The value of listening

Highlights and impact

Here are some of the ways we have helped to make a difference: 

• Our most read report was continence care. It highlighted the stigma over talking openly and the struggles people face accessing the support they need.
• We worked with Healthwatch York to speak with people about their experiences at four urgent treatment centres - York, Scarborough, Selby and Malton. Read the report here.
• We called on the NHS to review and update the Accessible Information Standard to make sure everyone gets the care they need, as well as championing efforts locally to make information better for people who need it in certain formats.
• Listened to why people in our rural areas are struggling to access the care they need and called for the barrier of rurality to be broken down.
• Dyneley House Surgery, a GP practice in Skipton, has seen patient satisfaction improve,thanks to trialling a new way of working to improve access for 14,000 people.
• Continued to call for making NHS dentistry better and fairer across the county, including access and clearer information.
• We listened to how local feedback about the service provided by Medequip (on behalf of the NHS and North Yorkshire Council) will ensure that aids and equipment services work better for people.
• We have been working with Coast and Vale Community Action to recruit community connector volunteers to go out and listen to young people's views on healthcare to help NHS England make some changes.
• We heard people's experiences of end-of-life care to ensure we reached people who don’t always feel heard to help the NHS work to assess people's needs and ensure the right care.

The role our volunteers played

• Our volunteers reviewed GP websites, looking at how easy to use, up-to-date and accessible they were to help see improvements made across all GP practice websites in North Yorkshire.
• Volunteers helpes us on our project looking at mothers' experiences of care at home and in the community after giving birth, mapping out mum and baby groups across North Yorkshire and looking at what literature is available and where the gaps are.
• Carried out visits to care and nursing homes to hear about people's experiences (including their familes and staff), made recommendations and championed what was working well in social care.
• Volunteers introduced people to Healthwatch, and listened to experiences and suggestions for change so care providers can act on them.
   

What happens next? 

As a Healthwatch, our sole purpose is to champion good care. We highlight those problems that concern the public most. We share these with MPs and those in charge of services and asked them what they are doing to improve patient care.

We know that the NHS and social care services are facing significant pressures and staff are working hard to do all they can, so we will continue to call for them to have the resources they need and highlight positive care experiences.

Overcoming the problems services face will take time. There are a number of key areas that health and social care decision-makers should prioritise, including:

• Tackling health inequalities (the unfair and avoidable differences in health across the population, and between different groups within society).
• Building a patient-centred NHS culture
• Making the NHS and social care easier to access and navigate 

We’ll do all we can to help achieve those goals. Read our full report to find out about what we’ve done so far, the impact it is having and how you can get involved.

Read the report here