Annual Report 2019/20

Healthwatch Croydon report on its key achievements for 2019/20. It:

• Worked with Croydon College students to co-produce a major report on young people’s mental health, gathering feedback from 146 young people. The findings influenced local discussions on children’s and mental health services and the project model was recognised and funded by Healthwatch England for wider adoption.
• Helped shape the development of a new BME wellness centre by researching what wellbeing support Black and minority ethnic residents wanted. The findings were used by the Croydon BME Forum in designing the new centre, which opened in February 2020.
• Influenced local maternity and perinatal mental health services by gathering the experiences of new parents and making recommendations on signposting, continuity of care and support pathways. The findings were taken forward through the Maternity Voices Partnership and local public health work.
• Ensured residents’ views influenced Croydon’s new Health and Care Plan through public engagement events and targeted work with carers. Feedback contributed to revisions of the plan and informed ongoing discussions about its implementation. 
• Represented Croydon residents during the merger of South West London Clinical Commissioning Groups, facilitating public discussions and producing recommendations that influenced local arrangements for representation and engagement. 
• Gathered evidence about the experiences of people sleeping rough in Croydon and used the findings to encourage improvements in health, housing, employment and rehabilitation support for homeless residents.
• Influenced discussions about urgent and emergency care at Croydon University Hospital by gathering feedback on A&E use, patient experience and hospital wayfinding. The findings were presented directly to hospital and NHS leaders to support service improvements. 
• Supported the development of new Integrated Care Networks in Croydon by gathering residents’ views, particularly from seldom-heard groups in Thornton Heath, and providing recommendations that were used to inform the design of the new model.