Setting our priorities for 2022-23: first steps

Report - 7 February 2022

We've been talking to people about what we should focus on in the year ahead. Find out what they said and how you can share your own views.

To start the conversation about people's health & care priorities for next year, we held an online public meeting on 19th January 2022.

21 people came to share their views, with the help of BSL interpreters, quick polls, and engaging conversations. We shared some of the work we've done over the last year, and asked for their thoughts on what we should look at next, asking two main questions.

What areas of health and social care should Healthwatch Sheffield focus on in 2022?

We heard about a huge range of topics - here are just a few:

Mental health services - people want to see more tailored mental health support, for example for Deaf people, disabled people, and people with autism;
Autism & ADHD - the support for people both pre- and post-diagnosis needs to improve;
GPs - accessing primary care services is a huge barrier, with lots of people unable to get through to their GP on the phone;
Children & young people - more support is needed when leaving school, especially for children with physical and/or learning disabilities, or who are neuro diverse;
Long Covid - people want to see more support, and clearer pathways, for people struggling with long covid;
Involvement - people want to be involved when health & care services are changing, and they want their voices to be really taken into account.

How can Healthwatch work with you and others to support you to have a say in how health and care services are run?

We heard a lot of good ideas on this topic too, including:

The need for a range of approaches - sometimes online is best, using social media and smart technology options. Sometimes face to face conversations and longer interviews are better;
Engaging with other people involved in a person's care - as well as the individual receiving care, we should be speaking to carers, interpreters, voluntary sector workers and others who can give us even more insight into the way services work for people;
Ongoing relationships are important - building trust and confidence with groups and individuals will help us to amplify their voices better, as well as enabling us to share helpful information in a timely way.