Why listening to people matters in health and social care

Health and social care services are there for us at some of the most important – and sometimes most difficult – moments in our lives.

That might mean visiting a GP or pharmacist, going into hospital, getting help with our mental health or relying on social care to live independently.

Waiting times, targets and information about how services are performing are important. But they don't tell us everything.

What happens when you actually try to use that service? Was it easy to get the help you needed? Did somebody listen? Could you get there? Did you understand what was happening next?

That's where people's experiences matter.

At Healthwatch North Yorkshire, we listen to people across the county about their experiences of health and social care. What's working well? What's getting in the way? And what could be better?

What people tell us

Sometimes something that looks straightforward on paper is much more complicated in real life.

In a large rural county like North Yorkshire, for example, being offered a hospital appointment doesn't necessarily mean someone can easily get there. Long distances, limited public transport and the cost of travel can all make a difference.

Digital services can make accessing care quicker and easier for some people. For others, poor mobile signal or internet access, or simply not being comfortable using online systems, can create another barrier.

And people's lives don't always fit neatly around services.

Through our work with farming communities, we've heard how long and unpredictable working hours can make looking after your health more difficult. Other people tell us about difficulties getting the right support at appointments, navigating different services or having to explain their needs again and again.

We hear about a huge range of health and care experiences. From GP appointments, mental health and postnatal care to accessible health information, bladder and bowel services, patient transport and people's experiences of care homes.

But it's also important that we don't only hear from the people who find it easiest to speak up.

We make a particular effort to listen to different communities across North Yorkshire, including younger people, unpaid carers, people from ethnic minority communities, disabled people and people with long-term conditions. We also go out into communities rather than expecting everyone to come to us. Our Healthwatch volunteers help us listen to people across North Yorkshire, and we work with voluntary and community organisations that already know and support their communities.

Why does that matter? Because different people can experience the same service very differently.

A busy waiting room, unclear communication or information that isn't accessible might seem like a small issue to one person but become a real barrier to care for somebody else.

That's why hearing from a wide range of people matters. An overall figure can tell you what is happening. People's experiences can often help explain why.

And we don't only want to hear when something has gone wrong.

Perhaps a member of staff went out of their way to help you. Maybe information was particularly clear, you felt listened to, or different services worked well together.

Knowing what works matters too.

What happens when you tell Healthwatch?

This is the important bit.

We don't want people to share their experiences with us for them simply to sit in a spreadsheet or report.

We bring together what people are telling us and look for patterns. We use that alongside other evidence, speak to the organisations responsible for planning and providing care, publish findings and recommendations, ask organisations to respond and follow up on what happens next.

And sometimes, what people tell us contributes to real changes.

More than 200 people shared their experiences with us about getting the right support at health appointments. We found that 82% had not been asked what support they needed before an appointment, while 86% said their needs were not always recorded.

Since we published our findings, NHS organisations have taken action to improve how people's needs are recorded and shared.

Read how people's experiences are helping make health appointments more accessible.

People told us about the cost and difficulty of travelling to appointments, unsuitable transport and having to rely on family, friends and community transport.

Since we shared those experiences and our recommendations, changes have included free hospital parking for volunteer drivers and clearer information about help with travel costs, alongside plans for more wheelchair-accessible vehicles. Other work is continuing.

See what's changing after people spoke up about patient transport.

We wouldn't claim that Healthwatch alone caused every change. Health and social care are complicated, and improvements often involve lots of people and organisations.

But people's experiences provide evidence of where things aren't working, what is working well and what needs to be considered.

That's why speaking up matters.

Independent, but not working in isolation

Being independent is an important part of Healthwatch.

Some people tell us they feel more comfortable talking honestly to somebody outside the service providing their care. They might not want to make a formal complaint. They may worry about speaking directly to a service they still rely on. Or they might simply want someone independent to hear what happened.

But being independent doesn't mean working in isolation.

We work with the NHS, North Yorkshire Council and other organisations across health and social care. We share what people are telling us, raise issues and help make sure people's experiences are part of conversations about how services can improve.

NHS organisations, councils and individual services listen to patients and residents too, and many use that feedback to improve care. Healthwatch adds another route for people to have their say, independently of the organisations providing or commissioning their care.

We listen to staff too.

People working in health and social care can have valuable insight into what's working well, what's getting in the way and the pressures services are facing. Listening to them can help us better understand what we're hearing from the public and the wider picture behind people's experiences.

Our role is to bring what we hear together, spot recurring issues and make sure people's voices reach those who can act on them.

You don't need to know which organisation is responsible for fixing something before you talk to us.

You just need to tell us what happened.

Why listening needs to continue

Health and social care never stand still. Services change, pressures change and new ways of providing care are introduced.

So listening can't be a one-off exercise either.

If services are going to work for the people who rely on them, we need to understand what they are actually like to use, not just how they look on paper.

That means listening when things go wrong. Listening when things go well. Listening to people whose experiences can otherwise be overlooked.

And then doing something with what people say.