Healthwatch Darlington Shortlisted For Prestigious National Award

Healthwatch Darlington has been nominated for a prestigious national award for their young volunteering programme called Youthwatch Darlington which has helped raise awareness and improve the provision of information about young people’s mental health services across Darlington.

Healthwatch Darlington was shortlisted under the ‘Celebrating our volunteer team’ category in the Healthwatch Awards 2020, which are run by Healthwatch England.

This annual event – which this year is taking place virtually due to the pandemic - celebrates the difference Healthwatch’s 4,400 staff and volunteers have made over the past year. Healthwatch Darlington is one of only 30 local Healthwatch out of a total of 152 across England to be in the running for one of the awards.

Like their colleagues across the country, Healthwatch Darlington staff and volunteers have been supporting their local community more than ever through the pandemic by:

• Finding out what people like about health and social care support, and what could be improved
• Helping people find the information they need about services in their area and;
• Encouraging those in charge of NHS and social care services to make the changes that communities would like to see.

In addition, the team at Healthwatch Darlington have also been encouraging  those who are seldom heard to share their views and experiences, providing young people who are worried during the pandemic with information and support, hosting online chat sessions with guest speakers from the many organisations and support groups in the town, and have launched a telephone call project reaching out to those who feel lonely and isolated during the pandemic.

Other shortlisted nominations from around the country to the Healthwatch Awards include:

• Healthwatch Leeds - for helping to improve access to mental health crisis support.
• Healthwatch Camden - for research with other organisations to understand the social infrastructure used by older Bangladeshi residents.
• Healthwatch Surrey - for volunteers who helped improve the way a local NHS hospital reports incidents of poor care that have led to severe harm or death.

The overall winner from each category will be chosen by a panel of judges and announced during Healthwatch Week, which runs from Monday 2 November 2020.

Michelle Thompson BEM, Chief Executive Officer of Healthwatch Darlington said:

“I am absolutely over the moon for our young volunteers!  They so deserve to be recognised for all their hard work during 2019 and for this year especially during the pandemic. 

In 2019 they wanted to see improvements to information about mental health services so young people can make informed choices. They then had to adjust to a new world of uncertainty in 2020 especially regarding their education, their jobs and their future. 

Our Youthwatch volunteers recognised this and have worked with local services to make improvements, put together tips and information for people their own age in an effort to help young people learn more about the support that is available. They have continued this in 2020 and have helped young people who may be worrying about the future. They’ve provided online information on different tools and techniques people can use to calm themselves down, and reassurance from their own personal experiences that it’s ok to not be ok and to talk about your worries and to seek help and support.

Sir Robert Francis QC, Chair of Healthwatch England said:

"I never stop being inspired by the dedication of local Healthwatch staff to making care better for their communities.

"Whether reaching out those whose views are not being heard, helping people to find the support they need or making sure NHS and social care services act on the improvements that the public want to see, the award entries highlight the difference local Healthwatch make.

"I would like to congratulate everyone who has been shortlisted. They have done their communities proud."

The overall winner from each category will be chosen by a panel of judges and announced during Healthwatch Week, which runs from Monday 2 November 2020.

More information about the shortlist can be found here on the Healthwatch England website.