Tell us what you think!

Tell us what you think!

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We’d like to hear your views on three NHS services designed to help people access care more quickly and conveniently.

These are:

  • The NHS App
  • GP extended access (out of hours appointments)
  • The Pharmacy First Service

The NHS App

The NHS App is a simple and secure way to manage your health. It puts key services at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.

With the NHS App, you can:

  • Book GP appointments
  • Order repeat prescriptions
  • View your health records
  • Access trusted health advice
  • Receive messages from your GP and hospital services

GP extended access

Extended access offers appointments for GP services outside of usual hours. This can include:

  • Same-day and pre-bookable appointments
  • Face-to-face, phone, or online consultations
  • Evening and weekend availability

Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 8am – 8pm, Saturday: up to 5pm

Appointments may be at a different practice, so check with your GP surgery or visit their website to book.

Pharmacy First

Your local pharmacist can help with many common health concerns – no appointment needed. Visit your pharmacy first for:

  • Earache
  • Impetigo
  • Infected insect bites
  • Shingles
  • Sinusitis
  • Sore throat
  • Urinary tract infections (UTIs) for women aged 16-64

Pharmacists can also provide an urgent repeat medicine supply.

These services are designed to help people feel better faster, particularly as we approach winter.

What do you think of these services?

Please share with us your experiences of these services. Your feedback will help the NHS in our area understand what is working well for people, and what could be better. You can:

  • Leave feedback online
  • Download an easy read version of the questions and return to us by email or post
  • Call us on 03332 408468 and one of our friendly team will go through the questions with you.

This piece of work has now finished. Thank you for sharing your experiences; we will share the findings with you as soon as we have them.

 

 

Free event – Tyneside and Northumberland Mind

Free event – Tyneside and Northumberland Mind

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Join us on Friday 12 December for our next free online event where we will hear from Steph Golder from Tyneside and Northumberland Mind. Learn about the range of mental health and wellbeing support services in Northumberland and how to access them.

We will find out more about the general support services available to all and their specialist support services for victims of crime, and those who have been affected by a traumatic bereavement.

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 – The ME Association

Free event – The ME Association

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Join us on Friday 14 November at 1pm to hear from Dr Katrina Pears, Research Coordinator for The ME Association, about the latest research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and Long Covid. Her overview will draw on the evidence-based NICE Guideline, expert medical opinion, and findings from research into the underlying disease mechanisms.

The ME Association provides effective support and expert information, lobbies local and national governments and is working to improve healthcare for all. It prioritises prudent investment in medical research in the hope that one day there will be effective treatments and even a cure.

Since the pandemic, the charity has been welcoming people with Long Covid due to the many similarities with ME/CFS.

This event is suitable for the general public and professionals. There will also be a chance to ask questions.

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.

Help shape Adult Social Care Services

Help shape Adult Social Care Services

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We are always looking for volunteers to be part of our Adult Social Care People’s Panel.

What is the Adult Social Care People’s Panel?

We run this panel with Northumberland County Council. The aim of the panel is for you to have your say and help shape adult social care services in Northumberland.

We chat about experiences – what is going well and what could be better. The meetings are lively, challenging and produce real improvements in services and experience.

If you are an adult social care services user or simply have an interest and want to make a difference, the People’s Panel is for you.

Listen to Project Coordinator, Derry Nugent, on what you can expect from joining the panel.

What our panel members say

“As a long-term receiver of adult social care, it’s refreshing to be able to express the views of someone at the ‘sharp end’. It is good to know that we are being listened to by those who make policy, and take the decisions which affect our health and quality of life so much.” Jane

“Being part of the adult social care panel has given me a voice to help shape the future policy and direction of adult services within Northumberland.” John

The panel meets at County Hall in Morpeth.  We pay reasonable travel expenses, or you can attend online. The meetings are lively, challenging and produce real improvements.

If you would like to be part of the panel you can either complete the application form online or for an informal chat please contact Derry Nugent at derryn@healthwatchnorthumberland.co.uk

If you would like to take part but need help with the form or need the information in another format, please let us know.

Your feedback September 2025

Your feedback September 2025

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Your NHS and social care feedback September 2025

Top issues

This month we heard about issues with GP services including difficulties getting an appointment and digital exclusion. We also heard about the distance patients had to travel to get to hospital outpatients appointments and difficulties getting an appointment with an NHS dentist.

This month’s focus

The main focus was on delivering our Annual Event in Hexham. 80 people joined us to hear about local services and our review of the year.

We’ve been out and about with our Hear to Hear events in Bedlington, at Hexham General Hospital, Morpeth Library, Seahouses Hub and Newbiggin. We attended Thriving Together’s information events in Amble and Haltwhistle, a Northumberland County of Sanctuary session at Ashington, the Meet and Eat session in Allendale and we also heard from adults with learning disabilities at Journey Enterprises in Acomb.

We launched our Pharmacy First work, and started analysing results of the ‘Taking a Break’ carers project.

For the Persistent Physical Symptoms project, we held the second Patient Participation Governance group meeting and gave a promotional talk to Blyth Rotary club.

Our online talk this month was from Age UK Northumberland. The subject was Scams Awareness and the event was well attended.

Positive feedback example

A patient left positive feedback about their endoscopy appointment at Hexham General Hospital.

“A very positive experience from entering the department to leaving. The reception was very welcoming, the waiting area was comfortable and clean. The initial assessment was slightly rushed in a small room but still allowed time for questions etc. I cannot thank Dr Lee and the endoscopy staff in the room enough. I was very stressed about the procedure but I was talked through it and it was over before I knew it. Recovery was swift and I was given a print out of findings. The staff contacted my husband to collect me. Excellent, professional and patient centred care. All credit to the team.”

Tynedale resident

Negative feedback example

“Whilst I feel digital is great for those that can use it, I am concerned that older people are feeling pushed into using digital services. Many who are much older have never used smartphones, or even computers, so patients still need to have choice of how to access GPs. Surgeries should consider the demographics of an area when deciding on patient access.”

North Northumberland resident

Impact

We received positive feedback on our Annual Event. “Pharmacy First presentation was very informative. Useful to hear about service I was unaware of such as the 111 emergency prescription service. More local publicity definitely needed for Pharmacy First. Direct Payment session also very clear and helpful.”

Information and Signposting Service

We were able to help people find the information they need on a range of issues and services, including NHS complaints, mental health support, finding an NHS dentist and hearing aid repair.

Read more in our feedback summary for September 2025.

Have your say on Pharmacy First

Have your say on Pharmacy First

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We’d like to hear your views on the Pharmacy First service. By sharing your feedback, you’ll help us to understand people’s awareness of the scheme, and any concerns or suggestions you may have.

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.

Please leave your feedback by Sunday 9 November.

Have your say online or call us on 03332 408468 to leave feedback over the phone or to ask for a paper copy in the post.

This survey has now closed.

 

World Mental Health Day

World Mental Health Day

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To celebrate World Mental Health Day, we were joined by Tyneside and Northumberland Mind, Northumberland Talking Therapies and Northumberland Recovery College to talk about mental health in the workplace.

First of all, Emmalene Charlton from Tyneside and Northumberland Mind gave us an overview of what stress is and some ways we can help manage it.

Then we heard from Sarah Coles from Northumberland Talking Therapies for some tips and techniques to help manage stress.

Finally, we enjoyed a guided imagery meditation from Northumberland Recovery College.

Catch up on the recordings from the event on our online events page.

Find support

Tyneside and Northumberland Mind – call 0330 174 3174 or email admin@tynesidemind.org.uk

Northumberland Talking Therapies – call 0300 3030 700

Northumberland Recovery College – call 07866 053717 or email: nrc@everyturn.org

Free event – World Mental Health Day

Free event – World Mental Health Day

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Join us for a free online event on World Mental Health Day (Friday 10 October, 1pm-2.30pm) to talk about mental health with a focus on wellbeing in the workplace.

We will hear from Tyneside and Northumberland Mind, NHS Northumberland Talking Therapies and Northumberland Recovery College about common sources of stress in the workplace and tips and techniques to promote better mental health.

We will also have the chance to take part in a guided imagery exercise to help manage stress and anxiety. There will be time to ask questions.

The theme of this year’s mental health day is access to services. We will also share some details of mental health services, information and resources where people can get support.

Please note this session is not intended to give individual clinical advice. To improve comfort and confidentiality all attendees will have their cameras off and microphones muted, and active participation is not required.

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 August 2025

Your feedback August 2025

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Your NHS and social care feedback August 2025

Top issues

This month we heard about issues with GP services including a lack of up-to-date menopause treatment knowledge. We also heard about poor communication for hospital outpatients and how some people found it difficult to read letters from hospitals.

This month’s focus

This month we have been attending our regular Here to Hear sessions at Cramlington Hub, Alnwick Weaver’s Court, Hirst Welfare Centre, Hexham General Hospital and Morpeth Library. We also attended Hexham livestock mart as part of the joint working to support farmers’ mental health.

Our online talk this month was by Colostomy UK on living with a stoma.

Details of our Annual Event in Hexham – Delivering in Tynedale! – were promoted widely to people in the area and across Northumberland.

Positive feedback example

A woman came to see us very happy with the care she had experienced when she had hurt her ankle. She said all aspects of the care she received were excellent, timely and delivered by caring staff. Whether that was NSECH where she first went, the orthopaedic surgeon, the GPs or JMAPS, everything was well coordinated and picked up seamlessly from one another.

The Cora Health (previously Connect Health) physiotherapy ankle class was really good and she felt that ‘everyone should have access to it.’ The only improvement she could suggest is that the physiotherapy input should have started before she left hospital, rather than a short while after she had been discharged.

Castle Morpeth resident

Negative feedback example

A person told us that they have been diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and find NHS letters difficult to read because they are often printed on both sides of paper. This means the print from the other side can be seen through the paper, as well as sometimes being printed upside down on the reverse side.

The person told us that issues like this can seem unimportant to others, but are very distracting for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and can make focussing on the content more difficult.

Tynedale resident

Impact

We learnt that Northumberland County Council has been running Mental Health First Aid training for its staff, at which they issue our ‘Mental Health Support in Northumberland’ booklet to attendees.

Information and Signposting Service

We were able to help people find the information they need on a range of issues and services, including mental health support, antenatal classes, adult social care and public transport.

Read more in our feedback summary for August 2025.

Thank you Hexham!

Thank you Hexham!

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