It has certainly been a year like no other as we look back at the work of Healthwatch Hampshire over the past 12 months for our Annual Report 2020 – 2021.
From moving our team to home working and getting to grips with digital engagement, it has been a year of change for everyone.
The past year has seen big changes and challenges for everyone as the pandemic took hold and the country went into lockdown.
Access to health and social care services had to change dramatically and the role of Healthwatch Hampshire was even more important at this time.
Using digital tools such as Teams and Zoom has meant that our people were able to join with far more groups and meetings, to hear patient voices, than would have been possible to travel to face-to-face.
Digital working has enabled us to develop new connections, work in partnership far more easily and collaborate with other organisations to co-produce projects. Our work around unpaid carers has been a prime example of this success.
We are mindful however, that many people without access to technology have been left disadvantaged and this is something that we are looking at in terms of access to health and social care services moving forward.
You can read all about the work we have been carrying out, and what our priorities are for the next year, in our Annual Report.