Healthwatch Kingston Annual Report 2023-2024: The value of listening to you
Healthwatch Kingston has a statutory requirement to prepare and publish our annual report by 30 June. This year it has been delayed due to the timing of the UK General Election, because we were not allowed to publish during the pre-election period (25 May to 4 July 2024).
Our year in review
Our 'Healthwatch Kingston Annual Report 2023-2024: The value of listening to you' covers the period between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024.
Reaching out:
1793 people shared their experiences of health and social care services with us, helping to raise awareness of issues and improve care.
5300 people came to us for clear advice and information about topics such as mental health and the cost-of-living crisis.
Making a difference to care:
We published 14 reports about the improvements people would like to see in health and social care services.
Our most popular report was Including Communities which highlighted the struggles disadvantaged people face accessing NHS and social care.
"This past year, Healthwatch Kingston has listened to local people in hospital wards, care homes and youth clubs. We have engaged at workshops and events, and travelled to meet with community groups wherever they were.
Poverty has a direct impact on health and wellbeing, so we have reached deeper than we have before to ensure our borough’s most vulnerable, who do not always have their views heard, can inform NHS and social care service developments and planning.
Sharing personal experiences of care with people who can drive needs-based change is powerful. This is how we will continue to make a difference, championing local voices to improve services and reduce health and care inequalities in our community. Thank you for helping us deliver your Healthwatch Kingston statutory service. We value your involvement in our work."
Health and care that works for you:
We’re lucky to have 60 outstanding volunteers who collectively contributed 349 days to make care better for our community.
We’re funded by our local authority. In 2023 - 2024 we received £122,000 for our core statutory service, which is the same as the previous year.
In 2023-2024 we employed 6 staff (4.2 full time equivalent) who helped us carry out our work.
"I would like to take this opportunity to say a very big thank you to our former Healthwatch Kingston chair, Liz Meerabeau for her decisive leadership, expertise and continued support. I would also like to thank Stephen and the Healthwatch Kingston team, trustees and volunteers for their hard work and dedication as I look forward to working with you as chair going forward."
