What we've heard during 2023/24

This is a summary of the feedback Healthwatch North Tyneside have received from North Tyneside residents between April 2023 and March 2024.

During this time, 2210 people shared their views and experiences. The report identifies nine key areas of feedback.

• High Quality Care – When people access care and support, the vast majority tell us it is of high quality. Staff are friendly and supportive and work hard to provide quality care which is greatly appreciated. In previous years we have heard similar feedback.
• Access to care is a challenge in certain services – From the feedback we received, GP and Dental care continues to be the main concerns for residents. Many people say they still struggle to get a face-to-face appointment with a GP within a reasonable timescale and have trouble getting though on phone systems. Accessing NHS dental care is incredibly challenging for those without a regular dentist and for people moving into the area.
• Accessible and reliable information is important - People want easy-to-read information in a variety of formats; online and on paper, as well as being able to speak to someone if they need to. People tell us more can be done to connect people to support that is available in the community, particularly voluntary sector support.
• Choice in access – Having a choice of ways to book and attend appointments is increasingly important. People appreciate the ability to choose the method that suits them best, whether it’s face-to-face, by phone or online. There are concerns that a shift towards online-only options could potentially exclude the most vulnerable people and restrict choice.
• High cost of living impacts health choices – Many people feel their choices around healthy lifestyles and wellbeing are limited by the cost of living. In addition, the lack of available NHS dental care is pushing people towards private care that they struggle to afford.
• Travel and Transport can be a challenge – People have told us that public transport networks do not sufficiently serve key hospitals. Delays, strikes and cancellations have impacted people’s confidence in using public transport when accessing health services. Many say they need to rely on family and friends, or expensive taxis to ensure they make their appointments on time. Transport and parking costs are also a concern, particularly when travelling out of hours. Again this impacts mostly on people with limited mobility and those living on limited budgets.
• Bringing services together and coordination – People tell us their experience would be improved by services working more closely together and communicating better with each other. Integrating health and social care services would enable a more personalised and holistic approach and better support families and carers.
• Pushing people to pay privately - We heard from increasing numbers of people considering or ‘being forced’ to pay privately for care. People said they feel they have no choice but to pay privately for dental treatment. Others have said they have paid for private health assessments, operations and other treatments to avoid long waiting lists.
• Lower expectations of care – We heard from people saying they feel that while individual staff are doing their best, it is within a system that is working against them. People now seem resigned to waiting for care and express surprise when it is timely, and when services work well. This is across many different service areas including GP appointments, getting a diagnosis, mental health support, secondary care and emergency care.