Partner and Stakeholder Testimonials

“2020/2021 has been the most challenging year for statutory and non statutory health and care services where we have collaboratively joined together in our response to the pandemic and our recovery following it. It is so important that our residents have an active consumer champion in supporting their use of health and social care services. Healthwatch will continue to represent people to ensure that they have timely access to quality services across the borough of Cheshire West and Chester.

In 2020/21 Healthwatch has continued to seek and gather the views and experiences of service provision throughout the pandemic which will help inform future models of integrated care. Healthwatch has also sought to actively review and quantify the mental health and wellbeing challenges that have arisen throughout  and as a result of the pandemic. An active member of the local Health and Wellbeing Board, Healthwatch will help refresh the next Place Plan aimed to tackle health inequalities across our  9 Care Communities. The Council’s new Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee also continues to benefit from the advice of Healthwatch as it shapes its new role.

Healthwatch continues to be a dedicated member of our Health and Wellbeing Board, Integrated Partnership Board and Place Executive and we look forward to continuing our strong partnership with Healthwatch in our approach to new models of care alongside our collective aim to tackling health inequalities in our Borough.”

Delyth Curtis, Deputy Chief Executive – People; and
Ian Ashworth, Director of Public Health – Cheshire West and Chester Council

“Healthwatch has continued to be a supportive but critical friend of the CCG and has proven to be an invaluable partner over the last year as the local and national system responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. The insight and intelligence provided by Healthwatch around the public experience of health and social care services during this time and access to local COVID-19 services have helped shape and guide our response. The support provided to engage directly with our underserved communities has also been critical in the push to vaccinate these communities. As the local system progresses in implementing the changes resulting from the NHS white paper, and as local NHS services reset and recover, the continued support and involvement from Healthwatch will be crucial in communicating these changes to the public and other stakeholders.”

Clare Watson – Accountable Officer, NHS Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group

“What a great piece of work the Care Communities reports are… we want to make sure that the positives and lessons are learned far and wide, and particularly the positive messages about the vaccine rollout. The messages about hesitancy to use the NHS are also pertinent to us at the moment.”

Anna Collins – SRO Communication and Engagement (COVID Vaccination Programme), NHS Cheshire CCG

“Thank you very much for sharing this really interesting report and all your work which is hugely appreciated.”

Sheena Cumiskey – Chief Executive, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

“My mum got her inoculation last Thursday at Columbus Hall, Chester. My sister took my mum and she reported back that it all went like clockwork. Hopefully the second inoculation will be as efficient. Thanks for your assistance, it is much appreciated.”

Cheshire West and Chester resident regarding an enquiry about COVID-19 vaccinations

“This work enables comprehensive coverage of the network that will give boaters the confidence to register at any surgery, despite being miles from home or without the luxury of having a home surgery.”

Martin Buck, North West Waterways Chaplaincy

“Thanks so much for this [COVID-19 vaccinations Citizens Focus Panel report]. There is some really useful insight which we will share internally and for communications activity.”

Jodie D’Enrico – Head of Communications, Marketing and Public Engagement, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

“My Mum and I have now decided that after a long and exhaustive investigation, the issues raised by us have been accepted, noted and have set in place a different approach on the ward, when it comes to dealing with Sepsis, and relaying information openly and honestly, to the family of the patient.

Thanks very much for the amazing service you run, I hope we don`t need to get in touch with you at any point in the future, however I know if we did, the help would be exemplary.”

Cheshire West and Chester resident regarding the Independent Complaints and Advocacy Service

“Thank you so much for the kind donation of reading books, these will be a great source of joy for residents!”

Activities Coordinator, Pinetum Nursing Home, Chester

“Credit Healthwatch for the fantastic work that they’ve shared earlier this week pulling all our organisational updates on our COVID response in a one stop shop on their websites.”

Cheshire System Partners Communications Cell

“Thank you. We received a copy of this really helpful report [Views of 18-30-year-olds on COVID-19 Vaccinations] at our Cheshire West vaccination group yesterday. We have used the feedback and intelligence from this and the report from Pathways CIC to determine where we target our communication and engagement over the next few weeks to further increase our vaccination uptake.”

Alison Lee, Managing Director, Cheshire West Integrated Care Partnership

“We don’t know each other, and my organisation doesn’t have any links to the boating community but I just wanted to drop you an email to say what a great piece of work this is. Well done to everyone involved. I do, however, have a personal interest as someone whose parents had a 30ft barge for many years!”

Bev Morgan, CEO, Koala North West

“Many thanks for this [Annual Report 2021] and what a fantastic report, very proud to have such a great Healthwatch team in our borough.” Cllr Louise Gittins, Leader, Cheshire West and Chester Council

“Healthwatch is an important player in helping us provide the services people want and need and in a way which is accessible to all.” Cllr Val Armstrong, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, Cheshire West and Chester Council

“Thank you for being an outstanding Volunteer Coordinator at Healthwatch Cheshire. You continually keep volunteers fully involved of opportunities, you bring a smile to everyone’s face I’m sure with your motivational emails, and you make sure all volunteers are kept in the loop with everything the wider team are doing.” Alison Kaye, volunteer and Board Member, July 2021

“Wow – didn’t know which home to click on first – greedy to read it all! Thank you so much for this brave and innovative piece of work. You took a leap of faith and it’s paid off. I think people will use this as a reference point when researching choice of homes.” Paula Wedd, Executive Director of Quality, Patient Experience and Safeguarding, NHS Cheshire CCG

“Thanks for sharing this report. It’s great to have such contemporaneous intelligence to influence future plans.” Paula Wedd, Executive Director of Quality, Patient Experience and Safeguarding, NHS Cheshire CCG

“Thanks for sharing this important intelligence. At our Team Brief today I took the opportunity to highlight to CCG staff the relevance of HW reports to our work and I highlighted the list of the reports published just over the last few months – it was a long list! Awesome thank you.” Paula Wedd, Executive Director of Quality, Patient Experience and Safeguarding, NHS Cheshire CCG

“Thanks very much – really helpful for a variety of reasons. Healthwatch material is a valuable source of what it’s like at the frontline.” – Phil Purvis, Senior Manager, Policy and Coordination, Cheshire West and Chester Council

“Please would you pass on thanks from all in the CCG for this work. It is really something to be proud of and I do not underestimate the hours and hours that this took much of which was provided by volunteers in their spare time.” – Tracey Cole, Executive Director Strategy & Partnerships, NHS Cheshire CCG

“This is a really interesting report and it was great that Healthwatch reached out to boaters with information on GP registration etc. There were lots of positive comments about services, which will be good to feedback.” – Cllr Val Armstrong, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, Cheshire West and Chester Council

“Thank you for the contribution you make to supporting health services to be as good as they can be.” Alan Yates, Chair, Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership

“I continue to find the reports you’re producing of great interest… value the insight they give me to issues across your area… reports that gave great, very localised information.” Jon Tuner, North West Regional Lead, Healthwatch England

“Excellent report from Healthwatch CW and Healthwatch CE about experiences of health and care during the COVID-19 pandemic. People generally understanding of the pressures the NHS has been under and accepting of changes in how to access. The report does also detail the challenges that have been faced and the fear that has existed with people not wanting to overburden services or catch Covid. I sense a desire for increased face to face contacts now, which is already happening. The report is worth reading.” Dr Jonathan Griffiths, Cheshire GP

“You’re all doing a grand job of keeping us in touch with what our population are thinking.”

Paula Wedd, Executive Director of Quality, Patient Experience and Safeguarding, NHS Cheshire CCG