Volunteering
As an independent consumer champion for health and social care, Healthwatch Stockton gives local people a voice to improve, shape and get the best from health and social care services by empowering people and communities. Join our growing team of volunteers and you can help us improve local health and social care services across Stockton.
We really do appreciate and rely on the range of experiences and skills that all our volunteers bring. We believe that by encouraging and enabling people to play a more active part in changing their communities, that together we can make a real difference and change things for the better.
Volunteers are fundamental to the work of Healthwatch Stockton and at the heart of everything we do, through volunteering we can provide you with the opportunity to use your skills, knowledge and experience to shape your local health and care services and support Healthwatch Stockton in fulfilling our statutory activities.
Whether you can spare a little bit of time or a lot, we’d love to welcome you into our team.
Our volunteers undertake a range of activities to help us ensure that local people are listened to when it comes to health and social care and the services we all use. From talking to people about their experiences of local health and social care services, to sitting on our Board of Trustees. Whatever your background, your time and your talent could make a real difference in your local community.
Volunteering roles are varied. You can help us with everything from carrying out surveys, research, to telephoning people to get their thoughts on Health and Social Care services in Stockton. Are you:
- Able to circulate our newsletter, flyers and leaflets
- Happy to gather health and social care issues in your community
- Interested in telling people about Healthwatch Stockjton-on-Tees
- Willing to telephone residents and services to help us gather people’s views and experiences
All of our Volunteers are important to us and we provide role-specific training to help you develop, as well as out of pocket expenses. We are particularly interested to talk to people who are IT comfortable but will work with you whatever your area of experience, skill or interest.
Listed below are the different volunteering opportunities we offer; you can choose to do one or more roles:
Want to know more? Our Project Lead, Natasha Judge, will be happy to help. You can contact with us via email or telephone.
Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees Volunteer Handbook
Local Healthwatch Volunteer
You could work in a team and talk to local people in your local community at engagement events, gathering experiences about local health and care services. Act as a representative for us at local events and meetings and make sure the views of local people are heard and taken seriously.
Healthwatch Project Volunteer
Our Project Volunteers help us to achieve our priorities through helping us deliver important health and social care projects. As a Project Volunteer you can help us design and implement projects which will benefit people in Stockton. This could involve collecting feedback, opinions and experiences from members of the public or organising healthwatch events and consultations.
Enter & View Volunteer
Enter and View is one way Healthwatch Stockton can gather information needed about services and collect views of service users, their carers and relatives, as well as staff. Healthwatch Stockton has a statutory power that allows us to Enter and View publicly funded health and social care premises to speak to people about their experiences. You can help us conduct these visits and spend time talking to patients, carers and relatives as well as helping us report back on our findings.
Community Workshop Volunteer
Do you enjoy talking to people in community environments such as support groups, coffee mornings, shelters, religious functions etc.? This role offers you the chance to talk to people in the community who are typically harder to reach. You will receive training as well as support to attend these events in areas you are happy to travel to and you will have the opportunity to choose the groups you visit. This incredibly rewarding work can be done alongside other volunteering roles so that you can balance the type of work you do.
Healthwatch Youth Champion
Volunteers aged 11-25 who would like to provide other young people with the opportunity to be heard and to help influence local health and social care services.
Volunteer Community Researchers
Volunteer Community Researchers carry out targeted community research on particular topics in health and social care.
Volunteer Supporter
The Volunteer Supporter will provide support and guidance to all volunteers and assist with the co-ordination of the volunteer’s activities. To work with the Healthwatch Co-coordinator in the induction and training of volunteers.
Healthwatch Stockton Board Member
We are recruiting now for new members to join our dynamic Board. Healthwatch Stockton is led by a board of up to twelve trustees, seven of which are elected by Healthwatch Stockton members. Its role is to determine the strategic direction and overall governance of the organisation and to ensure engagement with all segments of the local population in order to provide a representative voice for as many residents and health and social care service users as possible.
