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This report builds on our ‘Don’t box me in’ report. Young people and their parents/carers were asked how easy or difficult it was for young people to access health services in Newcastle and Gateshead. -
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Our annual report for 2020–21 outlines our activities over the year to understand and improve people's experiences of social care and health services in Newcastle upon Tyne. -
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In early 2021 Healthwatch England designed a survey to help local services and national policymakers understand how they can improve the COVID-19 vaccination programme.
We used the survey to support local services to adapt and improve the delivery of the vaccination programme locally. -
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Six GP practices in Outer West Newcastle - Denton Park Medical Group, Denton Turret Medical Group, Newburn Surgery, Parkway Medical Group, Throckley Primary Care Centre and Westerhope Medical Group - partnered with Healthwatch Newcastle to run a survey gathering patients’ views on additional services, accessing the practices and how COVID-19 affected their experience. -
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Do you struggle to speak to your doctor about your medical concerns? You’re not alone. Take a look at our top tips to make the most out of your GP appointment. -
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Take a look at our upcoming events or check out our selection of health and care awareness events you can support. -
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Your mental wellness is as important as your physical health but seeking help can be daunting. Here's what to expect when you seek support for your mental health. -
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Waiting for planned medical care or surgery can be a frustrating time. That’s why it’s so important that while you wait, you get regular, clear and accessible updates so that you can plan your next steps. -
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In 2012 adults around 459,000 adults smoked in the North East. Now it’s around 325,000 – a drop of around 134,000.
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Do you or a loved one need help with social care? Read the article below and find out answers to key questions about who can access adult social care and how to pay for it. -
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Volunteering with Healthwatch can help develop skills, gain experience and make a difference. Volunteers play a vital role in helping people have their say on health and social care. -
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A concern about the impact of the COVID-19 related lockdowns of 2020—21,was a recognition that restrictions had made life particularly difficult for families experiencing domestic abuse. Healthwatch Newcastle's Committee chose this as a priority piece of work to explore in greater detail. -
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At Healthwatch Newcastle we listen carefully to what we hear from the community, from VCSE organisations and from Health and Social Care services to identify the matters that are the common challenges people are facing or are the most prominent within our local communities. Using this information we are able to continually identify our areas of focus for the coming months. -
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Do you want to help make a difference to health and social care? Whether you would like to volunteer with us, work in partnership, or share your views, we'd love to hear from you. -
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Healthwatch Newcastle is here to get your views on health and social care. When we know what matters to you, we can improve health and social care services, together.
We’re here to show that when people share their experiences, they can make change happen. We also offer practical services, support, and advice to improve services. -
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Meet the Healthwatch Newcastle team! Find out more about the Committee, including personal profiles and the Committee register of interests. -
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We have a small and dedicated team of staff at Healthwatch Newcastle, with most of us working part-time. Our staff come from a wide variety of backgrounds, from business management to social work, acute medicine to youth engagement and more. A common interest in improving health and social care services brings all of our staff together, and every member of our team brings us new insight. -
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How your feedback has helped improve services locally. -
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Check out our top tips and guidance to help you through the process. -
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Privacy Statement -
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We use cookies on our website to make your experience as easy and simple as possible. -
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We are committed to making sure all our information is clear and accessible for everyone. -
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These terms and conditions tell you how the Healthwatch Newcastle website is managed and how you are protected when you are using our site. If you do not agree with these terms, you should leave the site immediately. -
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Have you used dental services in Newcastle and Gateshead since March 2020? -
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You have the power to help make change happen. -
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Our joint Annual General Meeting with Healthwatch Gateshead is being held to celebrate our recent work -
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The government has announced a Plan B for England to tackle the spread of the Omicron variant. What does that mean for us? -
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Agendas, notes, and minutes for our committee meetings and annual general meeting. -
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With Christmas just around the corner, we're reminding patients to order and collect repeat prescriptions in good time for the holiday period. -
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The discovery of the Omicron variant led the government to recently announce a new vaccination challenge. The Prime Minister set out a commitment that all adults in England would be offered a booster jab by the end of the year. However, even with the additional protection that vaccine boosters will give, the threat from Omicron remains serious. -
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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. -
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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. -
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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. -
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Read all our Monthly Newsletters for 2024 , stay up to date with information and activities from Healthwatch Newcastle.