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Here to Hear – at our monthly drop-ins

Here to Hear – at our monthly drop-ins

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Healthwatch Northumberland Monthly Drop-ins

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

  • Morpeth Leisure Centre, Gas House Lane, NE61 1SR: Fourth Wednesday of the month, next date 22 April, 10.30am – 12.30pm.
  • Hexham Mart, Tyne Green, Hexham, NE46 3SG: Friday 24 April, 9am to 1pm.
  • Haltwhistle Community Hub, Mechanics Institute, NE49 0AX: Wednesday 29 April, 10.30am – 12.30pm.
  • Berwick Cancer Cars, 8 Tweed Street, Berwick, TD15 1NG: Tuesday 5 May, 10am – 12pm.
  • Hexham General Hospital, Corbridge Road, Hexham, NE46 1QJ: Third Thursday of every month, next date 21 May, 10am – 12pm.
  • Amble Quayside, Harbour Road, Amble, NE65 OAP: Thursday 28 May, 10am – 3pm.
  • Allendale Village Hall, Leadgate, Allendale, NE47 9PR: Wednesday 3 June, 11am – 1pm.
  • Free online information session: Second Friday of the month, 1.00pm – 2.00pm. There will be a different topic each month – see our online events page or social media for details.

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

You can leave feedback at any time here on our website

Proposed Lintonville relocation

Proposed Lintonville relocation

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Northumbria Primary Care is proposing to move Lintonville GP surgery to a new site at the Ashington Workspace on Lintonville Parkway (near Lidl). The North East and North Cumbria ICB will need to approve the plans before they go ahead.

The current GP surgery building is over 100 years old and is not big enough to provide the best care for patients. More private space is needed in the reception area and there are not enough toilets or parking.

The new site is less than 500 metres from the current surgery and near the main bus station. The new building would have more space, better facilities and more parking.

Next steps

If the plans are approved, work on the new building is expected to start in early 2026. It will take up to a year to complete. The current surgery will stay open during this time, and there will be updates as the proposed surgery move gets closer.

Have your say on the proposal

  • Have your say in this online survey or ask at the GP reception for a paper copy. Leave your feedback by Thursday 25 September. Please get in touch if you would like help to complete the survey.
  • Attend a drop-in session at the current Lintonville surgery on Wednesday 3 September between 10am and 1pm or on Wednesday 10 September between 4pm and 6.30pm.
  • Come along to our online drop-in session on Wednesday 17 September between 6pm and 7pm. To join, please email helenb@healthwatchnorthumberland.co.uk or call 03332 408 468.
  • Write to NPC Lintonville, Lintonville Terrace, Ashington, NE63 9UT, drop in a letter at reception or email nencicb-nor.npc.lintonville@nhs.net
  • There are plans to run focus groups and a community café in the autumn, to talk with patients, residents and local organisations and groups about what health and support services the community needs.

Find more information about the proposal at the Northumbria Primary Care website.

AGM 2022: Questions and draft minutes

AGM 2022: Questions and draft minutes

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A big thank you to everyone who came along to our AGM ‘All Change!’ and Review of the Year 2022 at Northumberland College in Ashington on 19 October. Special thanks also go to the students and staff at the college and our speakers Rachel Mitcheson of the NENC Integrated Care Board and Neil Bradley of adult social care at Northumberland County Council.

Around 100 people came to the event where we heard about upcoming changes in NHS and social care from those leading the changes. We also gave a review of our work over the last 12 months and enjoyed lunch and a chance to chat to guests.

Have a look at the photos from the event on our Facebook page.

The presentations, draft minutes, plus answers to the questions raised before and during the event can be found below.

AGM 2022 presentations

AGM 2022 draft minutes

Northumberland Pride 2021

Northumberland Pride 2021

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This year’s Northumberland Pride event takes place at People’s Park, Ashington on Saturday 28 August. The event will be ticketed for the first time, to make sure that it can go ahead in a Covid-safe way.

Kicking off at 11.00am the day will include live entertainment, a Health and Wellbeing Zone in partnership with Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust, and a Children, Young People and Families Area in partnership with regional charity NE Youth.

We will once again have a Healthwatch Northumberland stall, so come and see us and tell us your care experiences. Plus you could win a prize or take home a goodie bag.

Book tickets

Knowledge gap restricts mental health support to the vulnerable

Knowledge gap restricts mental health support to the vulnerable

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Last year we launched the Your Voice Fund, and awarded four small grants to local organisations to run projects with their service users.

These projects are helping us to gather the views of people whose experiences we don’t hear enough about, in particular, people with learning disabilities, people from LGBTQ+ communities, young people, black, asian and minority ethnic communities and people living in Northumberland through asylum or refugee resettlement programmes.

Being Woman, based in Ashington and Blyth, have been using the grant to support a conversation café activity called ‘KITES – when you are your own voice’. People from various ethnic backgrounds and at risk of social isolation have been sharing their ideas, thoughts and experiences of health and social care services.

The latest report from Being Woman shows that there is a knowledge gap restricting mental health support to the most vulnerable people in Northumberland.

A total of 61 people from BAME groups including asylum seekers and refugees were surveyed with questions around general mental health knowledge, services used and proposed future needs. 8 out of 10 people said they didn’t know they could speak with their GP about anxiety, low mood and depression.

Among the suggestions listed by respondents for better knowledge on mental health were leaflets, support groups, translation services, clubs and therapists.

Read the full report here

If you would like to tell us about your recent experience of mental health services give us a call on 03332 408 468 or tell us your story here.

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