Celebrating our 2022 highlights

… Over 500 people have shared their views through the online survey

By sharing feedback about the services you’re using, you help us set priorities and target our work in the right areas. We bring together the survey responses with information from targeted engagement work and signposting cases to get a better picture of health and social care across Brent. Share your own feedback here. 

… Our volunteering numbers have doubled

There are now twice as many volunteers supporting our work, including several young people who can offer a fresh perspective on local care. Volunteers do everything from conducting Enter & View visits to running engagement stands – and having more people on the team means that we can reach into different communities. Thank you to all our hard-working volunteers!

…  Extended access hubs have offered more GP appointments

By evaluating the extended access to GP appointments over the summer – such as Saturday clinics – we helped demonstrate how valuable they are to local people. There are now more ways to get a GP appointment out-of-hours, including extended access hubs. Read our news story to find out more about what GP Access hubs offer. 

... Our Inclusion Ambassador is supporting Healthwatch England to support the D/deaf community

Earlier this year, we joined Healthwatch England's Inclusion Ambassador project, supporting their Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Roadmap. We chose to recruit an ambassador from the D/deaf community - they will support other local Healthwatch organisations in becoming more accessible. 

… We made a series of recommendations to improve GP Access  

The biggest concern you’ve shared with us this year has been access to GP appointments. In March, we published our GP Access report, which highlighted some of the key areas that would help improve patient access. At the start of next year, we’ll follow up on these to make sure changes have been made. Read our report on GP Access here. 

… We’ve provided tailored information, advice and signposting

People have come to us with a variety of questions, from looking for a dentist to register with to more complicated issues such as support accessing healthcare after being assigned to the Special Allocation Scheme. Our team help people get information about how to access services, provide referrals and speak to providers to follow up on concerns.

… Targeted work means we’ve been able to hear what pregnant women think of local maternity services

Working with Northwick Park Hospital and the Maternity Voices Partnership, our team carried out a series of visits to the maternity department to meet with local women. This feedback will help provide a snapshot of how the service is performing, and we will share our report early in the new year.

… We’ve started important conversations about Covid-19 vaccination

Our Covid-19 vaccination project gave people from Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities the chance to talk about vaccination. We collected their feedback about the Covid-19 vaccine rollout, as well as practical information about how the reminder letters can be improved. This work has been shared with NHS England to help ensure vaccination programs are culturally appropriate.

… Supporting the new NWL integrated care system means we can make sure local voice is amplified

It’s crucial that patient voice is heard – and acted on – by the systems that plan and deliver our care. That’s why we’ve been working closely with the other Healthwatch services in North West London (NWL) and the new NWL integrated care system to make sure we’re able to contribute the views and ideas you share with us. Learn more about integrated care systems here. 

… Links with the local community sector are stronger than ever

Dozens of different community groups have partnered with us or fed into our work, ensuring their members get the chance to speak up about local healthcare. From working with Daniel’s Den to hear from parents with young children to visiting local foodbanks and delivering sessions at a range of community centres, we’ve continued to build these links throughout 2022. Thank you to all of our partners!