Healthwatch Trafford annual report 2021-22

Report - 30 June 2022

We've published our Healthwatch annual report, to give you a closer look at how your involvement has helped us improve services locally.

Our year in numbers

  • 130 people shared their experiences of health and social care services with us, helping to raise awareness of issues and improve care.
  • 104,267 people came to us over the phone and online for clear advice and information about topics such as mental health and COVID-19.
  • We published 10 reports about the improvements people would like to see to health and social care services.
  • Our most popular report was ‘Awareness of Long COVID and Support in Trafford’ 
  • We’re lucky to have 31 outstanding volunteers, who gave up 61.8 days to make care better for our community.
  • We’re funded by our local authority. In 2021-22 we received £124,500 which is the same as the previous year.
  • We also currently employ 4 staff 

Making sure people find support for Long COVID

Thanks to people taking part in our research, we’ve worked with local commissioners to improve access to Long COVID support across the borough. We created a resource on our website which acts as an easily accessible ‘one-stop shop’ for people needing to find out more about managing Long COVID, saving confusion and distress for those overwhelmed and needing information.

Additionally, thanks to the discussions we had with the respiratory lead, we can now signpost people who are struggling with referrals and GP services.

Highlights

  • We helped patients struggling to communicate with GP services access care in a way they understood
  • We represented local people on groups and committees across the borough
  • We've continued to look at inequalities in North Trafford
  • Worked with our Local Dental Committee to help people understand the situation with dentistry and how to access care
  • Linking people to reliable information they could trust, and even taking it on tour
  • Our volunteers have helped people have their say from home, supporting The Big Conversation in Greater Manchester
  • They have also conducted engagement work through online research including website reviews and fact finding

What's next?

We will be taking a closer look at the following three areas:

  • Mental health: children’s mental health in Greater Manchester, and adult services in Trafford.
  • Undertaking a Learning Disability Day Services project with the council
  • Recommencing public engagement after COVID and rebuilding our relationship with the community.

We will also be building relationships within the new Integrated Care System and finding our place in the new structure, in order to continue our work.

The pandemic has shone a stark light on the impact of existing inequalities when using health and care services, highlighting the importance of championing the voices of those who all too often go unheard.

Downloads

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