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Healthwatch Kirklees has worked in partnership with (Third Sector Leaders) Community Champions to reach over 2000 people to tackle:

• Diabetes and risk factors awareness
• The challenges and barriers to accessing diabetes services and support faced by individuals

In this report, you’ll find information about barriers and recommendations:

• Awareness – The unanimous mention of a lack of awareness of services, risks and support across all demographics underscores the need for more robust outreach and education efforts.
• Language & Communication – Beyond the linguistic challenges often associated with non-native English speakers, the data revealed that individuals with learning disabilities face similar barriers.
• Time Constraints – Time emerged as a significant barrier, especially among working-age individuals and those with physical impairments.
• Gender Disparities – The distinct challenges women face, particularly regarding language and understanding, emphasise the need for gender-sensitive approaches in service provision and communication.

Kirklees has a higher than national average number of ethnic minorities. These communities generally have lower interactions with services and for South Asian people with learning disabilities, this is further exacerbated since people with learning disabilities and their carers can be isolated socially and when it comes to accessing NHS or social care services.

In the last 6 months we have heard stories from people who have had their Continuing Health Care packages changed and replaced with social care support instead. This is often for people with long term, severe illness.

Healthwatch Kirklees regularly go out into the community to talk to people about their experience of health and social care services.

We’re always looking for different ways to engage people so we decided to take out some equipment to provide people with some basic health checks.

Healthwatch was asked by West Yorkshire and Harrogate health services to talk to patients, carers and the wider public, about what people thought about possible new ways of providing the care that they need when they have a stroke or care for someone who has.

The work was aimed at people who have experienced a stroke but did include methods to capture the views of the wider public also.

Healthwatch Kirklees and Healthwatch Calderdale were contacted by a few adults with Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC) who were concerned about complications around diagnosis and accessing services locally.

The Calderdale and Kirklees Independent ME Support group raised various issues with Healthwatch Kirklees regarding diagnosis, stigma and support for people with ME.

The ME group asked Healthwatch to support them with sharing their experience with local Clinical Commissioning Groups.