Today, we are launching our Annual Report showing all the amazing, impactful work the team has completed throughout 2024-2025.
We’re overjoyed to be able to share all of the work that our volunteers and ambassadors have been doing during the year, alongside all of the fantastic projects that we’ve delivered. The annual report also shares how many of you have engaged with us both in person and online, including why so many of you have contacted us this year. 1439 people reached out to our Information and Guidance team for support, with many more speaking to us in person.
A few highlights of the work we have done at Healthwatch Essex this year:
April 2024 – We featured on BBC News talking about support for carers.
May 2024 – We held a Fella’s Fair in Hullbridge at a family-friendly football match.
June 2024 – June was the busiest month for us, with Essex Pride in Chelmsford, and we celebrated our annual event, where we reflected on all the brilliant work the team has completed.
July 2024 – We visited the new Health, Care, and Wellbeing Hub at the University of Essex.
August 2024 – We started working on plans to develop our award-winning initiative, ‘Trauma Cards’, for young people.
September 2024 – In September, we welcomed our two new Digital Marketing Apprentices to our Communications Team.
October 2024 – Our first ever ‘Expressions of Trauma’ was set up and opened in the Minories in Colchester!
November 2024 – We held our first-ever comedy night in a Halstead theatre venue, with the addition of a lived experience panel discussion.
December 2024 – Our Information and Guidance team and Communications team visited Essex and Herts Air Ambulance.
January 2025 – The Healthwatch Essex van went on a trip to Laindon to deliver knitted goods and offer information and guidance.
February 2025 – We launched another ‘Expressions of Trauma’ exhibition in Ipswich, showcasing previous and new pieces of brilliant art, where our Information and Guidance Manager, Sharon, won an award.
March 2025 – We had two very important and exciting trips to London, one being to Parliament to discuss carers’ issues and the other to the O2 for the Charity Film Awards.
Alongside these highlights, over the past year, the Healthwatch Essex team has delivered a wide range of impactful projects aimed at improving health and care services across the county. Our work with the Research Engagement Networks strengthened collaboration between patients and researchers, while the Armed Forces Community project in West Essex helped address healthcare access barriers for veterans and their families. Digital inclusion was a key theme, with projects such as Online GP Services and the Digitally Accessing CYP Mental Health Information survey improving how patients interact with online services. Community mapping initiatives, like those focused on COPD and mental health, identified vital support gaps in Colchester and Tendring, informing local health strategies. Several projects tackled overlooked groups, including people involved in sex work, young people in care, and carers, ensuring their voices influenced service provision. Clinical pathways were reviewed, such as in our project on orthodontics, prompting direct improvements. These projects have not only provided the public’s voice but also driven meaningful change in health and care across Essex.
We also have emerging projects, such as our Living Beyond Cancer project. This project aims to explore the lived experience of individuals living beyond cancer. We will also be exploring how living in a home affected by mold impacts people, and exploring women’s experiences of living with multiple long-term conditions.
You can read the full report here.