, this experience has advanced my understanding of the life course theory which will no doubt aid me in the future in medical practice. Additionally, it has reaffirmed and strengthened my desire to work around policy research and implementation.

Tech care of your health!

It’s no secret that the NHS has had a tricky past with technology. Just this year, we saw malicious software cripple 61 trusts across England and Scotland! However, the demands of an ageing population and the shift in the supply of healthcare professionals has meant that tech-enabled care is needed quickly to alleviate pressure from the bed blocking phenomenon.

As part of the devolution of health and social care in Greater Manchester, a Bolton locality plan set out how healthcare services would change over the next five years. This plan looks to introduce technology such as a push button, or fall sensors and alarm pendants worn around the neck, that can allow patients to safely go back to their own homes, rather than staying in hospital longer than necessary.

A Tuesday evening meeting with the Bolton Borough Youth Council reminded me of my fond memories as a Youth Councillor. I used the session to gather young people’s voice on current service issues as well as to introduce aspects of the locality plan. Within the last two years, since I was kicked out of the youth council for being too old, a lot has changed. The new group had managed to take on, even more, projects and even acquired a new fancier place of meeting. I wish I was two years younger! Seeing the continuous change in the social and cultural habits of the younger millennials, I finished up my time-slot by discussing how the Youth Council could actively work with HealthWatch to support their health research work. This is something that I will be following up with in due course.

To ascertain feedback, so that the locality plan could be adjusted to make the towns healthcare services fit for the future, HealthWatch helped run a community roadshow in the centre of Bolton. In a large white tent, you could find a team of eager HealthWatch researchers looking to learn your opinions on the £28.8 million plan for Bolton’s health and social services.

Naturally, I played the role of Dr Patel giving shoppers the chance to experience a simulation of video-call GP appointments. To ensure that this was nothing more than a simulation, I wrote up fixed scenarios that could be acted out by the willing patient. To my surprise, the majority people thought positively about this issue and not one person mentioned the need for additional safeguarding. Whilst I was off-duty, I supported the work of my colleagues by collecting people’s opinions on wearable and home monitoring technology. Undeterred by unpolished Gujarati and Hindi language skills, I managed to discuss concerns that some of the elderly minority population had.

In this third week at HealthWatch Bolton, I’ve sadly had little time to work with the BRASS (Befriending Refugees and Asylum Seekers) Centre. Instead, I visited the Victoria Hall Refugee and Asylum Seeker meeting place to collect more data. I got the scary feeling that for some people; I was the first friendly face, with which they felt comfortable enough to talk through their problems with, that they had come across since their resettlement.

A dream for a better Healthcare system

The first two weeks have flown by at Healthwatch Bolton and I’m happy to say that I’ve managed to settle myself on a desk space that is usually free. In this time, I’ve been reborn as a coffee gremlin. It really doesn’t help when there is a funky coffee shop right around the corner!

In the office, I’ve hopped from desk to desk to shadow the in-house community engagement officers and research officers. Developing my understanding of research at collection and analysis was essential for me to start designing a project plan.

On my third day in the office, a visit to the BRASS (Befriending Refugees and Asylum Seekers) Bolton Centre and a review of past case notes captured my attention towards the under-represented and growing refugee population in the Bolton borough. Furthermore, in the past year the borough welcomed 255 refugees from countries including Somalia, Sudan and Congo. This equates to 34 per cent of the total that came to the UK under the Gateway Protection Programme. Realising the cultural and language barriers that may hinder the data collection of this research, I attached myself to the engagement officers who filled me in with their tips and tricks for spontaneous rapport building.

Despite the odd tricky encounter, I’ve loved every moment of my time at BRASS. Almost immediately, I felt at home with my new friends. Not only have people felt comfortable enough to share their deepest concerns and health problems, many have been supportive of my project and some have repeatedly asked me to return and spend more time with them.

Health and social care research is harder than it seems; but the mitigating factor for me is to see the miraculous job of fantastic service providers.