'Meet the health board' virtually

A ‘virtual’ Meet the Health Board event next week will allow people who can’t attend the locality events to learn more about the health board’s consultation and ask questions.

People are invited to visit Hywel Dda Health Board’s Facebook site between 3pm and 4pm on Tuesday October 16th. They will be signposted to online information about Your Health Your Future – Consulting Our Communities and there will be an opportunity to pose questions, which will be answered by senior executives or clinicians.

Director of Corporate Services Chris Wright explained: “There are various ways in which members of the public can get involved in our consultation, including using the online resource or attending one of the many events we are holding. The ‘virtual’ Meet the Health Board, similar to the live tweeting we did at the larger public meetings, allows people who can’t make it to our events to feel part of the debate.”

Hywel Dda Health Board launched its 12-week consultation at the beginning of August. The health board proposes to change the way healthcare is delivered in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. The aim is to provide the highest quality of care, in the most appropriate setting, as close to home as possible, at the time it is needed, and with improved outcomes for patients.

The Facebook Meet the Health Board will take place on the main public ‘wall’ of the health board’s English and Welsh language pages. The health board will endeavour to answer as many questions as possible, or get back to people if further information needs to be sought. The health board will also aim to answer any private messages sent via Facebook during this time.

Mr Wright said: “We know a large proportion of our local population are online so this provides a unique opportunity for them to get involved. We believe we may be the first NHS health organisation to use social media in this way during a consultation. The use of Twitter during the public events worked extremely well and we are hoping to achieve the same with Facebook. If we have a good response, we will consider doing more of this type of communication in the future.”

It is recommended that anyone who wants to get involved in the virtual Meet the Health Board on Tuesday, visits the health board’s Facebook page in advance to familiarise themselves with it.

You can ‘Like or Follow Us’ on their social media channels, for latest news of Hywel Dda Health Board:

• English Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/HywelDdaHealthBoard
• Welsh Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/bwrddiechydhyweldda
• English Twitter @ http://twitter.com/hywelddahb
• Welsh Twitter @ http://twitter.com/bihyweldda

For those who wish to attend the other drop-in Meet the Health Board events, a full list is included below (please note this includes some events which have already been held):

Health board staff will also be at Tenby Town Council buildings on October 15 at 12noon – 4pm and Pembroke Town Hall on October 18 at 1pm – 4pm distributing copies of the consultation document and questionnaires. Members of the public are invited to call in to pick up a copy or to have assistance with online facilities.

Members of the public can make their views known as an individual or on behalf of a group or organisation by:

• Completing the questionnaire online at www.hywelddahb.wales.nhs.uk/Consultation
• Write to Opinion Research Services Freepost (SS1018), PO Box 530, Swansea SA1 1ZL
• Write to the health board at FREEPOST HYWEL DDA HEALTH BOARD
• Email the health board at hyweldda.engagement@wales.nhs.uk
• Leave your comments on the telephone answer machine: 01437 771232

All questionnaires and comments need to arrive by 29 October 2012.