Your feedback August 2025

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.