Annual Report 2019/20

Healthwatch North Yorkshire report on its key achievements in 2019/20.  It:

• Influenced the future of healthcare services in Craven by ensuring community feedback and Healthwatch’s rural access research informed decisions about the reopening of Castleberg Hospital and the development of more community-based services closer to people’s homes. 
• Worked with refugees and asylum seekers to highlight barriers to accessing interpreters in healthcare, leading to changes by York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, including improved staff training, better identification of language needs and more accessible information. 
• Helped shape improvements in mental health care planning by working with service users and Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust to ensure patients had a stronger voice in the development of care plans and mental health services. 
• Conducted major engagement on the NHS Long Term Plan, hearing from 530 people about issues including transport, access to services, mental health support and joined-up care, with findings contributing to both local and national NHS planning.
• Responded quickly to the emerging Covid-19 pandemic by creating comprehensive information resources, signposting residents to support and launching surveys to capture people’s experiences and ensure they informed local recovery planning. 
• Strengthened community engagement across North Yorkshire, hearing from 1,764 people, engaging with 50 groups, increasing volunteer involvement significantly, and raising awareness of health and care issues through events, outreach and digital channels. 
• Improved access to information and support through an expanded website, information resources and signposting service, helping residents navigate health and social care services, complaints processes and local support opportunities. 
• Enabled volunteers to play a leading role in service improvement projects, including investigations into GP appointments, care homes, interpreter services and community access issues, helping ensure local people’s experiences informed decision-making.