News Archives

This month we heard about long distances to travel to audiology appointments and oversubscribed audiology drop-in clinics. We also heard about GP services with some people telling us they received poor service and others had difficulty getting appointments.

This month’s focus

This month we held our Here to Hear public drop-in sessions in Blyth, Bedlington, Morpeth and at Hexham General Hospital. We also attended Northumberland County of Sanctuary’s session in Blyth, Hexham Livestock Mart, and Adapt (NE)’s Warm Space as additional sessions hearing from local communities.

We have been heavily involved with planning and delivering the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board’s end-of-life care planning engagement and Northumberland County Council’s Mental Health Needs Assessment.

Our online talk was delivered by Vision Northumberland for which we had a good audience.

Positive feedback example

A person told us that they received excellent care from a hospital ward team specialising in urology.

The person was first on the list for being operated on, and this happened promptly. The staff were extremely busy but still went out of their way to make time to chat with the patient. The anaesthetist made them feel at ease, even cracking jokes with them. The person was well cared for once out of theatre, provided with a good breakfast with added homely touches such as a teapot rather than just a mug of tea.

They were given clear information on discharge and about what would happen next regarding test results and a follow-up appointment. The staff made the whole process as positive as it could be.

Ashington, Blyth and Newbiggin resident

Negative feedback example

“The new audiology drop-in session in Morpeth, dealing with hearing aid checks, is totally oversubscribed and people are turned away on the third Monday of the month because the technician can only see 25 people in the session and it is not possible to make an appointment – first come, first served basis or just waiting to see if you can be seen at the end of the session.

“Getting tubes and lobes is exceedingly difficult. Personally I think the audiology department is a shambles.”

Castle Morpeth resident

Impact

We received an email from Head of Services and Support, Community Pharmacy North of Tyne: “Thanks, I had received a copy of the Pharmacy First report, which makes for interesting reading. It confirms our feeling that the older population is probably not as aware of the services offered by community pharmacy and the skills and knowledge that pharmacists have.

“We have already started to make contact with Age UK, etc. within Northumberland to start addressing this inequality.”

Information and Signposting Service

We were able to help people find the information they need on a range of issues and services, including GP practice registration, NHS complaints, benefits advice and scams awareness.

What matters to you?

February 20, 2026/in News, Projects/by Claire Jackson

When it comes to NHS and social care services, what matters to you? What has gone well, and where could improvements be made?

Tell us what matters to you and help shape our work for the year ahead.

We’d like to know how satisfied you are with the NHS and social care services you’ve used over the past 12 months, in our short Annual Survey. We would also like you to help us set our work priorities for the coming year. Together we can help improve health and social care services for everyone in our community.

Please take a few minutes to tell us your thoughts – this can be as a patient or carer. Your views will be shared anonymously.

What matters to you? Healthwatch Northumberland Annual Survey 2026

If you would prefer to give your views over the phone, please call us on 03332 408468 or text 07413 385275 to arrange a call back.

Closing date is Tuesday 31 March 2026.

Trends in feedback July to December 2025

February 6, 2026/in News, Projects/by Claire Jackson

Between July and December 2025, we received detailed feedback and/or requests for information from 310 people, from face-to-face events, telephone calls, emails, website queries and via social media. This was less than the previous six months (we heard from 417 people between January to June 2025) and less than the same period last year (388 people between July and December 2024).

The feedback we have received has been dominated by GP services, comprising just over a third (34%) of the feedback received in July to December 2025. This is up from the previous six months – 25% in January to June 2025.

The next most raised service was hospitals – outpatients (excluding audiology) which featured in 15% of feedback received, up a lot from the previous six-month period, when 4% of feedback was about this service.

After that, the next most raised services were: hospital – inpatients (8% of total feedback received), audiology (8%), and dentists (4%).

In July and December 2025, we signposted 84 people to different organisations for support which is 27% of the total detailed feedback received.. The three areas we had the most enquires about were:

1. Making a complaint (10% of the total requests for information)
2. Mental health support (8%)
3. Finding an NHS dentist (7%)

Despite more people leaving negative feedback about services in the last six months, the long-term trend in the people’s perception and experiences of care services has improved.

We heard from a smaller proportion of people with a disability over the past six months than in the first half of 2025.

We heard from a smaller proportion of males in these past six months than we did in January to June 2025. This is a decrease from the high point (of 27% in July to December 2024) in the slow and steady improvement in the number of males we have had feedback from over the past two years. We are working to increase the number of males we hear from.

This half-year shows that we heard from more residents from the most deprived areas than from the least deprived areas.

The number of people from ethnic minority groups we hear from has improved and now just under 4% of total respondents are from non-white ethnic minorities – almost twice the proportion of Northumberland residents.

Digital access to healthcare

February 5, 2026/in News, Projects/by Claire Jackson

In our Annual Survey, we asked people to choose from a list of work priorities. GP access came out as one of the top three choices. We have heard regular feedback about digital healthcare systems, in particular GP digital systems. Much of the feedback received centres around the increases in difficulties in accessing telephone triage but being unable to access online help. This may be due to either not being online, being unaware of how to use relevant online systems or not having the right technology, for example, smart phones.

Some feedback has been around surgeries not offering support or help to patients on how to use online systems and an increasing amount of feedback has focussed on patients feeling that surgeries are ‘pushing’ online options as the only option rather than an alternative.

Others have given feedback around digital systems being non-user friendly due to the number or complexity of questions and delays in response for online requests to be reviewed or actioned.
To find out more we devised a simple survey to ask people the main positives about using online systems for GP healthcare as well as the main barriers. The survey was not a widespread public survey due to the potential for bias in gathering feedback mainly from those who were already online. We instead asked for public feedback during our regular engagement events in the summer and autumn of 2025.

Who we heard from

We received 66 responses. We heard from people across the county with the majority (50%) being from the North Northumberland area. All people who gave demographic information identified as White British and most (45%) were aged 65-79. 56% told us they had a disability or long-term health condition. Just under half the people we heard from used online systems to seek health advice from GP or book an appointment, whilst the remainder had not.

What we heard

We asked people if they had any particularly good or bad experiences of using online services. Feedback on these experiences alongside other comments received throughout the survey have been grouped together into emerging themes.

Choice of how to contact GP
For most people who did not use online services the reason given was that they prefer to contact their GP by telephone, or in person, rather than use online services. Several people who did use online services also told us that they would prefer to contact their GP on the telephone, or in person, and this was the reason they least liked using online services.
Reasons for this preference varied from not wanting to go online or not being online –
“I would not want to go online, I feel I am too old (80s) to learn those skills now and would not want to.”
or not having a suitable device/limited Wi-Fi or reception to those who simply preferred the option of speaking to a person:
“I prefer to talk to people in person and dislike that services are becoming faceless”.
Some who were not online told us they had to rely on family or friends to help them – “I don’t do modern technology my daughter in law goes online for me if I need it”.
We heard from some who mentioned either not having another choice of how to contact their GP other than going online or that they felt ‘pushed’ into going online –
“Would have liked some help with online services but have managed to do it now. Feel that this is only option as often pushed if ring up.”
Conversely, and fewer in number, a couple of patients told us that they did not know of an ‘online’ option to contact their GP.
“I use NHS app a lot for prescriptions but can’t book appointments through it. I don’t know of another system to book appointments through so just ring or go in person.”

Barriers to accessing online services
Again, we heard from a number of people who chose the primary reason for not using online systems as not having the technical skills or confidence to use them or that they had unsuitable devices or limited reception/Wi-Fi to enable them to access online services. However, just under 30% told us that if support was available from their GP surgery or a local community service to show them how to use digital healthcare services, they would use this support. This shows that for some people the barriers to accessing online services could be removed, or at least reduced, by getting guidance and support.

We heard from several people that online services were not suitable due to their specific health issues such as sight loss or memory loss –
“I have issues with memory (awaiting diagnosis) so find online services difficult as I can’t remember what I am doing or have done.”
“Because of sight loss I find contacting GP online difficult as I keep the pressing wrong thing.”
We also heard from some people that their GPs online system could be complicated to use, be too time consuming or ask too many irrelevant questions.
“Usually get logged out and unsure how to use. On occasion had used was logged out and needed something from GP surgery to get back in so just ring now instead.”
“The questions asked are often irrelevant and it takes ages to complete before you get to the service you require.”

Concerns around misdiagnosis or unsuitable treatment
Some mentioned they were concerned they may miss important information when going online or that the medical problem would not be clear or would not be explained fully leading to incomplete treatment or diagnosis
“The language that is used is not explicit. I find it difficult to follow. I am afraid to miss important information or appointments.”
“Managed to take a photo of my arm and sent it to GP. But I was very anxious in case I made a mistake or it would not show the problem.”

Positives of using online systems
For those who did use online systems the greatest positive people told us about was the speed and/or convenience of getting help and accessing information about their health records such as blood test results or ordering prescriptions. Some people also mentioned the benefits of being able to view appointment times and dates and get reminders.
“I like the NHS (App) as it tells me when my appointments are and reminds me.”
“I have liked how quickly I get a response this way, especially as it has always been for my daughters who are young.”
A few others mentioned that due to their health conditions going online was preferable for them –
“Due to a stroke I had my vocabulary is non verbal. So for me the online system works well.”

Good practice case studies
Northumbria Primary Care completed widespread patient engagement about their online system ‘Anima’ in October 2024 after hearing patient concerns including problems logging onto the site, complexity of questions and some longer than desirable waits for responses. Following patient feedback they decided to move to systmConnect, a more straightforward system being a less complex form which did not require a password.
Practices were keen to help patients to understand the new system. Most surgeries offered drop-in sessions to guide patients through the system and answer any queries. Whilst the offer of technical help is ongoing to patients, they have recognised that patients should still have the choice of how to access their surgery so are working to make it clear that patients can still go in person or telephone to access help.

Some patient feedback we received was positive about the change –
“The online system is easier than it used to be (changed from Anima to systmConnect) so will use this in future. Have had to get a little guidance from GP surgery as to what to do.”
“The old system used to be a lot more complicated with lots of questions that were not needed but thankfully seems to have got better now.”

Haltwhistle Medical Group regularly organises support for digital access via drop-ins for patients and have an open invitation for patients to contact them for digital support on the NHS app. Support focuses on how to download the NHS app, how it works and how to use it. Sessions run frequently and are promoted via local groups, church halls and on social media.
Whilst many patients initially struggle with the downloading of the app and linking it to the GP system to book appointments once registered, they have had very positive feedback on the benefits such as getting test results, reminder text messages and ordering prescriptions. These benefits are used to help promote the app to patients and promotion is a whole team effort. However, the surgery is very keen to ensure there are other options for patients who do not, or cannot, go online and therefore continue to promote all options for access including telephone and face to face triage.

Download a pdf of this digital access report.

Accessing NHS dental care

February 1, 2026/in Frontpage Article, News, Projects/by Laura Haugh

Find out how to access NHS dental care

North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) has a plan to improve oral health and increase access to NHS dental care across the North East and North Cumbria.

There are four ways patients can access NHS dental care:

Contact an NHS dentist

NHS dentists provide routine dental care and urgent care appointments during their normal working hours. Contact your regular dentist if you have one or search for a dentist near you.

If you have an urgent care issue and cannot get an appointment with an NHS dentist, try one of the options below.

Contact dentists that have extra urgent appointments

Selected dentists across the region have extra urgent appointments. A list of contact details for those practices can be found on the ICB’s website.

Book an appointment at an urgent dental access centre

Urgent dental access centres offer appointments to diagnose and treat urgent dental problems. Patients can book their own appointment at an urgent dental access centre at the ICB’s website.

There are 23 centres across the North East and North Cumbria, including three in Northumberland in Alnwick, Blyth and Hexham.

This is not a walk-in service so appointments must be booked in advance.

Contact NHS 111 for urgent care

Visit 111.nhs.uk or call 111 if you cannot find an urgent appointment with any of the NHS dental services above and have any of the following issues:

Severe toothache that causes pain that does not stop or cannot be eased by over-the-counter painkillers.
Dental abscess infections that cause swelling, pain and possibly fever.
Broken or knocked-out teeth.
Bleeding in the mouth following a dental procedure or an injury that does not stop by itself but can be controlled. If bleeding cannot be controlled in any way, emergency care may be needed.
Swelling in the mouth or face that could be a sign of infection.
Fractured, loose or displaced fillings causing pain.
Severe bleeding from gums or conditions affecting other soft areas of the mouth (such as cheeks or tongue).

The NHS 111 health advisor will discuss your needs and if needed, may be able to find you an appointment at an urgent dental access centre or an out-of hours treatment service.

Patients should only go to A&E or call 999 if they have:

Serious injuries to the face, mouth, jaw or teeth
Heavy bleeding from the mouth that will not stop
Severe swelling of the mouth, lips, throat or neck, and difficulty breathing or opening one or both eyes
Any injury to the head or face that has caused them to lose consciousness, vomit, or have double vision.

If you would like to tell us about your experience of NHS dental care or would like further information, please get in touch.

Your feedback December 2025

January 21, 2026/in Frontpage Article, News, Projects/by Laura Haugh

Your NHS and social care feedback December 2025

Top issues

This month we heard mixed feedback about GP and hospital inpatient services. Some people told us about issues with hospital outpatients appointments including poor communication and distance to travel, although again there was also positive feedback about the quality of care received.

This month’s focus

As well as our usual Here to Hear drop-in sessions across the county we also attended Hexham Livestock Mart, the Meet and Eat session in Allendale and the Northumberland County of Sanctuary session in Blyth. Adapt (NE)’s Community Hub opened in December 2025 and we are staffing the Warm Space once a week on Tuesdays, as an additional Here to Hear.

We have been supporting the NHS in our region to find out more about people’s awareness of the Pharmacy First scheme, GP extended opening hours services and the NHS App. We also carried out a piece of work for the NHS to gauge the public’s opinion of proposed dentists’ awareness publicity materials.

Our online information event this month was from Tyneside and Northumberland MIND and was about the mental health services it provides to people in Northumberland.

Positive feedback example

A patient left positive feedback about the gastroenterology department at Wansbeck General Hospital.

They said, ”This was a first appointment. I wasn’t sure what to expect or how long my appointment would be. I didn’t see the consultant named on my appointment letter, I saw a more junior member of her team who took a full history. I had planned what to say and she listened and asked lots of questions. This took about 30 minutes. Then she went to relay all that information to the consultant. She was gone for 20 minutes and then returned to talk to me about next steps and likely diagnosis. This was another 15 – 20 minutes. I felt listened to and that the impact of my condition on my life was understood. I was given enough time to ask questions about likely diagnosis, possible treatment, tests required before this could start and interim medication to control symptoms while waiting for tests. I could not have asked for a better experience.”

North Northumberland patient

Negative feedback example

Feedback from a professional on behalf of a member of the public:
92 year old female unable to access hearing support in the form of a hearing test at home. The Freeman Hospital audiology department has confirmed she can have a domiciliary visit. However, this needs to be recommended by her GP. The patient has macular, is nearly blind and suffers from anxiety. Daughter has been trying to get this done for her mum for a while but the GP has not been supportive. Having to go through GP for this request is a barrier to access.

Ashington and Blyth resident

Impact

We received an email from Vision Northumberland which said, “Just to confirm Public Health have now agreed to undertake a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment of eye care. I have met with the Public Health person leading on it and central to her knowledge is the Healthwatch Northumberland report.”

Information and Signposting Service

We were able to help people find the information they need on a range of issues and services, including NHS dentists, exercise classes, support for carers and help to make a complaint.

Your experiences of Pharmacy First

January 15, 2026/in News, Projects/by Claire Jackson

Pharmacy First and people’s experience of the service in Northumberland

In autumn 2025, we asked for your views of the Pharmacy First service in Northumberland.

Pharmacy First, which was launched in January 2024, enables community pharmacies to provide treatment for seven common conditions without patients needing to see a GP. These are earache, impetigo, infected insect bites, shingles, sinusitis, sore throat and urinary tract infections (UTIs) for women aged 16-64. Pharmacists can also provide an urgent repeat medicine supply.

126 people from all parts of the county answered our questions about their knowledge and use of Pharmacy First.

Findings

Overall, about two thirds of people said they had heard of the Pharmacy First service and of those, about two thirds had used Pharmacy First.

The results of this project also showed that:

In North Northumberland the majority of respondents had not heard of the service
Across the whole of the county men weren’t as aware of the scheme as women, with a slight majority of men who hadn’t heard of the scheme
Awareness of the Pharmacy First scheme was good across all age bands, except in the 80+ year olds where just over half of the elderly respondents had not heard of the scheme

In terms of usage of the scheme, more people used the Pharmacy First service to get treatment for conditions other than one of the seven conditions that the service covers. Otherwise, sore throats and urinary tract infections were the most common reasons for seeking treatment.

The message to use your pharmacy first appears to be working as, overall, over two thirds of people said they did not try to make an appointment with their GP first. For those under 50 years old and all ages of men, this rose to four out of five saying that they did not try to make an appointment with their GP first. So, although less men are aware of the service, they are more likely to use the scheme than women.

Most felt happy about the level of support they got from the pharmacy, in terms of diagnosis and treatment and that their needs were met. Only a quarter of respondents said they were asked to see a GP or other NHS service, with the GP being the most common service that people told us they were asked to attend. As a consequence, over 85% were very likely or likely to recommend the Pharmacy First service to a friend.

In the future, most people would be happy to see a pharmacist for any of the seven Pharmacy First conditions. However, the two most common concerns about seeing a community pharmacist were the pharmacist missing something more serious or still needing to go to the GP, with about half choosing one or both of these worries.

Overall, Pharmacy First is seen as a great service, where you can be seen quickly, so relieving pressure on GPs. However, there are some concerns around confidentiality as about one in five people said they hadn’t been seen in a private area. While we recognise the physical constraints in some premises, lack of confidential space is an area to address if the take up of services is to be maximised.

Recommendations

To increase awareness of the Pharmacy First scheme:

Promote Pharmacy First in North Northumberland more as this area has a much lower awareness than the rest of the county
Promote Pharmacy First more in places men are more likely to go (e.g. football grounds, pubs and clubs, men’s toilets in trunk road services etc)

To increase uptake of the Pharmacy First scheme:

Promote the training and qualifications of pharmacists to women to reassure them that seeing a pharmacist won’t mean something is missed, or they will only have to go to their GP in the end anyway
Emphasise the importance for confidential space to maximise take up of the service

End-of life-care Northumberland

January 8, 2026/in News, Projects/by Claire Jackson

Would you like to help shape palliative or end-of-life care in Northumberland?

This survey is now closed

Palliative care supports people who are living with an illness that unfortunately cannot be cured. This illness may be cancer but is more likely to be a long-term condition such as serious heart or lung disease where cure is not possible. It focuses on helping someone feel as comfortable as possible in body, mind and spirit, while also supporting their family and carers.

End-of-life care is a form of palliative care given when a person is approaching the final stages of life.

We’re supporting the NHS in the region to hear how people feel about discussing death, dying and the care they would want for themselves or their loved ones.

Talking about death is something many people find difficult, but your views can make a genuine difference to how support is given at one of the most important moments in life. Your feedback will help shape plans for future services and support in the region.

Dr Kathryn Hall, GP and clinical lead for palliative and end of life care for the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board said: “Every person deserves compassionate and respectful care when they need it most. By taking a few minutes to answer our questions, you can help health and care services understand what matters to people, what feels challenging and what could be improved.”

The anonymous online survey asks for views on where you would like to receive palliative care, the most important aspects of end-of-life care to you, whether you have any written plans for your care and how you would like to be supported to find out about care options.

You can also give us a call to chat through the questions, on 03332 408468, or come and see us at one of our Here to Hear drop-ins which take place across Northumberland.

Organisations offering support

Thinking about death, dying, or end-of-life care can bring up difficult feelings. If you would like to talk to someone or find more information, the organisations below offer kind, confidential support.

Northern Cancer Alliance

Provides information, guidance, and resources to help people understand cancer care and support across the North East and North Cumbria.

Deciding Right – Northern Cancer Alliance

Helps people understand their choices about care, treatment, and planning for the future in a simple and supportive way.

Hospice UK

Offers information about hospice care and support for people at the end of life, their families, and carers.

Macmillan Cancer Support

Provides emotional, practical, and financial support for people affected by cancer, including help for families and carers.

Cruse Bereavement Support

Offers support, advice, and someone to talk to if you are dealing with grief or loss.

If you need support now, please reach out to someone you trust or contact one of the organisations above. You are not alone.

Free event – Women’s cancer awareness

January 7, 2026/in Frontpage Article, News, Projects/by Laura Haugh

Join us on Friday 13 February at 1pm to hear from Betsy Holmes, Community Cancer Awareness Worker from Healthworks who will talk to us about the most common cancers in women.

This will include awareness of the signs, symptoms and risk factors associated with common cancers. We will also hear about the importance of screening and get information about self-checking your body, and what to do if you find something that’s not normal for you.

Please note this session is not intended to give specific medical advice. The talk is suitable for professionals and the public.

There will be a chance to ask questions after the presentation.

This event has now passed

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

Telecare Service consultation

Your feedback January 2026

Your NHS and social care feedback January 2026