Annual Report 2024 - 2025

We were shocked and saddened to hear the government announcement in the news this weekend that announced changes in future legislation which will see the closure of both Healthwatch England and the local Healthwatch network. 

Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees is one of over 150 local Healthwatch organisations affected. These changes will take time to implement, and we await further detail and timelines with the publications of the NHS 10-Year Plan and the Penny Dash Review into Patient Safety due soon. 

For over a decade, we have worked hard to champion the voice of patients and the public in health and care. We’ve helped people share their experiences, both good and bad, and ensured those voices have led to real change. We now have serious concerns about whether those voices will continue to be heard and acted on in the same way and look forward to digesting the plans once published. 

Despite limited resources, our small team of staff and volunteers have consistently delivered meaningful, impactful work, gathering feedback from 14,153 people over the last eight years. We are incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved, especially over the past year, and our new annual report, published today, shows just how much of a difference we’ve made. 

Some of our highlights from the past year: 

• 2,919 experiences of health and care services listened to
• 5,802 people supported with clear signposting to the right services
• Seven reports published to influence local decision-making
• 13 dedicated volunteers and 33 Health & Care Ambassadors delivering 339 hours support to help us reach more people
• How we worked in partnership with North East and North Cumbria ICB and other Healthwatch organisations across the region to:
  • understand the difficulties in accessing dental services
  • the challenges facing women and their health needs
  • support the engagement for the NHS 10 Year Strategy
  • gather feedback to improve North East Ambulance Services (NEAS) as part of the NEAS clinical strategy review
• Our Annual Event, which helped us plan for our future priorities and support the Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees Executive Board to determine our workplan for 2025 - 2026

Our Annual Report also contains a message from our Chair, Peter Smith.

We had hoped to launch this year’s report in celebration, to recognise the dedication of our team, our volunteers and most importantly, the people of Stockton-on-Tees who have trusted us with their experiences. Instead, we are sharing it at a time of uncertainty, as we come to terms with a difficult announcement about our future. 

But even in this moment, there’s still so much to be proud of and to look ahead to. Alongside our annual report, we are now focusing on our 2025/26 workplan, which has been shaped directly by local people and what matters most to them. 

It’s a clear reminder: This is your voice, in action. Thank you. 

But we want to be clear: We believe every person deserves to have their voice heard, and acted on, when it comes to the health and care they receive. We won’t stop saying that now. For the time being, it’s business as usual. We remain here, listening to you and championing your voice in health and social care across Stockton-on-Tees.