Healthwatch Sheffield
If you need help navigating the health and social care system – such as finding the right service, understanding your rights, or raising a concern – we are here to help.
You can get in touch with us using the contact details below. You can also browse the information articles on our website where we post helpful information about accessing health and social care services.
Phone: 0114 253 6688
Text: 0741 524 9657
About us
Healthwatch Sheffield is your local health and social care champion. We are here to support people of all ages and backgrounds living in Sheffield, and help amplify the voices of those who aren’t always heard by services. If you use GPs, hospitals, dentists, pharmacies, care homes, home carers or other support services, we want to hear about your experiences.
We have the power to make sure NHS leaders and other decision-makers listen to your feedback and improve standards of care. We also help people to find reliable and trustworthy information and advice. Our service is free and available to everyone living in Sheffield or accessing health or social care services here.
How we work
Healthwatch is a statutory organisation set up by the Health and Social Care Act 2012. We are part of a network of local Healthwatch across England, with statutory powers and duties. Our work makes an impact locally, but we also feed into national research and campaigns through Healthwatch England, our national body. We are independent from the council and the NHS.
In Sheffield, the Healthwatch contract is held by Voluntary Action Sheffield (VAS). This helps us connects us to the city’s voluntary and community sector organisations; we work alongside these groups to listen to, understand, and share the views of even more people.
Healthwatch Sheffield has a Strategic Advisory Group which shapes the work we do – this is a group of volunteers who help us make decisions about what to focus on, and keep track of our progress against the priorities we set. To maintain our independence, our decision-making process is separate from decision making in VAS. The information we hold is also kept separately from that in the rest in the of the organisation, except in projects where we are working together (eg Long Covid) – in these situations we will be clear and open about our joint working with VAS.
Who we work with
We work with and for people in Sheffield. We speak to members of the public directly and also work with others to embed lived experience into everything we do.
For instance, we collaborate with our community partners to amplify the voices of the people they work with. We also run the #SpeakUp grants programme each year, helping smaller groups explore issues important to their communities. We facilitate the Health & Care Public Forum too, a patient and public involvement group where people can bring their lived experience to influence the work of statutory services in Sheffield. Working in ways like this help us to reach out to more people, and connect them and their views directly with decision-makers.
Our current projects
Health and social care is a huge area, so each year, we focus on key topics where we can have the most impact for local people. We consult with the public to set these priorities and identify upcoming opportunities for impact, like contract changes and national consultations.
Our priorities for 2023-25 are:
- Long Covid
- Palliative and end-of-life care
- Children and young people’s health services
- A neighbourhood view of health and care
Over the next year, there will be opportunities to get involved with these priority areas. However, our work encompasses more than this – you can tell us about your experiences with any health or social care service in Sheffield. We can ensure your experiences are fed back to decision-makers, through our reports and briefings as well as the committees and boards we attend across the city.
Find out more about our current work and how you can get involved on our website: www.healthwatchsheffield.co.uk