Trends in feedback July to December 2025

Trends in feedback July to December 2025

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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.

Read more our trends in feedback report for July to December 2025.

 

Digital access to healthcare

Digital access to healthcare

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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

Accessing NHS dental care

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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

Your feedback December 2025

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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.

Read more in our feedback summary for December 2025

Your experiences of Pharmacy First

Your experiences of Pharmacy First

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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

Read more online or download a pdf of our Pharmacy First findings report.

End-of life-care Northumberland

End-of life-care Northumberland

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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

Free event – Women’s cancer awareness

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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.

Free event – Vision Northumberland

Free event – Vision Northumberland

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Join us on Friday 9 January at 1pm to hear from Sue Taylor, chair of Vision Northumberland, about their range of services available for those with sight loss in Northumberland.

This includes their Low Vision Assessment Service, advice on aids and equipment, wellbeing clubs and groups, befriending and transport.

Sue will also give an overview of sight loss including some of the main causes and everyday challenges.

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.

Your feedback November 2025

Your feedback November 2025

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Your NHS and social care feedback November 2025

Top issues

This month we heard mixed feedback about GP and hospital services. We heard negative feedback about hospital IT systems not being joined up with other parts of the NHS and that post-operation advice was not always provided to patients. However, several people did mention good quality service from both GPs and hospitals.

This month’s focus

Our Here to Hear drop-in sessions took place in East Bedlington, Hexham, Morpeth, Prudhoe and Ashington. We also attended Wooler Warm Hub, Hexham Livestock Mart, Ageing Well’s Winter Warmer event in Ponteland, Carers Northumberland’s Carers Rights information day in Morpeth and the ‘Digital health in rural communities: bridge or barrier?’ conference, organised by the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise.

This month’s free online information session from the ME Association was an update on the latest research on ME and Long Covid. A recording of the talk can be found on our Online Events webpage.

Working with local Healthwatch and the NHS in our area, we asked for feedback on three services designed to help people access the care they need more quickly. These are GP out of hours appointments, the NHS App, and the Pharmacy First Service. You can leave feedback about these services online.

Positive feedback example

A person told us they have attended a hospital on many occasions for cancer care, and found all the staff they came into contact with to be friendly and very attentive. They particularly liked that the staff remember their name and use it throughout their interactions, making the person feel more at ease and like a person not a number.

Tynedale resident

Negative feedback example

“The Newcastle Hospitals and Northumbria Trusts operate totally different IT systems and appointment systems and don’t cross over. Arranging appointments between them as new patients to the English NHS was farcical and tortuous and not helped by the Scottish hospital records not being sent over into the England systems – which apparently is ‘normal’. Why? This is an everyday occurrence and surely can be
facilitated much more professionally, bearing in mind the huge and potentially serious range of health issues that are needing to be monitored/managed?”

North Northumberland resident

Impact

“Healthwatch Northumberland does a great job in terms of collating all of the patient feedback, distilling it, and presenting the key themes of that back to us. This evidence base can give us more to go on from a commissioning/contract perspective.“

Comment received from the Strategic Head of Primary Care (Northumberland and North Tyneside Delivery Team) at NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board.

Information and Signposting Service

We were able to help people find the information they need on a range of issues and services, including sight loss support, elderly support groups, respite day care and drop-in hearing aid clinics.

Read more in our feedback summary for November 2025

Your feedback October 2025

Your feedback October 2025

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Your NHS and social care feedback October 2025

Top issues

This month we heard mixed feedback about GP services with a few people saying the appointment booking process had improved. We also heard about long waiting times for audiology appointments and long distances to travel to hospital outpatients appointments.

This month’s focus

This month we were out and about at our Hear to Hear events in Alnwick, Hexham, Morpeth, Seaton Valley, Prudhoe, Blyth and Cramlington. We also attended Hexham Mart, Thriving Together’s information sharing event in Ashington and had a table at the Young at Heart event in Blyth.

We hosted a ‘Mind the Gap’ session organised by Northumberland Health and Wellbeing VSCE Network, around farmers’ mental health.

Our online session was from Northumberland Talking Therapies, Tyneside and Northumberland MIND, and Northumberland Recovery College on ‘prioritising mental health in the workplace’, in support of World Mental Health Day. The session included a guided reflection and tips for dealing with stress. This was our second highest attended online event of this year.

Our ‘Pharmacy First’ project took place throughout October, with the aim of finding out people’s awareness and experience of the scheme. The results of this will be published in November.

Positive feedback example

A patient left positive feedback about their GP surgery.

“I get fantastic treatment at my GP surgery. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the receptionists, the practice nurses, the GPs or recently a trainee GP, they are all knowledgeable, approachable, thorough and very, very caring. I don’t think anyone can ask for more.”

Ashington and Blyth resident

Negative feedback example

A patient asked for a simple audiology appointment as her hearing aids are whistling. There are no obvious signs of what’s wrong but the person is very social and relies on the hearing aids. They have been told it’s at least 13 weeks wait for an appointment.

Cramlington, Bedlington and Seaton Valley resident

Impact

A person asked us for support at our Hexham General Hospital Here to Hear event in June 2025. They wanted help to find a missing hospital appointment letter and scan result on the NHS App. Their GP had received the letter but it wasn’t showing on the App.

We confirmed the details were not there and advised them to contact the consultant’s secretary or PALS for support to get the information uploaded onto the App, or speak to GP reception.

This month we received an update. The patient had followed our advice and contacted PALS, who had carried out an investigation.

The outcome was that the letter and scan result were added to their health record on the NHS App and they had an apology from the department concerned.

Information and Signposting Service

We were able to help people find the information they need on a range of issues and services, including counselling for young people, audiology, carers’ rights and cancer support groups.

Read more in our feedback summary for October 2025.