Scheme to share views on health services in N.E. Lincs

A NEW scheme will help more people to share their views on local health services in a bid to improve standards of care.

Healthwatch North East Lincolnshire has launched a partner programme, designed to help it reach a wider audience.

Six organisations – Harbour Place, Age UK, Friendship At Home, Foresight, the Alzheimer’s Society and Get Hooked On Positive Activities – have already signed up.

Partnership co-ordinator Paul Glazebrook said: “The idea is to work with local organisations that speak for those whose voices are seldom heard.

“For instance, we have Harbour Place, which works with people who are homeless or struggling with addiction; the Alzheimer’s Society, which works with those with dementia; and Get Hooked On Positive Activities, which works with younger people.”

The partner scheme was announced at Healthwatch’s first annual general meeting, which took place at Tukes, in Brighowgate, Grimsby.

Chair Kathleen Young added: “There are a lot of people already working on health and social care issues in the area and it makes sense for us to work closely with them to gather information from their users, which we can then use in the most appropriate way.

“The partnership scheme will allow us to get out into sectors of the community that we might previously have had difficulty accessing.

“It’s all about sharing intelligence to secure the best possible health and social care outcomes for people in North East Lincolnshire.”

As reported, Healthwatch is an independent organisation which was launched in April 2013 to give local people a voice on health matters.

Residents can share their views – both positive and negative – with Healthwatch and it then liaises with providers, such as Northern Lincolnshire And Goole Hospitals NHS Trust, the Clinical Commissioning Group, Navigo and North East Lincolnshire Council, to get improvements.

It hosts the following drop-in sessions for people to share their views:

Second Tuesday of each month, from 10am to noon, at Grimsby’s Diana, Princess Of Wales Hospital.

Last Friday of each month, from 10am to noon, at Grimsby Library.

First Thursday of each month, from 10am to noon, at Cleethorpes Library.

To find out more, visit www.healthwatchnortheastlincolnshire.co.uk or follow @healthwatchNEL on Twitter.