Our Annual General Meeting 2023
Reflecting on another busy year
Healthwatch Hertfordshire continued to support patients in challenging times and worked on ways to reduce worsening health inequalities by ensuring people’s voices are at the heart of design and change across the system.
Using findings from our expert research and engagement and experiences from our professional signposting team has helped us to raise important issues and make improvements through our representation of the patient voice to NHS and Social Care providers.
On the day Neil Tester, Vice-Chair of Healthwatch Hertfordshire welcomed 35 attendees including Board members, volunteers and representatives from health and care sectors to the meeting.
Highlights from the year
Once the Annual Accounts were approved and signed off - with Alan Bellinger our Treasurer reporting on an ‘Exceptional’ year - Geoff Brown, Chief Executive reflected on key highlights from the year as published in our Annual Report 2022/23.
Highlights included how we:
- Captured your voice through our research and engagement programme and helped to make a difference to health and social care services thanks to over 9,000 Hertfordshire residents who shared their health and care story
- Focussed our research programme on ways to reduce worsening health inequalities by ensuring community voices are at the heart of design and change
- Spent over 400 hours signposting more than 300 enquiries, helping people to navigate and access local health and care services. Key concerns included access to mental health services and dentistry, support in accessing GP Surgeries and long delays in treatment including surgery.
- Enhanced how we communicate through social media, the website and our newsletter and widened our reach with press coverage
He concluded the review by saying that continuing to develop our partnerships with all sectors across Hertfordshire is key to our success. This is demonstrated through the positive feedback we receive from NHS and Social Care providers who value the insight we bring into patient experiences. The report also shows what we have achieved in the services we have provided, the changes we have needed to make and the very effective and strong operational and governance arrangements we have in place.
“Looking ahead, we want to build on our achievements and reputation by continuing to focus on ensuring the public voice, especially seldom heard voices and those facing unequal treatment or barriers to accessing care, are heard and represented across the Health and Social Care system in Hertfordshire.”
- Geoff Brown, Chief Executive of Healthwatch Hertfordshire
Welcoming our Guest Speaker
Professor Wendy Wills* gave an expert introduction to Health and Care Research in the County of Hertfordshire and across the Eastern Region. Recognising the value and importance of Healthwatch Hertfordshire she put the work of the Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) and the University of Hertfordshire into context. She explained how they act as a collaborative and facilitate research and how the evidence is used to demonstrate outcomes, access and experiences.
Wendy then provided a high level snapshot of research in Herts to demonstrate the breadth of their work and why public engagement and research are vital.
The presentation was really well received with significant engagement and questions from attendees with recognition about the importance of their work.
A summary of her presentation and the slides can be downloaded below.
Note: *Professor Wills is Director of the National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration (NIHR ARC) East of England, Professor in Food and Public Health and the Director of the Centre for Research in Public Health and Community Care (CRIPACC), University of Hertfordshire
Taking part in research
Phillip Smith Associate Director of Research for the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust responded with a few words about the Research and Engagement Network Development (REND) Programme, which aims to make research accessible to everyone. To achieve this Healthwatch is helping the local health and care system to develop a more inclusive, accessible and effective approach ensuring that the patient voice is being heard and barriers are being addressed.
He thanked the Healthwatch Research Team for their support with the project and mentioned the future development of a Herts and West Essex integrated research strategy.
Cost of Living Crisis: Impact on Hertfordshire residents
Launch of key research findings
Our in-house Senior Research Manager, Chloe Carson presented headlines from our major research project in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council into the ‘Cost of Living Crisis’. Over 7,000 people shared their experiences with us from December 2022 to March 2023.
Chloe explained that the report is about lived experience and as a result of the findings focusses on:
- financial impact
- the impact to physical and mental health
- how the findings focus around six specific groups *
- access to healthcare services
- changes people have needed to make and
- information and support available
The groups of people who emerged as most affected and were in the spotlight are as follows:
- Single parents – the hardest hit group
- People under the age of 54
- Black and Asian respondents
- Carers
- People who were ‘just about’ managing
- Disabled people
The report is enriched with personal and, in some cases, startling stories and data that were gathered as part of the research.
The summarised findings and the full report are now published and can be downloaded below.
Summarising the event, Neil Tester, Vice-Chair of Healthwatch Hertfordshire said:
“We were delighted with the turnout this year and the opportunity to meet face to face with our partners and colleagues.
The audience were fully engaged with the AGM presentations with insightful and enquiring questions and great feedback about the event.
The discussions highlighted a number of big issues impacting on patients and service users where our role will be even more important in the future. Those issues include the importance of prevention, the need to address health inequalities, services being flexible and patient and service user focussed and continued partnership working where we can use our insight and connections.
So much was achieved last year and I would like to place on record my thanks to our staff team for their hard work, skill and dedication, our Board, our volunteers our health, social care and community partners and of course the people of Hertfordshire for their continued support.”
Downloads
Health and Care Research in the County of Hertfordshire and across the Eastern Region - summary of the presentation and slides by Professor Wendy Wills can be downloaded below.
Cost of Living Crisis: presentation slides, summary report and full report can be found below.
