What's important to North Yorkshire?
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Healthwatch North Yorkshire surveyed 328 residents between October 2018 and March 2019 to understand what issues people felt should be prioritised in its future work. Mental health was by far the most frequently raised concern, with residents highlighting a lack of support, long waiting times, shortages of specialist services and difficulties accessing help across different parts of the county. There were also concerns about gaps between services, poor support during transitions and a lack of crisis provision.
Access to GP services was another major issue. Many respondents reported difficulties getting appointments, long waits, problems seeing their preferred GP and challenges accessing primary care in rural areas. Rurality and transport emerged as a strong theme throughout the survey, with people worried about travelling long distances to access hospitals, outpatient appointments and specialist services. Concerns were particularly strong among older people, people with disabilities and those without access to private transport.
Residents also highlighted concerns about hospitals, social care, learning disability services and NHS dentistry. Common themes included long waiting times, poor access to local services, shortages of respite and home care provision, limited support for carers and difficulties accessing NHS dental appointments. Many respondents stressed the need for better communication, more joined-up working between services and improved support for vulnerable groups, including people with autism, learning disabilities and long-term conditions.
Healthwatch concluded that its future work should focus on mental health, GP access, rurality and transport, hospitals, social care and support for people with disabilities and long-term conditions. The survey also identified older people, young people, carers, rural communities, people living with dementia and people experiencing homelessness or deprivation as groups requiring particular attention in future engagement and improvement work.