What we have done this year – Our Annual Report 2020/21
Thanks to our team across Healthwatch Kirklees and Healthwatch Calderdale, we’re proud to share with you our latest Annual Report, reflecting on our most unpredictable year yet! With the support of our fantastic team of staff and volunteers, we’ve advanced our core goals and found time to pilot new ideas, all while sharing our learning and working in partnership.
Introduced by our treasurer and Chief Executive this year’s report highlights how Covid-19 united us in a common purpose. Whilst Covid-19 presented the biggest challenge the NHS and social care had ever seen, it also meant that barriers between services were broken down. In spite of the barriers that Covid-19 presented us with we were able to adapt, reach out, and continue to support local people.
We heard from 3,113 people about their experiences of health and social care
We provided advice and information to 703 people
We engaged with 1,554 people
The report details over 10 projects that our team has worked on in the last year including:
Befriending Vulnerable People
At the start of lockdown in March 2020, during the Covid-19 outbreak, staff and volunteers at Healthwatch Kirklees wanted to support the community effort by offering some telephone befriending calls to lonely and vulnerable people.
“I found the calls invaluable. I’m fairly isolated in my motor home and haven’t been able to leave the area since lockdown. My son visits occasionally but has to go quite out of his way so I don’t see him a lot. My husband is also suffering from dementia and is in a care home. I’ve enjoyed having someone to just chat positively with and on a regular basis.”
Ethnic Minority Carers Project
Healthwatch Kirklees wanted to support the Carers Strategy Group in Kirklees to understand the experience of ethnic minority carers as it was felt their voice was under-represented. We engaged with ethnic minority carers in the community and in local support groups, asking about their experience as unpaid carers, how this impacts their lives and whether anything could be done differently to better support them in their role.
From our findings, we recommended that:
- health and social care charters are adapted to better support ethnic minority carers
- more culturally appropriate information, advice, and support is developed
- more support groups are facilitated
- work is done to address stigma and involve ethnic minority carers in decision making
Delays to care
We heard many concerns from the public about delays to routine and planned care. Between now and 31st August 2021 we’re inviting you to have your say on these issues.
If you have any comments or feedback on our Annual Report we would love to hear them. Please get in touch.
Telephone: 01924 450 379
Email: info@healthwatchkirklees.co.uk