News and reports

In June, the Government published its NHS 10-Year Health Plan for England after an engagement exercise in which over a quarter of a million NHS staff and members of the public gave feedback.

ADHD and autism are two neurodivergent conditions that present in contrasting ways. In recent research, Healthwatch England heard from people who were diagnosed with, or suspected they had, both conditions. They talked about the impact of being diagnosed with both conditions.

NHS England has published the long-awaited updates to the Accessible Information Standard. Read the response from Healthwatch England.

As part of the Healthwatch North East & North Cumbria Network, we work in partnership to represent the public voice across our whole region. Our latest published report details some of the work we have done together during 2024 - 2025, with external funding, to look at health topics across our region.

Thank you to everyone who has contacted us with messages acknowledging the importance of independent patient voice. We’ve been truly overwhelmed by the response to the news that, as part of the NHS 10-Year Plan, Healthwatch is set to be abolished.

You can find out the opening hours for pharmacies across the Tees Valley for the August Bank Holidays below.

Diabetes UK have launched a new set of video resources designed to improve access to diabetes education for people with hearing loss or lived experience of being Deaf.

Do you need to avoid gluten to stay healthy? The NHS in the North East and North Cumbria has launched a six-week public survey asking people to share their thoughts on a proposal to stop prescribing gluten-free bread, rolls and flour mixes in our region.

Find out our highlights from 2024-25, including who we engaged with, our focus areas and our impacts. Our latest Annual Report highlights our work over the last twelve months, and how the landscape of health and social care services has changed.

Like us, you may have seen the news this weekend regarding the government’s decision to close Healthwatch, including Healthwatch England and the network of over 150 local Healthwatch. We are deeply saddened and disappointed by this decision and we are awaiting the publications of the NHS 10 Year Plan and Penny Dash Review into Patient Safety to help us understand this further.

At Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees, we spend a lot of time listening to people’s experiences with health and care services. But some of the most powerful stories come from the youngest voices, especially when they show us a new way to understand something as big and complicated as grief.

As part of our 2025 workplan focus on children and young people’s mental health, Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees is proud to share the powerful story of 9-year-old Daisy Mathison, a Stockton youngster who transformed personal grief into a message of hope and healing for others.