Quarterly impact report - January to March 2026
This quarter our information and advice website pages had 1538 views. Our work covered a wide range of health and social care, including supporting the prevention agenda, our commitment to members of the community experiencing financial hardship, working together to meet the needs of Surrey residents with a hearing impairment, and ensuring local insights are heard on the national stage. The report also highlights the support provided to individuals through our Helpdesk and Independent Health Complaints Advocacy service.
Our impact report highlights how our independent and impartial role helps us achieve our impact. This quarter some key examples are:
- Community led - we hear about the impact that finances can have on people’s lives and are proud to have signed the End Poverty Pledge. We support the pledge in a variety of ways: ensuring people are aware of available services and benefits, providing information and advice on our website and via our Helpdesk, ensuring service providers and decision makers are aware of the impact financial barriers can have when accessing services.
- Partnership working - following experiences received from local people, we joined with Surrey Coalition of Disabled People and Sight for Surrey to write to MPs regarding the lack of hearing loops in pharmacies. Local MPs have expressed surprise and concern and are raising the issue with the Department of Health and Social Care, The Health Minister and The General Pharmaceutical Council.
- Insight driven - following a call to to our Helpdesk about difficulties in getting prescribed medication and our awareness of a wider emerging issue regarding Shared Care Agreements, we shared our concerns with Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board, the individual now receives her medication as and when needed, Surrey Heartlands are working with all providers to try to ensure that Shared Care Agreements are adhered to.
- Rooted in the community - our report seeking to understand the barriers preventing people from black or Asian communities having sight tests has now been shared widely with our system partners including East Surrey Health Coaches and led to a commitment from key stakeholders to improve communication. Work is under way to investigate how funding and the involvement of commercial organisations might support this.
- Voice for all - through the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy (IHCA) service we supported an individual through the complaint process following his arrest and placement in a mental health hospital. The IHCA worked with the person to produce a number of drafts of a complaints letter, ensured the provider updated their records regarding not contacting the individual and ensured the person fully understood the response to the complaint.
- Connected and consistent - listening to people’s experiences also helps us provide feedback at a national level. This quarter we have fed into national work on the proposed NHS Trust Online, submitted written evidence to NHS England about the Accessible Information Standard, fed into a collective NHS App report - bringing together insights from 1,717 people across 19 local Healthwatch.
We thank everyone who gave their time and shared their experiences with us this quarter.
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“It was a privilege to contribute to this important work. Thank you for bringing partners together to address equity in eye health across Surrey.”
