1. Spotlight on home care

    Report -

    From October to December 2015 we asked service users, their carers and relatives, and also social workers, what they thought about home care services in Newcastle. We also interviewed the commissioners of home care services and met with several local voluntary and community sector organisations.

  2. Young people’s mental wellbeing in Newcastle

    Report -

    From September 2015 to January 2016 our young people’s group designed and delivered a mental health questionnaire aimed at young people in the 13—25 age range. The aim was to get a better understanding of the main issues young people face regarding mental health, and if schools and colleges are offering enough support to young people around these issues.

  3. Spotlight on home care

    Report -

    During late 2015 and early 2016 we carried out a large scale survey of service users, carers and relatives, and home care workers to gather their feedback on various aspects of home care services. Newcastle City Council took on board six of our ten recommendations when drawing up new care provider contracts.

  4. GP appointments: what do Newcastle patients want?

    Report -

    From July to December 2015 we carried out research into what people want when booking a GP appointment in Newcastle. A discrete choice experiment survey was developed in partnership with Northumbria University.

  5. Healthwatch Newcastle listening event 2015

    Report -

    This listening event in November 2015 enabled people to meet and talk with the organisations that plan and provide local social care and health services.

  6. ‘People-driven care’ conference 2016

    Report -

    We presented some major research projects, including local home care services, people’s preference when making a GP appointment and young people’s attitude to dental care, inviting people to think about the next steps. Delegates also shortlisted Healthwatch Newcastle’s priorities for 2016—17.

  7. Annual report 2015–16

    Report -

    Our annual report for 2015–16 describes the work we have done over the last year to understand and improve people's experiences of social care and health services in Newcastle upon Tyne.

  8. Healthwatch Newcastle listening event 2016

    Report -

    This listening event in July 2016 enabled people to meet and talk with the organisations that plan and provide local social care and health services.

  9. Dental practices in Newcastle: what is NHS Choices saying about you?

    Report -

    In spring 2016 we carried out a mystery shopper exercise on the NHS Choices dentist profile pages for the 42 dental practices in Newcastle upon Tyne.

  10. Top 10 ways to get the most out of your next dental appointment

    Advice and Information -

    How can I get the most out of my next visit to the dentist? Take a look at our tips to help you prepare for your appointment and make sure you understand your treatment and how much it will cost.

  11. Healthwatch Newcastle Committee meetings and AGM 2016

    Report -

    Agendas, notes, and minutes for our committee meetings and annual general meeting.

  12. Have your say about health and social care services in Newcastle and Gateshead

    News -

    Healthwatch Newcastle and Healthwatch Gateshead are here to help make local health and care services better for you. We do this by finding out how you are experiencing these services and ultimately feeding this back to the people delivering and commissioning the services, to influence positive change based on what we have been told.

  13. Loneliness in the retirement-age population in Gateshead and Newcastle

    Report -

    Healthwatch Gateshead and Healthwatch Newcastle undertook a joint research project to engaged with retirement-age residents of Gateshead and Newcastle to understand their experiences of loneliness and isolation. The project focused on three key areas including:

    • Any factors people felt contributed to feelings of loneliness & isolation and its prevalence in people’s lives. 
    • Awareness and use of local services that focused on reducing loneliness and isolation.
    • What worked well and areas for development.

    We collected data from the survey from January 2023 to April 2023, and circulated both a digital survey and a paper-based survey format.

    The key findings are:

    • Loneliness can occur to anyone, and in particularly felt by those aged between 65 and 74, are women, and are carers. 
    • Loneliness is not simply a symptom of getting older but is instead prevalent when the needs of older people are not effectively taken care of. This is especially important in terms of access and mobility, including travel routes and venues for activities.
    • Loneliness is something often felt for a long period of time and felt more actively in those aged between 65 and 74, possibly due to recent retirement and bereavement.
    • Social activities are often the most successful in engaging older people, and community-based groups are well-received.
    • Users who engage with some services are more likely to engage with multiple, services though there is a high rate of respondents here who do not participate at all.
    • Key issues preventing potential users from engaging with services are poor transport options and a lack of development of local facilities.
    • There is interest in specific activities, like physical fitness and arts activities for some people within some communities.

    Our key recommendations are:

    • Support those leaving the workforce in adjusting to the changes that retirement brings.
    • Work with communities to create community action plans to make sure local facilities are being utilised effectively and for the benefit of local communities.
    • Improve service infrastructure to ensure maximum reach and accessibility
    • Establish a focus group or engagement group to help services better understand how to reach older people.

  14. Joint Healthwatch Response to Latest CQC Report on Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

    News -

    Following on from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) reports on Newcastle Upon Tyne NHS Hospital Trust. Healthwatch Gateshead and Healthwatch Newcastle, alongside Healthwatch Northumberland and Healthwatch North Tyneside have released a joint statement.

    Please download the full statement below.

  15. Monthly Newsletters

    News -

    Read all our Monthly Newsletters for 2024 , stay up to date with information and activities from Healthwatch Newcastle.

  16. The Impact of Winter Pressures and the Cost of Living 2022-2023

    Report -

    The sudden rise in energy prices and accompanying increase in inflation in 2022 led to a big leap in the cost of living for people in the UK and wage growth since summer 2021 had not kept pace with inflation. Added to this, inflation has been higher in essential goods and services such as food prices. The cost-of-living crisis has dropped out of the news over the summer, but Citizens Advice Bureau Newcastle reports that there has been no drop-off in requests for support, especially around financial matters, and material support.

  17. Your experiences of Dentistry in 2023

    News -

    People have been telling us about challenges they face getting NHS dentistry. As a result we are working with the NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) in the North East and North Cumbria to better understand people’s experiences of dentistry in 2023.

  18. Committee meeting – Healthwatch Newcastle

    Report -

    Minutes of committee meeting held on 08 November 2023