Join the Big Conversation

Join the Big Conversation

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Join the Big Conversation about women’s health

The NHS Integrated Care Board for the North East and North Cumbria is working with local Healthwatch to better understand experiences of women’s health and healthcare. We want to know what’s working well and what could be improved.

The Big Conversation aims to find out what matters most to women and girls when it comes to their health. As part of this you are invited to share your views about women’s health issues and accessing health services.

Join the Big Conversation by completing this short survey and tell us:

  • What matters to you about your health?
  • What is important when you use women’s health services?
  • How comfortable are you talking to doctors about women’s health issues?
  • What are your top health concerns?
  • Where do you find information about women’s health?

The survey will only take around 10 minutes and your answers will help create better health plans for women and girls in our region.

If you fill in the survey, you can take part in a prize draw to win a £100 Love to Shop voucher.

This survey has now closed.

Here to Hear – at our monthly drop-ins

Here to Hear – at our monthly drop-ins

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Healthwatch Northumberland Monthly Drop-ins

Come and see us at one of our monthly drop-ins, which we hold in all five local council areas of the county. These sessions are a chance for residents to tell us, in confidence, about their experiences of NHS and social care services so that we can understand what is working well and what could be improved. You can also use our Signposting and Information Service to find out more about local support and services. Call in to speak to our friendly team at one of the venues below, or if you’d prefer to make a specific appointment for one of the sessions, please get in touch.

We also attend one-off events throughout the county. Please check our events calendar or social media for more details.

You can leave feedback at any time here on our website

Online event – Diabetes UK

Online event – Diabetes UK

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Join us on Friday 13 September to hear from Susan Bathgate from Diabetes UK. In this free, online public event Susan will provide information about the different types of diabetes with a focus on type 2 diabetes and how to manage and live well with the condition.

We will also hear about national and local support available from Diabetes UK. There will be a chance to ask questions after the presentation.

This session is suitable for public and professionals who want to know more about diabetes and the support on offer through Diabetes UK.

Register now and we will send you a link to join closer to the event.

Sign up to our newsletter to hear about future events or visit our online events page.

How easy is it to give feedback to your GP?

How easy is it to give feedback to your GP?

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In October 2023 we undertook a ‘health check’ of all GP practice websites in Northumberland across seven primary care networks (PCNs). There are 36 practice websites representing 45 individual surgeries. This was to see how easy it was to find information about how to raise a concern or give positive feedback and to see if signposting information for support in raising a concern was up-to-date and factually correct.

Why we did it

Patient feedback is an important part of improving patient experiences and outcomes, enabling the service provider to identify potential problem areas. Having clear processes also gives the opportunity for concerns to be dealt with swiftly to prevent escalation and to avoid undue confrontation with practice reception staff.

In most GP services complaint situations, the appropriate course of action is for a patient to initiate a complaint directly with their GP practice. Patient feedback to Healthwatch Northumberland has shown that many people seem unaware of how to resolve a complaint or concern through their GP surgery and what support options are available to them.

There have been recent changes to advocacy support in Northumberland, with VoiceAbility taking on the NHS Independent Complaints Advocacy Northumberland (ICAN) service, as well as national changes, with Integrated Care Boards(ICBs) now handling NHS primary care complaints – these were previously dealt with by NHS England.

We wanted to explore if these changes had been reflected on GP practice websites. We also wanted to gather evidence of the need for consistent messaging in order to ensure that the process of raising a concern is easy from a user’s point of view, and that signposting information is factually correct, so that patients have a clear understanding of their rights and options.

How we did it

Our staff and volunteers carried out research by visiting each GP practice website to review its complaints information. All of the websites were accessed via desktop computers and, where possible, using smartphones (29 out of the 36 websites) to ensure equal accessibility.

We are aware of other accessibility issues, for example, language barriers, and will carry out further research on this.

What we found

  • Nearly 60% of GP websites were found to be equally accessible from both desktop computer and smartphone.
  • There was a 50:50 split on whether or not information and support for raising a concern was easy to find on the websites – some information was found under different headings on the websites rather than on the main complaints page.
  • Complaints information, support options and signposting information was very muddled. Even where correct support organisation details were given, they weren’t always accompanied by the correct contact details or explanations of how the service could help.
  • In some cases, there were additional steps that needed to be taken when making a complaint online, for example, having to download forms, which could be a barrier to patients making the complaint.
  • There was a lot of variation in information and processes even between practices within the same PCN, for example, within one PCN, two practices have almost identical looking websites, but one practice directs patients to send complaints to NHS England, whereas the other directs them to the ICB.
  • Within another PCN, again, four practices have very similar looking websites, but two of them require the patient to attend the surgery in person to collect a complaint pack, one requires the patient to put a complaint in writing by post and only one practice offers the option of making a complaint online via email.

Read our full findings and recommendations

Have your say on eye care services

Have your say on eye care services

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Have your say on eye care services

We would like to know if you are getting the eye care you need.

Healthy vision is something many of us take for granted – until there is a problem. An estimated 50% of sight loss is avoidable. That is why people need access to regular eye tests and, if there is a problem, get the help they need.

Tell us about your experiences and help improve eye care services for everyone.

Online event – NSPCC Building Connections

Online event – NSPCC Building Connections

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Join us for our next free online event on Friday 9 August, 1pm-2pm, with NSPCC’s Building Connections service.

Research shows that 73% of young people between the ages of 16-18 do not feel equipped to deal with loneliness (Vote for Schools survey, 2023). The NSPCC’s newest service Building Connections is looking to change that.

Ellen Watling and Jess France from Building Connections will share how their service is supporting young people to overcome and manage feelings of loneliness.

This presentation will last around an hour including time for attendees to ask questions at the end. It is suitable for public and professionals who want to know more about the support on offer through the NSPCC’s Building Connections service.

This event has now passed.

Sign up to our newsletter to hear about future events or catch up with previous events.

Have your say on SEND services

Have your say on SEND services

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Northumberland County Council would like to hear your views on services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Northumberland.

Families are invited to complete an online survey sharing their experiences about what is working well and what needs to change.

The survey has been developed with the Northumberland Parent Carer Forum and a group of parents and carers who are working with Northumberland County Council and NHS commissioners. The feedback will help to set the county SEND partnership’s vision and priorities over the next three years.

You can complete the survey online, or if you require a paper copy please contact sarah.elliott@northumberland.gov.uk and a copy will be posted to you.

​If you would like support to complete the survey over the phone, give us a call on 03332 408 468 (option 3) or text 07413 385275 for a callback.

Please leave your feedback by Friday 20 September 2024.

Online event – Northumbria Joint Musculoskeletal and Pain Service (JMAPS)

Online event – Northumbria Joint Musculoskeletal and Pain Service (JMAPS)

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Join us on Friday 12 July at 1pm to hear from Nick Livadas and Kathy Mills who will give us an introduction to Northumberland’s Joint Musculoskeletal and Pain Service (JMAPS).

This online session will give an overview of what JMAPS is, how people can access the service and how it can help people with musculoskeletal conditions or persistent pain. There will be a chance to ask questions after the presentation.

This session is suitable for anyone who wants to know more about the support on offer through JMAPS.

This event has now passed.

Sign up to our newsletter to hear about future events or catch up with previous events.

Online event – Crohn’s & Colitis UK

Online event – Crohn’s & Colitis UK

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Join us on Friday 14 June at 1pm to hear from Ben Rutter and Jess Turner of Crohn’s & Colitis UK. They will talk about Crohn’s and Colitis, and the support available for people living or working with these conditions.

They will cover topics including recent campaigns, policy and research and will also share results from the recent Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) UK local reports in the North East.

This session is suitable for people who live or work in Northumberland and are living with or supporting someone with Crohn’s or Colitis. There will be a chance to ask questions after the presentation.

This event has now passed – watch the recording on YouTube.

Sign up to our newsletter to hear about future events.

Have your say on the NHS Constitution

Have your say on the NHS Constitution

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The Government has launched a consultation on the NHS Constitution, which sets out your rights as an NHS patient. It also includes the commitments the NHS aims to achieve so you get high quality care.

The Government is planning to make several changes to the NHS Constitution. You can tell the Government what you think about the proposals, as well as any other changes you think should be made.

What is the NHS Constitution?

The NHS Constitution outlines the founding values of the NHS and details the rights, commitments, and obligations of patients and staff, as well as their roles in ensuring the NHS works effectively.

The NHS Constitution plays a vital role in helping the NHS set the right culture and focus on what matters most to the public. It also tells you about your rights. For example, if a GP needs to refer you for a physical or mental health condition, in most cases, you have the legal right to choose the hospital or service you’d like to go to.

What is the consultation about?

The Government must update the Constitution via a public consultation every ten years to reflect what people value most when it comes to their health and social care services. The Government is planning to make several changes to the NHS Constitution. For example, they want to introduce a new right for patients and their loved ones to be able to request a second opinion when a hospital patient’s condition deteriorates.

The Government wants to hear your views about their proposals, as well as other changes you think should be made.

What are the proposals?

The proposals include:

Getting a second opinion: Changes that would empower patients and their families to ask for a second opinion on treatment if their condition or the condition of their loved one deteriorates. The rule would see more power put in the hands of patients.

Carer rights: A new right to involve unpaid carers as early as possible when a patient is discharged.

Patient communication: A commitment to ensuring the NHS communicates information about appointments in a clear and timely way to help patients meet their responsibility to keep or cancel appointments.

Health inequalities: A plan to strengthen the NHS focus on health inequalities by committing services to work with partners to understand the needs of their local communities.

Why is the consultation important?

We should all expect high standards of care, whether for emergency care, a dentist appointment, or a check-up with a GP. However, many people don’t know their rights under the Constitution. The consultation is your opportunity to learn more, tell the Government what you think about their proposals, and say if they should make other changes.

 

Have your say on the NHS Constitution: 10 year review

The consultation closes at 11.59pm on 25 June 2024.