Meet our volunteers

I have been volunteering with Healthwatch since 2013.

Since becoming a user of the NHS I have seen great strides in patient consultation from the Doctor telling you what to do and you doing it.  Even in some instances not knowing what your condition is, being in hospital for tests and not knowing why.  Now it's much better, the patient is consulted.  We even get a copy of the letter sent to our GP.  Now we have access to our medical records.

While volunteering for Healthwatch Sunderland I enjoy listening to patient comments.  Hearing how things are for them and feeding back their comments in the knowledge of if it is a bad comment it will be added to the feedback to the service used.  Equally it's important for good comments to be passed on as good feedback leads to more good practice.

My reason for joining Healthwatch Sunderland has not changed, I still believe that feedback improves services.  Maybe my focus has moved a little from mainly being interested in adult care.  Now on becoming a great grandmother I find I now have a greater interest in the care of children.

I became involved with Healthwatch Sunderland as a Volunteer Champion back in spring 2016. During this time I have been out and about in the community engaging with members of the public to find out what they thing about the health and social care services on offer in our city.

I have benefitted greatly from the training opportunities I have been offered and I am a fully trained Enter and View volunteer. So far have put this to use in several activities across the city in local extra care facilities and GP surgeries. Alongside other volunteers or members of the Engagement Team I have now taken part in countless information stands in local venues, to spread the word of Healthwatch to ensure that more people are aware of who we are and what we do.

I really enjoy conversing with people and have plenty of opportunities to do this in my role here at Healthwatch Sunderland.

In my spare time I enjoy walking and going along to my local gym.

I got involved with Healthwatch Sunderland as a volunteer as previously I had been a carer and through this role found the need to access a number of Health and Social Care services. Since then I have taken a keen interest in this area and felt that I would like to give something back through volunteering.

I have been volunteering with Healthwatch Sunderland since February/March 2017, undertaking surveys in GP practices, participating in the 'enter and view' work at care homes and working on information stands. In addition to this I also do some volunteering with a local charity, housing organisation and community association.

Previously I have volunteered in a variety of roles such as through being on the Board of Trustees (Treasurer and Chair) for a local charity. Participated on a social committee for an extra care scheme for older people which included organising events (social evenings and fetes) and activities (arts and crafts and exercise) for residents as well as fund raising. A project with Gentoo called 'Over2You' which undertook some similar work to Healthwatch with regards to collecting service users’ personal experiences and opinions, and a Governor for an NHS Foundation Trust.

I enjoy working in different environments with a range of different people and learning new skills.

I feel that volunteering has benefited me by gaining new experiences, insights and learning through the training received.

In my spare time I enjoy Yoga and Pilates and go to regular classes on a weekly basis.

As a recently widowed person, who had been a carer for 4 years, I found myself with very little to do. I was recommended by a friend who knew I wanted to give something back to society as I myself had received so much support.

I joined Healthwatch Sunderland as a Volunteer Champion in March 2017 and so far I have been involved in information stands, meetings and training. I enjoy the meetings the most, meeting so many different people with varying views and personal experiences.

Volunteering gives me a purpose. I love chatting to people and feel I am doing something useful. It fills a void left from retiring and then being a carer.

I have a Border Terrier and like to get out walking with him, meeting friends for lunch, going on holiday and having my grandson to stay.

I became a Healthwatch Champion as I was looking for more volunteering opportunities to fill in some of my spare time. I like meeting new people, so after the application and induction process, I started my role here at the beginning of April 2017.

So far I have helped out at information stands in local health centres, where I get to meet a lot of different people and ask them how our Sunderland health and social care services are doing. I have taken part in several training courses which I have particularly enjoyed and included; Equality and Diversity and Safeguarding Adults.

In my leisure time, I enjoy studying all aspects of architecture.

I first found out about Healthwatch Sunderland while I was completing a course for people who are coping with brain injuries, so went along to meet Anna from the Engagement Team to see if being a Healthwatch Champion was for me.

It was, so I started volunteering with Healthwatch Sunderland in February 2017 and so far have taken part in some group activities at the Sunderland and North Durham Royal Society for the Blind, where I facilitated the explanation of the role of Healthwatch in our city and encouraged those present to give their feedback on services. I like meeting new people so hosting information stands at various venues, including health centres and community events gives me lots of opportunities to do this too.

I have taken advantage of the training opportunities which have been available to me since I stared and I am now a fully trained Enter and View volunteer and looking forward to taking part in my first activity.

Since February I feel my confidence has improved, I have new friends and I have been able to use the skills I have, but haven't used for a long time.

I also volunteer for NERAF, which is a local organisation who work with people who feel they may have a problem with alcohol and substance misuse. When I am not volunteering I enjoy looking after my grandchildren and spending time with my extended family.

Read June's story which she presented at the PCP AGM 2018.

I am fairly new to the organisation having just finished my training to be a Healthwatch Champion.  I found the training thorough and most of all ongoing, so you keep up to date.  So far I have really enjoyed meeting people and hearing their views on the health and social care services which they use.

I got involved as a volunteer for Healthwatch having previously been involved in LINk which was the forerunner to Healthwatch.  I decided to get back in touch to become a volunteer again as I love to help and meet people and it also helps to keep me active and gives me a focus to my days.

So far I have helped to host information stands at community events and took part in various training sessions as part of my induction.  Next I will be helping out with some group work and building upon my knowledge of Healthwatch and its services.

In my spare time I love doing housework, so when I am at home I clean the house most days and I always say that the outside of your home reflects the inside!

I was a member of a multidisciplinary outreach palliative care team for 14 years, completing my Open University degree in public health and neuroscience while I worked. I gave up my job and moved back to Washington to take care of my parents, and to become a full-time Master's student in Research Methods with the medical anthropology department at Durham University.

My first assignment was staffing the Healthwatch stand at the Sunderland Carers Centre summer fair in June 2018 - which was lovely, as I really benefit from their services myself!

As well as staffing information stands, where I've been able to signpost people to the Healthwatch Sunderland Care Home Life register, I have enjoyed meeting groups of people in sheltered accommodation to gather their views over a coffee.

A former volunteer with LINk I joined Healthwatch in 2013 and regard myself as one of the original volunteers.

I come from a teaching, community work and project management background and have undertaken all the training on offer from Healthwatch.  My main interest is Enter and View and I love visiting the care homes to get people's opinions of life there. The Care Home life publication is a really valuable piece of work and I am happy to contribute to it, everyone should read it.

I have also staffed Healthwatch information stands at various venues in the area.  I enjoy talking to and listening to people about their health issues and signposting them to other services in the city.

I am a member of the U3A (University of the Third Age) and get fully involved in their activities.

Since my partner died two years ago my constant companion is my dachsund George and despite his short legs we enjoy long walks together.

As an ex nurse and now a retired primary school teacher, I’ve always liked talking to people and Healthwatch gives me the opportunity to do that. I joined Healthwatch in 2019 after a Healthwatch volunteer friend suggested that I would enjoy the ‘work’ that she did, and I do, I love it. 

So far I’ve helped host a few information stands, which gave me the opportunity to get the views and opinions of the general public on their local healthcare services. I’ve also as a result of being a Healthwatch volunteer had the opportunity to take part in patient led assessments of local hospitals, a very rewarding experience and a real eye opener to the problems faced in our NHS. 

I’ve recently visited Sheltered Accommodation and thoroughly enjoyed talking and getting the views of the residents on the health care services in the area.

I’m also a member of my GP’s Patient Participation Group and have helped successfully in a bid to get grants to have the surgery building updated, so we can move forward in improving patient care and treatment. As a result we hope to improve appointment and waiting times as we now have space for another GP. It’s good to know that I’m contributing to improve health care services for my local community.

In my spare time I’m a member of the U3A, and participate in a number of activities including Kurling and learning to play the Ukelele, good fun. I also love walking my dogs and I’m in a group which has regular meets for walking and chatting. 

I'm a wife and mother of three wonderful children. I used to work in a primary school as a teaching assistant but due to poor health I had to give up my job and on my good days I found myself with free time.

My Healthwatch journey is still really new. I found the Organization when I had a bad experiences in hospital and I wanted to know if there was anything out there that could be a voice for people.
As soon as I meet up with the engagement team I knew this was exactly the right place for me.

I've struggled with my health for a number of years and I've have some bad experiences with health services but mostly have been first class, so I wanted to give something back.

I began my journey in January this year (2020) and I have to say I absolutely love it. I've attended information stands, a group meeting and a conference. I am starting my enter and view training in a few weeks.  I have to say up to now the information stands are my favourite as I love chatting to people and I'm so happy that people feel comfortable sharing their experiences with me.

The team have been so welcoming and I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone better and I'm especially looking forward to the next stage in my training.

In my spare time I love sewing and doing any craft my imagination will allow.

I am one of the youngest members of Healthwatch Sunderland and I have joined the team recently. For A-Levels, I am currently studying: Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics in the hopes of becoming a doctor in the near future. As well as studying for exams, I also coach swimming to children and tutor kids as well. 

I think that joining the Healthwatch team was a very good decision to make because not only is it a team but a family to me. Coming along to volunteer with the information stand has been a very insightful experience because it showed me the different perspectives and viewpoints of patients’ visits and how their treatment was carried out. This has enhanced my ability to be empathetic to others by listening to what others have to say about their situation and I find this very interesting since different people have different views on their treatment. I have greatly improved my communication skills by being able to talk with others about how their experience with the NHS was. 

I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to help people by taking surveys on the topic of their stays at hospital because I think that this form of opportunity sampling will definitely show what is working well and what areas need some improvements in primary healthcare settings, for example: the NHS in Sunderland. 

I am currently reading Public Health at Sunderland University.  I am passionate about health Improvement and educating the general public about health issues and how to lead a healthy lifestyle.

I joined Healthwatch in 2019 as a volunteer.  So far I have had the opportunity to co host an information stand, chatting to people about who we are and what we do as an organisation, signposting them to services that are available within the NHS and also receiving their views and experiences on services they have used. This was a big eye opener for me as people’s experiences and views varies from person to person.

I have also been at stroke groups with patients, families and carers – a very interactive and informative session on changes and accessing local NHS services to help patients lead an independent life irrespective of their health challenges.

Overall, it has been an interesting and informative experience for me at Healthwatch and I look forward to more engagements.

I joined the Healthwatch team as a Healthwatch champion in October 2019.

I have a disabled son and over the years I have appreciated the advice and support I have received from independent organisations. This has led me to engage with different organisations to help both to support people with similar problems and to improve services. I have been a member of a Hospital Charity, a Lay member of a Medical Research Ethics Committee, an ‘expert by experience’ with Inclusion North, a member of a Patient Participation group and a member of LINK a precursor to Healthwatch. Together with my husband I am currently a member of a Carers’ Management Board that meets with the management of my son’s Care organisation to monitor and improve services.

I know the peace of mind that knowing your loved one is receiving good care brings as is the case with our son.

I am delighted to have new opportunities with Healthwatch to talk to people about their individual experiences both good and bad so this information can be passed on to Health and Social Care services. It is important that good work can be appreciated and shared with others so that problems can be addressed.

As a volunteer with Healthwatch I have received e-Training online in ‘Safeguarding Adults’ and ‘Safeguarding Children’ and enjoyed a visit to a Care Home and talking to residents also attending the SEND conference earlier this year.

I look forward to many more opportunities with Healthwatch in the future.

I am a retired Biology Lecturer and OU Tutor in ‘Biological Psychology’.

I am interested in Botany and enjoy Pilates classes, walking and jogging – slowly.