Healthwatch report on the NHS Long Term Plan

Report - 4 July 2019

Background

West Yorkshire and Harrogate (WYH) Health and Care Partnership were asked to come up with a local plan explaining how the priorities in the NHS Long Term Plan will be delivered in our area, specifically a 5-year strategy. In order to make sure that this plan responds to what local people want, our six local Healthwatch organisations (Leeds, Bradford, Kirklees, Calderdale, Wakefield and North Yorkshire) were commissioned by Healthwatch England to find out local people’s views of priorities in the plan.

This piece of work was completed over 8 weeks, between March and May 2019. We gathered people’s views using two surveys and speaking with them at 15 focus groups. The surveys were completed face to face during outreach sessions with different groups and services in the West Yorkshire and Harrogate and Craven area, and were also available online.

Key findings

People want support from the NHS and its partners to make it easier and affordable to keep fit and eat healthily, as well as more pro-active support around weight loss.
People are keen for more prevention of ill health through increased access to regular general check-ups as well as screening for specific conditions.
People want the NHS to provide easier access to appointments, mainly with their GP but also with hospitals. Access to appointments was the single most mentioned theme (18% of responses) when people were asked what the NHS could do differently to help them stay healthy and well.
Whilst the majority of people were in favour of having the option to access the NHS digitally, more than 500 people (41% of respondents) told us about barriers to using online services.
21% of responses mentioned education as being crucial to ensuring children and young people live healthy lives and have the best start in life. As well as education, early support was an area that people saw as key to children living healthy lives.
Having more than one condition often makes it harder to get initial support, especially if you have non-physical conditions.
People with mental health conditions are particularly likely to feel their ongoing support is inadequate because they have been given the wrong diagnosis or therapy.

Downloads

Read the full report:

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To read a brief outline of the work undertaken by the 6 local Healthwatch Organisations, take a look at this:

Summary Report

If you need this report in a different format, please contact us:

info@healthwatchbradford.co.uk

01535 612545

West Yorkshire & Harrogate Health & Care Partnership Response

Read the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership Response to the Healthwatch engagement report:

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Sarah - Chair of the Board of Trustees

As the Chair of the board of trustees, I work with the other trustees and staff to help set the strategic direction of Healthwatch Bradford and District. We meet regularly to look at finance reports, agree the budget, get updates on the work of the staff team and make any decisions that are important to ensure the charity is as strong and effective as possible. We also work closely with the senior staff team to make sure they have the support they need. I previously managed Healthwatch Bradford and District, and I’m passionate about ensuring our local community has a strong voice in the local NHS. I know from personal experience, as both a patient and a carer, that the NHS can be confusing and it can be hard to have your voice heard. We are a diverse and brilliant community, and it’s vital that every part of it has the chance to speak up and help shape our care.

Outside of my role, I’ve got two young children so I’m often busy with them, but I also love yoga and walking in the woods and moors around the District.

I think Healthwatch Bradford and District does a vital job hearing from people across the District, sharing their experiences and views with the NHS, and helping the health and care system better understand the community. I love that I can support this, and I really enjoy getting to work with the fantastic team.

Emma - member of the Board of Trustees

"Healthwatch Bradford and District plays a vital role in making sure every person’s voice is valued, respected, and used to drive meaningful change across our local health and care systems."

I’ve always been driven by a deep belief that people deserve to be heard when it comes to their health, wellbeing, and social care. That belief has shaped my entire career and I’ve spent my life working across health and social care. I have spent time in emergency departments, on hospital wards, within social care services, and alongside community groups where I’ve witnessed extraordinary dedication across our system, but I’ve also seen where things fall short. Those experiences have strengthened my conviction that listening to people’s real stories is the key to creating better, fairer, and more responsive services.

As a Trustee of Healthwatch Bradford and District, I’m proud to help ensure that this principle sits at the heart of everything we do. My role involves supporting the leadership team with strategic decisions, guiding our communications, and helping to shape the organisation’s public presence so that the Bradford and district community knows we are here to champion what matters to them.

Outside of work, life is full and joyful. I have a large, lively family, I foster dogs (which brings chaos and love into the house), and I find calm and creativity through crochet.

Jo - member of the Board of Trustees

“I’m committed to making sure every voice, especially those often overlooked, shapes the future of our local health and care services.”

Alongside my work as an Aviation Ops Co‑ordinator, I serve as a trustee where my role is to read, question, and challenge. I bring real‑life experience into board decisions, always trying to make sure services and strategies work for the people they’re meant to help. Because I commute between cities for my job, I get to see how health services operate in different parts of the country. That wider perspective really influences my understanding of services, especially when I see how differently things can be done in other areas of the UK.

I have a particular interest in children’s services, the elderly, and vulnerable communities as I feel these people have seldom heard voices and need to be supported within healthcare services. As a Healthwatch board member, I champion the voice of local people in health and social care. I use lived experience, community insight, and independent challenge to influence decisions, improve services, and ensure people are heard. I’m driven by a belief that everyone deserves safe, fair, and accessible care, and that real change happens when the public voice is at the table and taken seriously.

I’m also currently studying a diploma in Aesthetics. When I’m qualified, I hope to be able to help people with cleft palates or other facial issues or scarring. It’s important to me to support people who might otherwise struggle to access the help they need. I really agree with the sentiment that the health and care system works best when it truly listens to the people it serves.