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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 Gateshead. -
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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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Our annual report provides a summary of the experiences people have shared with us and highlights the action we have taken in response. Take a look to see how people's views are impacting decisions made by NHS and social care leaders. -
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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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In late 2021 we asked a cross cutting stakeholder and partner group of 42 organisations to complete our stakeholder feedback survey. This was used to steer us on our recent changes and if they were working. -
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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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Millions of people have had their treatment delayed by the pandemic – are you one of them? We want to know if you’re getting the advice, information and support you need while you wait. -
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Stoptober is back! The campaign is calling on smokers to join 2.3 million others who have made a quit attempt in the past decade. Over 6 million adults in England still smoke. It remains the leading cause of premature death, with almost 75,000 preventable deaths a year. -
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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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19 October 2021
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At Healthwatch Gateshead 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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Volunteers play a vital role in helping people have their say on health and social care. Volunteering with Healthwatch can help you develop skills, gain experience and make a difference to your community. -
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Healthwatch Gateshead 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 Gateshead Committee! Find out more about the Committee; its role and purpose and how to become a Committee Member. -
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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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Check out our top tips and guidance to help you through the process. -
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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 Gateshead 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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Gateshead Council has launched a £200,000 Digital Transformation and Support Fund to support small and medium sized voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations to identify the training and digital innovation their organisations need to help them grow and thrive. -
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There are lots of ways you can get involved as a volunteer. Take a look at our current opportunities and how you can get in touch with us. -
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You have the power to help make change happen. -
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Meet our trained enter and view representatives. -
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Blaydon Urgent Treatment Centre now open for walk-in appointments -
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Healthwatch Gateshead and Healthwatch Newcastle 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.
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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. -
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Healthwatch Gateshead received intelligence from the Gateshead Health and Wellbeing Board that users of the Crawcrook, Rowland’s Gill, Grange Road & Blaydon GP practices had expressed concern and disappointment with the services they received at these sites, and these comments led Healthwatch Gateshead to focus on three issues in particular: -
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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. -
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Minutes of committee meeting held on 31 October 2023