Agenda item

The Committee considered the Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees Annual Report covering the 2025-2026 period.  Local Healthwatch organisations were required to produce an Annual Report setting out their aims and achievements, and this latest document, an overview of which was given by the Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees Manager (also the Healthwatch representative across the Tees Valley), covered the following:

·       A message from our Chair

·       About Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees

·       Our year in numbers

·       A year of making a difference

·       Working together for change

·       Making a difference in our community

·       Listening to your experiences

·       Hearing from all communities

·       Information and signposting

·       Making change over time

·       Volunteers at the heart of our work

·       Finance and future priorities

·       Statutory statements

Headline data for the 2025-2026 showed that Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees had supported more than 16,600 people to have their say and get information about their care, had heard from 2,424 people on their experiences of health and social care, and had published nine reports about improvements people would like to see in areas such as Pharmacy First, the NHS app and accessing GPs, support for the deaf community, and mental health.  The organisation had continued to influence discussions at a local, regional and national level, ensuring that lived experience shaped delivery, service improvements, and future planning.

Key themes covered during the year included primary care access (difficulties getting through for GP appointments, long waiting times, lack of continuity of care, and digital barriers), mental health rehabilitation and recovery (long waits, fragmented pathways, being passed between services, and discharge arrangements that felt rushed / unsafe), winter care, shaping ‘WorkWell’ (a new service designed to help people with long-term health conditions stay in or return to work), and palliative and end-of-life care.  National policy in relation to online NHS developments was also influenced via the Healthwatch North East and North Cumbria (NENC) network.

Feedback on this latest Annual Report had recognised the value of the work undertaken by Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees and its role in influencing local, regional and national policy – indeed, the organisation had recently provided evidence to Parliament on what future models of public voice and engagement could look like.

Looking ahead, Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees would be directing its efforts towards Neighbourhood Health, hospital access and communication (including an ‘enter and view’ activity programme within University Hospitals Tees (UHT), extending its work with people experiencing homelessness, and working through trusted organisations to reach those that often remained unheard.  Contributing to NHS Fit for the Future (the 10-year health plan for England) to help strengthen the health and care workforce, and support services to meet future demand, would be another important area of focus.

Giving thanks for the information provided, and noting its uncertain future following last year’s announcement that Healthwatch was to be scrapped, the Committee felt that this latest Annual Report reinforced the essence of what Healthwatch was all about – namely to reach out to local people and give them a voice.

Commending the work undertaken by volunteers within the organisation, the Committee drew attention to the recently published ‘enter and view’ report following a visit to Synergise Pharmacy, with concerns expressed over the challenges the pharmacy appeared to have in contacting GP practices (as well as its ongoing medication shortages).  In related matters, Yarm Medical Practice’s recent adoption of an artificial intelligence (AI) system to book an appointment was also noted, with Members highlighting the potential stresses this could cause with patients having to phonetically spell out their names when the system did not recognise it accurately, as well as its limitations in understanding dialects.

Welcoming the publication on support for the deaf community, the Committee sought clarity on who Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees had reached out to with regard previous work around drugs and alcohol.  In response, it was stated that the original focus on these issues was in 2024, and that follow-up engagement had taken place with Bridges Family and Carer Service, CGL, and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) Public Health after it was found that people were not aware of the outreach offer that was already available.  Continuing the theme of drug / alcohol use, Members noted problems in both Yarm Lane and Bishopton Road, and queried whether the opening of the new Stockton waterfront park may have dispersed substance-users to other areas of the town.

The Committee voiced encouragement about the evidenced engagement from the public throughout 2025-2026 and the sense that people were becoming more comfortable in sharing their experiences of health and care (particularly around palliative services).  Members were informed of the sensitivities involved when seeking views on the existing end-of-life offer as people requiring these services were already experiencing difficult situations which Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees was mindful not to make worse.

With reference to the work around the ongoing system change by UHT, the Committee asked for any examples where the Group had made alterations following Healthwatch input / feedback (there was also a specific request for more information on the stated ‘you said, we did’ element).  Whilst details would be provided after the meeting, an engagement event with UHT, which helped in developing the Group’s six priorities, was noted.

Comments concluded with the Committee praising the efforts of Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees during the course of 2025-2026, especially through being involved in and facilitating positive partnership-working, and for continuing to seek views from under-represented groups.  In response to whether there were any further developments in relation to digital inclusion (a topic which was stated to be an intended area of focus when the previous year’s (2024-2025) summary was presented to the Committee in September 2025), Members were informed that such matters would be considered as part of forthcoming NHS Fit for the Future work with the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB) around digital access.

AGREED that the Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees – Annual Report 2025-2026 be noted, and further information be provided as requested.