Views will be sought on how health provision in Rutland has changed during the pandemic and its related lockdowns.

Working together with Healthwatch Leicester and Leicestershire, Healthwatch Rutland will be running a series of themed community focus groups to identify the impact of changes introduced across health and social care, in response to the pandemic.

The group will seek to collect your feedback on accessing health and social care information and services (both positive as well as negative). The information you provide will be shared with commissioners and providers to influence the design and delivery of services.

The initiative, involving people across all areas of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, will examine the impact of new models of access to, and delivery of care, and include changes that are continuing during recovery from the pandemic.

From June 2021 through to January 2022, one of the following themes will be explored each month with focus groups, to gather people's experiences:

Access to GP services

Family visiting to hospital inpatients and people in care homes

Regular health checks and screening

The 'digital first' approach to using online consultations and wearable monitoring technology

Emergency care and NHS 111 First

Changes in how people have experienced the delivery of Social Care

Access to maternity and children's service

Individual Healthwatch will report findings on a monthly basis back to the public and to commissioners and providers.

Healthwatch Rutland advises people to look out for its first themed engagement to discuss your experiences of access to GP services in Rutland.

Meeting details and dates will be published on its website shortly.