We are here to make your experience of health and social care better. We are the independent champion for people who use health and social care services in Blackburn with Darwen.
We’re here to find out what matters to people and help make sure your views shape the support you need, by sharing these views with those who have the power to make change happen.
We are here to help you to find the information you need
We help people find the information they need about services in their area. This has been vital during the pandemic with the ever-changing environment and restrictions limiting people’s access to health and social care services.
If you use GPs and hospitals, dentists, pharmacies, care homes or other support services in your area, we want to hear about your experiences. We are independent and have the power to make sure decision makers listen to local feedback and improve standards of care. We can also help you to find reliable and trustworthy information and advice. Last year, the Healthwatch network helped nearly a million people like you to have your say and get the support you need.
We are part of a network of over 150 Healthwatch organisations across the Country. Here in Blackburn with Darwen, we can make sure that those in charge of health and social care services hear people’s voices. People’s views come first – especially those who find it hardest to be heard. We’re entirely independent and impartial, and anything you share with us is confidential.
The Power of your feedback
We use your feedback to better understand the challenges facing the NHS and other care providers nationally, to make sure your experiences improve health and care services for everyone. We can also help you to get the information and advice and you need to make the right decisions for you and to get the support you deserve.
It’s really important that you share your experiences – whether good or bad, happy or sad. If you’ve had a negative experience, it’s easy to think there’s no point in complaining, and that ‘nothing ever changes’. Or, if you’ve had a great experience, that you ‘wish you could say thank you’.
Remember, your feedback is helping to improve people’s lives. So, if you need advice, or you’re ready to tell your story – we’re here to listen.
As well as seeking the public’s views ourselves, we also encourage health and social care services to involve people in decisions that affect them and how this could be improved, and we share these views with those with the power to make change happen.