Joan Twitchett
Joan started volunteering with us in 2017 because she has a passion for how local health and care services are delivered and how they can be made better. Over the years she’s been involved with several Enter & View projects - including visits to dental practices and St Albans City Hospital. When the pandemic hit and the consequent lockdowns came into force, we realised that we would need to change the way we delivered our services too. This is what Joan had to say about the situation:
"2020 was a very unusual year for us all. Our ‘Enter and View’ projects were cancelled and I wondered if there would be any tasks for me as a volunteer. However I was fortunate to be able to support Healthwatch from the safety and comfort of my own sofa!
In May, I was auditing GP websites looking for information about services available for patients during Covid-19. In November I became an actress to mystery shop the online clinical service provided by Connect Health Physiotherapists. I felt pleased to be able to continue my voluntary role during this difficult time. Both tasks were very interesting and I enjoyed being involved."