Healthwatch Dudley's work honoured at national award ceremony

National recognition

The National Healthwatch Impact Award recognises outstanding examples of people sharing their experiences to improve care for their community. Up against 17 other shortlisted projects from across England, we were commended for our work improving access to GP services in Dudley.

Speaking on the award for our team, Jason Griffiths, Chief Officer of Healthwatch Dudley thanked local people who contributed to the project.

Voices of local people lead to change in GP services

After over 1000 local people shared their experiences of GP services in Dudley, we worked with local partners to create a Patient Charter, this charter will encourage GP practices to meet the accessibility and communication needs of local people. Whether people struggle to speak English, read and write or are unable to use the internet, this charter supports patients' rights to care. 

All GP practices across the Dudley borough have now signed up to the Patient Charter, it is displayed on GP websites for patients to discover their rights.

Praising the team at Healthwatch Dudley, Chief Executive of Healthwatch England, Louise Ansari said:

Patient Charter

After looking into how people in Dudley access GP services, we worked with local GPs and health leaders to create a Patient Charter. The charter puts into practice what local people told us would make their GP services fairer and easier to use for everyone.

The Patient Charter explains the ways GP practices will try to make it easier for patients to access services. It focuses on helping people with different needs, like those who struggle with technology or need extra help communicating. The charter is for all GP practices in Dudley to use, and it aims to help ensure everyone can get the care they need.

You can find the Patient Charter on your GP practice’s website. If you ever feel like you’re not getting the care you should, you can use the charter to help explain what you need.

Moving forward

We will be looking deeper into the impact of the Patient Charter to ensure improvements are continuing to be made to improve access to GP service. We encourage all residents to view the Patient Charter on their GP website and contact us if they feel it is not being upheld.