Healthwatch Lincolnshire Highly Commended Recognition at national Healthwatch Network Awards

We are pleased to announce Healthwatch Lincolnshire has been recognised as highly commended in the Championing Diversity and Inclusion at the 2019 Healthwatch Network Awards.

The engagement work undertaken by Healthwatch Lincolnshire has been recognised as ‘Highly commended’ in this year’s Healthwatch Network Awards in the Championing Diversity and Inclusion category.

Many communities can become isolated and misunderstood and therefore their experiences of accessing local health care can result in inequalities in their access to these services within their community. Our Engagement Officer, Oonagh Quinn working in partnership with the Lincolnshire Traveller Initiative’s Well Woman Group based in Gainsborough, wanted to improve the wellbeing of the community as a whole.
Following an invitation to one of our YourVoice@HWL Events, the Elders of the Lincolnshire Traveller Community and our local mental health trust, Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (LPFT) were able to discuss an opportunity for the community to access Mental Health First Aid Training and become Ambassadors within their community.

This has also had a positive impact on engagement between other health professionals from the community health teams and the community itself around other services such as screening, vaccinations and immunisations and dental hygiene for children.

Healthwatch listen to what people like about the NHS and social care and what needs to be improved. Patient views are shared with health and care professionals, so that service providers can understand what people and their families want from health and care.
The local Healthwatch shortlisted for 2019 Healthwatch Network Awards were picked from almost 150 award entries.

The winner and the highly commended from each category were chosen by a panel of external judges and announced at the Healthwatch England Annual Conference on 1 October 2019.

“This award recognises that our community is made up of different people with different experiences of access to health and care services,” said Oonagh Quinn Engagement Officer, “and it is important to work together to ensure that inequalities are challenged. I would like to thank the Lincolnshire Traveller Initiative for the opportunity to work alongside them, build bridges, improve communication and trust so that access to health and care is made easier for them as a community. We have a long way to go but it is important that everyone is given the opportunity to have a say about what’s important to them to keep them well.”

Imelda Redmond, CBE, National Director of Healthwatch England said,

“The Healthwatch Network Awards is a fantastic event which showcases the very best of local Healthwatch and it’s an opportunity for everyone to come together and celebrate the impact our teams and volunteers have in improving health and care across the country. The awards demonstrate the breadth of issues local Healthwatch work on every year. Their work makes sure people’s experiences are placed at the heart of the services they receive.

I’d like to acknowledge and thank all the network and congratulate those who took part, they have done their communities proud.”