On Monday, we joined Healthwatch colleagues from across the North East in Newcastle for ‘Raising Voices Together’, a networking event bringing together all 14 local Healthwatch in the North East North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB) area.
Welcoming new additions to the Healthwatch community
This year’s event was particularly special as we welcomed Healthwatch County Durham, who joined People First Independent Advocacy this Tuesday — great to have you on board! We were also joined by Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees, who became part of People First last year, along with colleagues from:
- Cumbria (including ourselves and Cumberland)
- Northumberland
- North Tyneside
- Hartlepool
- Darlington
- Middlesbrough
- Gateshead
- Newcastle
- Redcar and Cleveland
- South Tyneside
- Sunderland
Key insights from Healthwatch England and NENC ICB
While Louise Ansari, CEO of Healthwatch England, was unable to attend, her deputy Chris McCann stepped in to discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead. He highlighted the importance of embracing new technologies but was unable to provide updates on the long-awaited Dash review into patient safety.
We also heard from Claire Riley, Chief of Corporate Services at NENC ICB, and Sir Pali Hungin, NENC ICB Quality and Safety Committee Non-Executive Director. Both emphasised the vital role Healthwatch plays in shaping healthcare services and how our work amplifies patient voices.
Workshops: Sharing ideas and best practices
Throughout the day, we attended two engaging workshops, sharing insights and brainstorming solutions on key topics, including:
- Hearing the views of Children and Young People – What approaches work best?
- Improving Care Homes – What are we doing, and what impact are we having?
- Engaging Rural Communities – What have we tried, and what can we learn?
- Understanding Social Care – How can we better hear from those using adult social care services?
- Enter and View – Exploring principles, powers, and expectations.
- Meaningful Volunteering – Recruitment, development, and opportunities.
- Supporting Neurodiversity – How can we better address concerns?
- Improving Information and Signposting – How is demand changing?
- Data-Driven Insights – Managing and learning from the information we gather, including AI.
- Co-Design and Co-Production – How can we better involve people in shaping health and care services?
Strengthening relationships and future collaborations
The event was a fantastic opportunity to build new connections with Healthwatch colleagues, exchange innovative ideas and explore opportunities for collaboration – particularly in rural areas where our teams work side by side.
Kate, our Manager, reflects on the event:
“The NENC Healthwatch Network is a fantastic example of how collaboration can amplify patient voices and influence services on a larger scale. Through projects like ‘The Big Conversation’ with the ICB, we’re able to drive meaningful change quickly and effectively.
“We left the event with so many fresh ideas and insights from our colleagues in the North East. We truly value these opportunities to learn from each other, and we’re excited to welcome Healthwatch County Durham to People First. Like Stockton, they do incredible work, and we know we’ll learn a lot from them.”
Get involved with Healthwatch!
Events like these reinforce how collaboration strengthens our impact – but we can’t do it alone! Whether you want to share your experiences, volunteer or simply stay informed, your voice matters.