Annual Report 25/26

Over the past year, Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham has continued to ensure that local people's experiences are at the heart of decisions about health and social care services. By listening to residents, gathering feedback and working closely with partners, we have helped influence improvements while supporting people to access the information and advice they need.

More than 2,000 people engaged with us during the year, with 1,328 residents sharing their experiences of local health and care services. We also provided advice or signposting to 111 people, helping them navigate services and find the support they needed.

The insight we gathered informed seven published reports covering a range of important topics, including the experiences of unpaid carers, Pharmacy First, adult social care, and the quality of local services through our Enter and View visits. We also contributed to planning across North East London, ensuring local voices were represented in wider health and care discussions.

We continued to strengthen our connections with communities across Barking and Dagenham by attending local events, working with faith groups, voluntary organisations and community partners, and carrying out regular outreach. This enabled us to hear from people from diverse and underserved communities whose views are often underrepresented in decision-making.

Our volunteers played a vital role throughout the year, contributing 283 hours to community engagement, Enter and View visits, outreach activities and awareness-raising. Their dedication, alongside our strong partnerships with the NHS, the local authority, voluntary organisations and Healthwatch colleagues across North East London, has helped ensure residents' voices continue to shape local services.

Looking ahead, we will build on this work by focusing on people's experiences of the NHS App, NHS referral pathways and access to adult social care, while continuing our commitment to amplifying the voices of all residents and championing improvements that matter most to our communities.