People in Thame have expressed broad satisfaction about their health and social care services, a new report by Healthwatch Oxfordshire reveals.
The health and social care watchdog spent two weeks in the town in February finding out people’s experiences, as part of a joint project with Healthwatch Bucks.
The report, Talking With Thame, was published after visits to care homes, a GP surgery, local groups and talking to people at the town’s market.
While people are generally satisfied with the services they receive, there was concern about the difficulties faced by some people in finding a dentist locally. Other concerns included long pharmacy waits and worries about the future capacity of the local health centre.
Young people had their own concerns, most notably concerning drinking, smoking and drugs among their peers. Bullying and socialmedia was also a concern, with mixed opinions about whether enough support was available.
Rosalind Pearce, Executive Director of Healthwatch Oxfordshire, said: “Thame is unusual in that many of its services are provided by organisations based outside the county. We are therefore grateful for the opportunity to work with our colleagues at Healthwatch Bucks.
“The valuable feedback we have gained will be fed back to the commissioners and service providers concerned, and we will monitor what action they take as a result.”
Thalia Jervis, Chief Executive of Healthwatch Bucks, said: “This was a great opportunity to work with Healthwatch Oxfordshire to see what people in Bucks think of health and social care services on the Buckinghamshire-Oxfordshire border. We really enjoyed speaking to people when we got out and about in Thame. It was also a great opportunity to visit both Thame Community Hospital and the Thame Health Centre (Unity) to talk to people about the services that they get there. We look forward to seeing how things develop in Thame in the coming year. ”
The report is available to read or download at https://healthwatchoxfordshire.co.uk/our-reports/
Or click in this document 
Thame Project A4 Final
