Annual Report 2021-2022 - Championing what matters to you

Report - 30 June 2022

Our 2021-2022 Annual Report looks at the work that we completed last year whilst still being limited by the new ways of working. Despite the year's challenges we continue to work relentlessly to ensure the public's voice was heard.

Highlights of 2021-22:

  • 2021/2022 saw us help to improve the NHS 111 First slot booking system in Accident and Emergency (A&E), particularly for those who are hard of hearing, visually impaired, or have accessibility challenges.
  • We continued to share local up to date information about COVID-19.
  • We asked informal carers about the issues they faced during and post pandemic.
  • Young Healthwatch Northamptonshire (YHWN) took a closer look into children and young people’s mental health for Northamptonshire Clinical Commissioning Group (NCCG), to better understand how the transition to adult mental heath services could be better for them.
  • Our staff and volunteers achieved the Investing in Volunteers (IiV) accreditation.

How we've made a difference throughout the year:

  • We have informed future improvements to how services are delivered to carers in Northamptonshire based on their feedback from our joint project work with Northamptonshire Carers.

  • Our Investing in Volunteers accreditation has improved Healthwatch North and West Northamptonshire's governance, also potentially increasing our volunteers activity.

  • Young Healthwatch acted as the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) for the Children’s Transformation Programme in Northamptonshire. This meant improved service delivery based on experiences and opinions of children and young people.

  • We have informed improvements to the NHS 111 First system for those with accessibility challenges based on their views and experiences of 111, and the slot booking system in Accident and Emergency (A&E)

  • Young Healthwatch informed improvements to the young people's mental health pathway to adult services, by creating a report and a series of films of internal staff training.

To read and download the full report please click the button below.

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2021-22 was another challenging year for everyone, including local Healthwatch across the country. The pandemic continued to limit our ways of engaging with people face to face and getting your voice heard across health and social care services and systems. However, as this Annual Report will demonstrate, despite the Covid-19 challenges staff and volunteers faced, the team continued to do excellent work on your behalf, the people of Northamptonshire.

Professor Will Pope, Interim Advisory Board Chair

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