About us

Healthwatch is the new independent consumer champion created to gather and represent the views of the public. Healthwatch will play a role at both national and local level and will make sure that the views of the public and people who use services are taken into account.

Healthwatch will help you and your family get the best out of your local health and social care services.

The public has few ways to use its powerful voice and may not realise the difference it can make to services.

Our health and social care system is going through massive change.

All organisations have to make cuts to spending and services.

People may not believe that they have real power.

People rarely speak up for fear of repercussions, through lack of engagement, or because they don’t think they can make a difference.

Healthwatch is an opportunity for the public to use its voice to have real influence for children, young people and adults.

We can create a better health and social care system for all of us.

The best health and social care services will be based on respect, compassion, excellence and driven by you.

This is an opportunity for us all to create a health and care system that really meets our needs.

Every voice counts when it comes to shaping the future of services and improving them for today.

Services should be and will be based on childrens, young peoples and adult’s needs and experiences and accountable to local people.

You can be involved in shaping local services according to what your community wants
and needs.

Healthwatch makes health and care providers answerable to you, the children, young people and adults who use their services.

Local voices improving local health and social care, helping you get the best out of services.

We give you information about the care choices you have.  We help you to navigate the health and care system.

We’re out here talking and listening to people from every part of your community - children, young people and adults.

We tell services about your experiences of care and hold them to account.

People who are least able to speak will be heard through Healthwatch.

We are part of your community and we’re answerable to you.  We reach out to everyone in your community - we’re not a committee but a powerful community-based organisation, which speaks on your behalf.

We’re a challenging organisation and we don’t ignore poor practice. We help you turn it into good practice.

Over the coming weeks, months and years we wish to promote patient and public involvement in the shaping of Health & Social Care services for Hartlepool. In our time of engaging with the community, when we ask service users what matters to them they have indeed have an opinion. HealthWatch Hartlepool members are a vibrant and committed cohort of people involved in trying to improve services for patients and are motivated by experience; some grateful who want to give something back, others damaged who want change. Without this passion and commitment the decision-making tables would be sterile. We add a new, much needed dimension to the role of patient and public engagement.

We will detail the impact we make in the arena of Health & Social care and collate an abundance of research & evidence around what matters on the whole to all patients, which will assist the hospital trust’s, NHS Clinical Commissioning Locality Group (Hartlepool) and other service delivers at the decision making table. We feel the things that matter to patients and carers, as per our work in the community are our aims and objectives for shaping the future of Health & Social Care Services for the people of Hartlepool:

1. Getting better, feeling better – Promote better outcomes of care
2. Getting the right care from the right people (clinical quality) underpinned by ‘Choice’ for the patient in where, when and how
3. Being treated as a human being (humanity of care). This must include the delivery of services which keeps intact an individuals dignity whilst maintaining respect.
4. Promoting greater meaningful information, communication and having a say (shared decision making). Including receiving information, clear explanations and being part of shared decision making process by all service providers at all levels ensuring there are no gaps in service provision.
5. Being supported. Including practical and emotional support that includes access to statutory and voluntary sector services
6. Promote support for carers, relatives and loved ones
7. Aim to ensure delivery of services is in a safe, clean, comfortable place to be (environment of care). Including privacy, hygiene, and food.
   This should be active at each stage of care (whether in primary or community care or in a hospital).
8. Ensure patients receive the Right treatment at the Right time – including prompt response to an emergency; timely access to transport, short waits, etc.
9. Right treatment in the right place (another aspect of access) – convenient locations; transport; parking, etc.
10. Not being passed from pillar to post (continuity) – a smooth ‘journey’ through primary to/from secondary care, between health and social care, between community providers, etc.
11. Continuous care – ‘after care’, support in the community, etc.
12. Support for independence. Including being able to look after yourself to improve your own well-being and prevention of ill-health. (including re-ablement)

On top of these, there are particular needs for specific groups or particular barriers that people from different parts of society face when trying to get the things they need. Therefore, diversity, equality and human rights issues are central to all dimensions of our work. It should also be noted that financing issues are important to patients and carers. But, these are more things that should concern us as citizens and tax payers (i.e. how our money is allocated across the system). The issue of rationing of treatments affects us as both patients and citizens. But ultimately, they should be decided fairly based on clear discussions with ALL people as citizens. Every Voice Counts so have your say on health and social care in Hartlepool.