Healthwatch: Coronavirus and social care among hot topics for discussion at open Northumberland health meeting

The free event, for anyone living or working in the county, takes place online on Wednesday, October 21, from 2pm.

Healthwatch Northumberland is the independent champion for users of NHS and social care, listening to people’s views and experiences of services to find out what’s working well and what could be improved.

It also provides a free information and signposting service which has helped more people than ever find local support and services during the last six months.

The event will be a look back at how Healthwatch Northumberland has made a difference to people who use NHS and social care services over the past year and will also be a chance to hear about the move to using digital means to access services.

Healthwatch Northumberland’s chairman, David Thompson, said: “Most of us use NHS or social care services at some time or another, whether that’s GPs, hospitals, physiotherapy, mental health services, dentists and pharmacies, care homes or care in the home.

“The coronavirus crisis has led to changes in the way we access these services, accelerating the move to online appointments and consultations. We’d like to know what people think of these changes; what they have found to work well for them and what could be better.”

Speaking at the event will be Dr Alistair Blair, medical director, and Judith Stonebridge, public health consultant at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, who will talk about the ways in which technology is changing healthcare, the benefits for both patients and professionals, and what we can expect in the future.

Members of the public are invited to submit their questions prior to the event. To register, call 03332 408468, email: [email protected] or register online at bit.ly/HealthwatchNorthumberlandAGM2020

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper.

If you can, please do pick up a copy when you are at the shops. Thank you for your support.