Annual Report 2022/2023

Championing What Matters to You – Message from Healthwatch North Tyneside Chair Julia Charlton

It’s been a very busy, but productive year for Healthwatch North Tyneside. We have heard the views of more people than ever before and that’s testament to the hard work of all our staff and volunteers.

Our job is to listen to as many varied groups of people as possible about the health and social care services they receive, and then use that information to influence decision makers to improve their services accordingly.

Sometimes this has very direct results, such as reporting on challenges people had getting Covid vaccinations at convenient times and places, which resulted in 16 pop-up clinics being set up.

Sometimes our impact is less tangible or immediate, such as our long term work on digital inclusion which began during the pandemic and has seen a new, wide ranging, digital inclusion strategy developed, or our work keeping transport to health and community facilities on local agendas.

Not only do we speak to residents in many different ways – personal interviews, focus groups and research projects, but we also work closely with other community organisations across the borough to hear more varied views and co-design solutions. We thank them for their support and valuable insights.

We have also received extra funding from North Tyneside Council and the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board to work on specific engagement projects, and again are very grateful for their confidence in our work as a critical friend and for valuing our independence.

All this would not be possible without the input of all the people we have talked to over the year, who have given us honest feedback and helpful suggestions for improving services. I thank them, and our hardworking staff, volunteers and trustees who have made us the well respected organisation I hope we are.