Our Annual Report 2020-2021 is out now!
We are proud to present our annual report detailing how Healthwatch Birmingham helped the people of Birmingham during the Covid-19 pandemic. It also sets out how we will ensure that everyone can have their say about how health and social care services they use.
Like many organisations, Healthwatch Birmingham experienced increased demand for our services. Between April 2020 and March 2021 we collected more feedback and received more questions from the public than ever before. We signposted people towards emergency help, and reported concerns about disruptions to care and urgent recommendations for filling gaps in support directly to health and social care services.
We set out to tackle the health inequalities that meant Covid-19 had a disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups. After listening to the views of Somali people, we are working with the NHS and Birmingham City Council to make important changes to how care is provided to Birmingham’s diverse communities.
Building on the activity outlined in this report, our priority is to reach out to people from every background during the restoration and recovery of services, so greater equality in health and social care can be one positive legacy from Covid-19.
Thank you to everyone helping Healthwatch Birmingham in this important work:
- People who shared their experiences with us.
- Health and social care staff providing amazing care under incredible pressure.
- Commissioners and providers making the improvements people want.
- Our dedicated staff, board members and volunteers.
- Voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations helping us hear the views of the people they support.