Free event – Living with a stoma

Free event – Living with a stoma

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Find out more about the support available to people living with a stoma at this free online event with Colostomy UK on Friday 8 August, 1pm-2pm. We will hear from Shauna Hemphill, Community Engagement Lead for Colostomy UK.

What is Colostomy UK?

Colostomy UK is a national charity that supports anyone impacted by living with a stoma. They offer practical advice, information, emotional support, and empowering opportunities. Colostomy UK works to raise awareness, tackle stigma, and influence positive change in healthcare and societal attitudes.

Understanding life with a stoma

Shauna from Colostomy UK will explain what a stoma is, why someone might need one, and the different types of stomas. She will also explore the wide-ranging impacts that living with a stoma can have—not just physically, but emotionally and socially to tackle misconceptions and stoma stigma.

We hope to be joined by a Colostomy UK volunteer with lived experience to share their journey and experiences of living with a stoma.

Support for health and social care professionals

Colostomy UK supports health and social care professionals to improve the experiences of people living with a stoma in those settings, and improve overall care. This ranges from resources and training, to working collaboratively to improve support.

This talk is suitable for professionals or members of the public wishing to know more about life with a stoma.

There will be an opportunity to ask questions after the talk.

This event has now passed.

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Young people and mental health

Young people and mental health

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A group of sixth-form students from the Queen Elizabeth High School in Hexham have been leading a research project alongside Healthwatch Northumberland, investigating the provision of mental health support information for young people in Northumberland.

The students led the project themselves, designing surveys, analysing the responses and writing a final report.

They have also supported Healthwatch Northumberland in creating a new young people’s support webpage, researching information to include on the page and helping to promote it.

Read the students’ final report

Visit the new young people’s support webpage

Free event – Prostate Cancer UK

Free event – Prostate Cancer UK

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Find out more about prostate cancer at our free online event on Friday 11 July, 1pm-2pm, with Gil and Cathie, volunteers with Prostate Cancer UK.

The talk will cover risks, possible signs and symptoms, diagnosis and some treatment pathways.

We will also learn about support available from the charity if you are concerned, newly diagnosed or you or a family member or friend is living with prostate cancer. You will hear Gil and Cathie’s own personal experiences.

Please note the session is not intended to provide medical advice.

This talk is suitable for professionals or members of the public wishing to know more about prostate cancer. There will be an opportunity to ask questions after the talk.

This event has now passed.

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Healthcare on a low income

Healthcare on a low income

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Healthwatch England’s latest research shows that people on lower incomes find it harder to access NHS services than people who are financially more comfortable.

In 2023, it reported that people were increasingly avoiding NHS appointments and prescriptions due to the cost-of-living crisis.

Two years on, rising costs, poor service availability, and a lack of support are still common themes in the experiences people share with Healthwatch across the country.

While the NHS is free at the point of delivery, people’s income and where they live can affect their care experience. Research by the King’s Fund in 2024 found people living in poverty had worse care than those with higher incomes.

Several factors contributed to this, including the cost of technology to access services online, like smartphones and broadband internet, and the costs of travelling to get care, like bus fares and parking expenses.

Healthwatch England looked at seven areas that affect those on low incomes. These are:

Living on a low income shouldn’t be a barrier to healthcare access. Find out what better support for people on low incomes could look like.

Read Healthwatch England’s recommendations for making care more accessible for people on low incomes.

If you are looking for support with the cost of living visit our website.

ADHD diagnosis research

ADHD diagnosis research

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In its latest report, Healthwatch England has found that people with ADHD find a diagnosis life-changing, but long waits on the NHS need urgent action.

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition, characterised by difficulties with concentration, energy levels, impulsiveness, or a person’s ability to manage their time.

Healthwatch England commissioned a poll of 2,579 adults living in England to explore people’s experiences and impacts of possible ADHD and of getting an ADHD diagnosis. All respondents were either diagnosed with ADHD or thought they had it.

The survey was conducted following concerns about access to ADHD services raised by local Healthwatch and the public.

Findings

The report highlights ADHD diagnosis can change people’s lives, giving them a better understanding of themselves, improving their wellbeing and self-esteem, and concentration at work.

Yet long waits for assessments put people with suspected ADHD off seeking professional care, and almost two-thirds (64%) of people with an ADHD diagnosis said they received either no information or poor information whilst waiting for their assessment.

Of the people who responded to the poll and who are currently waiting for an assessment, nearly half, had been waiting for over a year, and 10 per cent of these for three years or more.

Healthwatch England’s report, “Recognising ADHD: How to improve support for people who need it” highlights that long waits for an ADHD assessment on the NHS put people off seeking any support.

Of all respondents, 41% said they didn’t seek a formal ADHD diagnosis, with 20% of this group giving long waits as a reason.

There is no official data on how many people are waiting for ADHD assessments. A recent BBC investigation suggested that at least 196,000 adults were on NHS waiting lists for ADHD assessments.

Recommendations

Healthwatch England warns there is an urgent need for quicker access to NHS support for ADHD and has set out four priorities for the Department for Health and Social Care, NHS England and other stakeholders. These are:

  • collecting data on waiting times to understand demand
  • shifting more ADHD care to community care to reduce waiting times
  • better training for staff in both primary and community care
  • and tailored information and support for people on waiting lists.

Healthwatch England sits on and supports the work of the NHS ADHD taskforce, which was set up in 2024 to address the challenges people face in getting the right support.

Read the full report

If you would like to tell us about your experience of ADHD diagnosis or treatment, please get in touch.

Dementia Action Week 2025

Dementia Action Week 2025

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This year Dementia Action Week takes place from 19 to 25 May 2025 and the theme is raising awareness of the importance of an early diagnosis for people affected by dementia.

Diagnosis is vital to give people access to the care, treatment and support they need. Yet, 1 in 3 people with dementia do not have a diagnosis.

If you’re worried about yourself, or someone close to you, you can check your symptoms using this dementia symptoms checklist from Alzheimer’s Society. This will not provide a diagnosis but can be used to help understand the symptoms being experienced so you can discuss this with a GP.

Visit our dementia page for more information about local support services and activities.

Local events this Dementia Action Week

  • Tuesday 20 May – Memories in the Sand – help create sand art at Beadnell Bay in memory and tribute to those affected by dementia, 4.30pm-6.30pm. There will be Dementia Advisers to speak to from 2.30pm and a Dementia Friends session at 3.30pm. Just turn up on the day.
  • Friday 23 May – pop-up information stall at Morpeth Library, 10am-12pm and Morpeth NHS Centre, 1pm-3pm with Well Up North Link Worker Lisa Baker and Dementia Adviser Abi Bailey from Alzheimer’s Society.

Please get in touch if you would like further information about local dementia services and support, or if you would like to talk to us in confidence about your experiences of care.

The Big Conversation on women’s health

The Big Conversation on women’s health

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Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their views on women’s healthcare in The Big Conversation last year.

Thousands of women across the North East and North Cumbria had their say about NHS healthcare by taking part in an online survey and focus groups targeting specific groups of women, such as those who have additional health inequalities or barriers to accessing health care.

The report has now been published identifying key themes and recommendations.

Background

Women, making up 51% of the national population, live longer than men but spend more time in ill health and living with disabilities. There is not enough focus on women specific conditions or how conditions, that affect both men and women, impact on women differently.

In 2022, the UK Government published their first strategy focusing on women’s health inequalities. The 10-year ‘Women’s Health Strategy for England’ set out commitments to improve the health and wellbeing of women and girls and deliver better health outcomes.

In our region, the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB) is committed to driving forward the Women’s Health Strategy and making changes that will benefit local people and future generations.

During the ICB’s second annual Women’s Health Conference in July 2024, the ‘The Big Conversation’ was launched in partnership with the North East and North Cumbria Healthwatch network.

Headline findings

  • 61% of women said they feel confident to speak with a healthcare professional about their women’s health issues. However, many went on to say they aren’t confident they will be heard or get the help they need.
  • GPs have a critical role as the ‘gatekeepers to support’ for most women. We heard that many women are concerned that their GP does not listen to them, act on what they are told or doesn’t have up to date knowledge about many women’s health issues. Improving experiences in primary care will significantly improve confidence in women’s health care.
  • Women want the choice to have a female healthcare professional; this is a strong message from general engagement but particularly important in targeted work with underrepresented groups.
  • The GP (75%) and NHS website (75%) were selected as the most common place to find information on women’s health. A session with underrepresented groups highlighted the need for targeted accessible communications and the importance of peers in their communities and community support organisations.
  • It is important to women that their health records are easily accessible by healthcare professionals and kept up to date.
  • Women would like more research into women’s health concerns.

Top priorities

Overall, women said their top 5 priorities in relation to women’s health are:

  1. Mental health and wellbeing: including depression, anxiety and eating disorders.
  2. Healthy ageing and long-term conditions: including falls, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, dementia, bone, joint and muscle health, and bladder/urinary.
  3. Menopause, perimenopause and hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
  4. Screening services: including cancer screenings for cervical, breast and bowel.
  5. Menstrual and gynaecological health.

Read the full report and recommendations

If you would like to tell us about your experience of women’s health services please get in touch.

Spotlight on…Berwick Cancer Cars

Spotlight on…Berwick Cancer Cars

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As part of our information and signposting service, we’re shining a spotlight on organisations offering all kinds of support to people in Northumberland.

The Berwick and District Cancer Support Group, commonly known as Berwick Cancer Cars, was founded in 1992 by two women from Spittal, Violet Carter and Kathleen Horsburgh, who were having difficulty accessing their cancer treatment in hospitals over 60 miles away.

Over 30 years later the charity continues to grow and now has six cars to help transport patients to appointments. The service is run completely by volunteers.

If you need help getting to a cancer related appointment or treatment session, you can call Berwick Cancer Cars on 07780 795244.

The service is available to anyone who has received a cancer diagnosis and is registered with a GP practice in Berwick, Belford or Wooler (Clients living in the Cornhill area may be registered with a GP in Coldstream).

Berwick Cancer Cars website

Eye care costs

Eye care costs

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New research from Healthwatch England reveals costs of additional eye care services are likely to deter some people from visiting opticians altogether.

An estimated 50% of sight loss is avoidable. That’s why it’s vital that people can have their eyesight tested regularly and get the help they need if there is a problem. Yet new research from Healthwatch England found that costs associated with visiting opticians are deterring those on the lowest incomes from getting regular eye tests.

An online survey was carried out asking about people’s eye care experiences between July and September 2024. 14% of people who responded to the survey had avoided eye care due to cost in the last two years.

People who described themselves as ‘not at all comfortable financially’ were much more likely to say they avoided going to opticians than those who were financially very comfortable (39% vs 3%). Lack of awareness of the financial support available may also contribute to the high rate of people avoiding eye care.

Additional costs may put off patients

As people face rising eye care costs and lack of financial support, many high street opticians, which are private businesses, increasingly rely on generating income through offering services in addition to eye tests.

The survey found that of those who had attended an eye test in the last two years, 72% had experienced staff offering additional services at a cost. This practice has made some people reluctant to visit optician services at all. Those who said that opticians had offered them additional paid services were twice as likely to say they had avoided getting eye care in the last two years compared to those who had not experienced this.

84% of the respondents to the survey were eligible for free eye tests. However, as the results of the survey show, many people eligible for financial support for their eye care may find it difficult to afford additional costs. They may put off getting eye care because they are concerned about being pushed into paying for products or services they can’t afford.

Healthwatch England set out the following steps to protect people from the rising impact of eye care costs:

  • The Department of Health and Social Care should review support for the costs of NHS eye care for those on the lowest incomes.
  • The Government and the NHS should consider a targeted communications campaign through direct channels to low-income eye care patients.
  • The primary eye care sector should have clear guidelines for how staff should assist those on lower incomes without affecting their confidence in seeking care.

If you would like to tell us about your experiences of accessing eye care, please get in touch.

Free event – Parkinson’s UK

Free event – Parkinson’s UK

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Find out more about Parkinson’s and the support available to people living with this long-term condition at our free online event on Friday 9 May, 1pm-2pm. Plus find out how you can help those with Parkinson’s who you may come across in daily life.

Delivered by Parkinson’s UK‘s Area Development Manager, Kirsty McDowell, and a local volunteer who lives with Parkinson’s, we will share personal experiences of Parkinson’s alongside information about the condition and details of support in Northumberland and beyond.

This session is suitable for professionals and the general public. There will be a chance to ask questions after the presentation.

This event has now passed.

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