More than 600 people visited the Healthwatch Cornwall stand at this year’s Royal Cornwall Show – resulting in more than 250 conversations with the team about local health and social care experiences.
Stories were a mixture of both good and bad reports on what was working well and what not so well – delays in getting medication, for example, and complaints about services not being sufficiently joined up.
Representatives from the Kernow Maternity Voices Partnership gave out more than 300 cupcakes whilst chatting to women and their families and service users from Healthwatch Cornwall’s four Partnership Boards covering care, autism, learning disabilities and older people were on hand to help with information and tales of their own.
“Our role is to listen, learn and feedback so services can be improved,” said Sarah Jones, Healthwatch Cornwall’s Engagement Project Officer.
“The Royal Cornwall Show is an excellent opportunity to find out what is happening to individuals in our community and to use that knowledge in helping shape what’s needed to make things better.
“As an organisation we do have the teeth of a watchdog and can ensure the stories shared are considered in top level health and social care planning.
“We also have good relationships with our local support service network and can direct people to sources of help they might not know exist. One of the mums who visited us, for example, didn’t know about Parent Carers Cornwall and we were able to signpost someone else to the Cornwall Carers Service.”
Staff and volunteers were joined at the show by Healthwatch Cornwall’s Chair Anna Pascoe and new CEO Nick Bailey.
“It was a privilege for me to see how hard our dedicated team works at a public event like that and how committed they are to getting the evidence required to make a positive difference,” said Nick Bailey.
“Health and social care provision is vital to us all and Healthwatch Cornwall exists to listen, learn and feedback.”