The difference we are making
How your feedback is helping us to change health and social care
The difference we are making
Healthwatch West Sussex is your local health and social care champion. We listen to what you tell us about your experience, what needs to be improved and what you want for the future.
We are independent, so people trust us and tell us what they think. We hear from people about NHS and social care services, so we're uniquely placed to understand what is happening. This means NHS leaders and other decision-makers take notice of what we say. They know we'll collaborate with them to find solutions, they can talk to us openly, and we encourage them to involve the public in making services the best they can be.
Reaching out to our community
We strive to make sure we hear from a wide range of our diverse community as possible. We want to tell the people who make decisions and change things about the experiences everyone has with health and care services.
We understand that factors such as culture, location, wealth and education, environment and discrimination can lead to worse health outcome, and we support the strong consensus that this must change. We stand ready to help by doing more to amplify the voices of communities to go unheard and reduce the barriers they face.
Working together for change
We work with Healthwatch Brighton and Hove and East Sussex to ensure people’s experiences of care in Sussex are heard at the Integrated Care System (ICS) level, and influence decisions made about services across the county.
Listening to your experiences
We listen to feedback from all areas of our community.
People’s experiences of care help us know what’s working and what isn’t, so we can give feedback on services and help them improve.
Influencing change
We bring people’s experiences to healthcare professionals and decisionmakers, using their feedback to shape services and improve care over time.
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We collaborated using patient feedback to influence the recommissioning of the new Sussex Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service (NEPTS).
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We collaborated with NHS Sussex and Macmillan to listen to local voices to improve Cancer Care Reviews.
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Partnered with Stonepillow to analyse health-related data and produce a comprehensive report on the wellbeing outcomes of individuals experiencing homelessness.
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Conducted in-depth research into the lived experiences of those in temporary accommodation, identifying strengths in current support systems and key areas for improvement.
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We partnered with West Sussex County Council, NHS and West Sussex Breast Cancer Screening to improve uptake for breast screening invitations.
Change services and processes
Our fantastic volunteers have given 1,814 hours to support our work.
Thanks to their dedication to improving care, we can better understand what is working and what needs improving in our community.
Information and signposting
Whether it’s finding an NHS dentist, making a complaint, or choosing a good care home for a loved one – you can count on us.
This year 992 people have reached out to us for advice, support or help finding services.
National influence
We share thousands of comments about health and social care each year with Healthwatch England to help it inform NHS, social care, and government policy.
Our Mission, Priorities and Areas of Focus
Our work is shaped by the concerns that local people raise with us in West Sussex.
Our mission is to listen to all who use health and care services in West Sussex and ensure their needs are heard and that they influence the design and delivery of local services.
Priority Objectives:
- Improving patient and user experience.
- Helping to initiate a joined-up approach with partners through collaboration. For example, actively working to deliver the Health and Wellbeing Strategy and support the NHS 10-year plan, by sharing our insight.
- Initiating greater patient and public involvement in health and social care.
- Higher public awareness of Healthwatch, reflected by increased engagement.
