We’re excited to announce Healthwatch Kirklees is in line for a national impact award

We are thrilled to share some exciting news with you: Healthwatch Kirklees has been nominated for a national award for our Carers Lanyard project! This project aims to make sure that carers are easily recognised in health and care settings and has been shortlisted for The National Healthwatch Impact Award which recognises outstanding examples of where the views of local people have been used to make positive changes to local NHS and social care services.

This short video explains how, after one unpaid carer, Lynne talked to Healthwatch; what happened next led to over 2,000 carers feeling seen, supported and heard.

Progress continues

The success of the lanyard continues to develop throughout Kirklees and neighbouring areas:

• Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust have purchased their supply of lanyards. Giving a lanyard to all carers is now embedded in their carer support offer.
• Kirklees Council are looking at how they can develop the scheme.
• We continue to share and celebrate the work with our community alongside partners on our social media networks.
• We have a waiting list of carers wanting a lanyard and are asking all our partners to support the project’s sustainability and look
  at how they can continue to provide lanyards for those who need them.

“Hi, I work at Grove House Surgery Batley, and one of my roles is the carers’ Champion. Our carers greatly appreciate the Lanyards. We would love some more. One patient returned to surgery to say how pleased he was as he felt it helped when he was out and about with his partner.”

Giving thanks

Our staff and volunteers work hard to find out if health and care services are working for local people and, if they are not, to try and get services to fix the issues. Finding out that our work has been shortlisted for a national award is not just a pat on the back it’s a testament to the importance of local people coming forward to share their views and help us make a positive difference for people in Kirklees. Thank you!

Commenting on the news, Louise Ansari, Chief Executive of Healthwatch England, said: “Over a million people a year either seek advice from Healthwatch or share their care experience. And, every year, there are thousands of examples of where this feedback has been used by services to make positive changes to health and care. Getting shortlisted for our national impact award is no mean feat. It means that the work has made a real difference for local communities, often amid ongoing challenges facing health and care services.”

Eighteen projects from across England are in the running for the National Healthwatch Impact Award and the finalist will be announced in March 2024. We’re wishing all those shortlisted good luck.

Find out how MPs in parliament responded to carers’ feedback and how young ambassadors helped take the project to another level in the carers lanyard project journey here

Share your views with us in our feedback centre or by getting in touch with our friendly team.