Annual Report 2016/17

Healthwatch County Durham report on its key achievements for 2016/17. It:

• Improved local hospital services through Enter and View visits, including work at Darlington Memorial Hospital and Shotley Bridge Community Hospital, leading to recommendations on communication, patient information, food provision and the hospital environment.
• Undertook a major review of care home services through its Enter and View programme, identifying good practice and making recommendations to improve residents’ experiences and quality of care.
• Influenced local health and social care planning by gathering residents’ views on urgent care, primary care, pharmacy services and planned service changes, ensuring local people’s experiences informed decision-making. 
• Expanded engagement with communities across County Durham through outreach events, surveys and local partnerships, helping ensure a wide range of residents could share their experiences of health and care services. 
• Supported local people with information and signposting, helping residents better understand available health and care services and where to obtain support. 
• Worked closely with NHS organisations, local authorities and voluntary sector partners to ensure patient experiences were used to inform service improvement and quality monitoring. 
• Enabled volunteers to play a significant role in research, engagement and Enter and View activity, strengthening the voice of local people across the county.