Health and Wellbeing Event - Thorntree Hub 21 March 2025
If you follow us, you will know that Healthwatch is the champion for local people’s voices around health and social care, which is especially important for those with the biggest health inequalities.
Holding our events in locations with poorer health indicators compared to the national average means local communities can directly access information and advice to improve their health and wellbeing. It also allows the HWST team to have open conversations about people's own experiences of health and social care.
We wanted to ensure the organisations invited were right for this community, so we asked local people what they wanted more information on, and they told us they needed support around:-
- Mental Health
- Weight Management
- Stop smoking
- Sexual Health
- Domestic Abuse
- Drug and Alcohol support
- Oral Health
Who was there, and what was on offer:
- Teesside Mind, social prescribers' information
- Teeswide Esk and Wear Valley (TEWV) Care Navigators
- Everyone Active had new join-ups for leisure centres
- South Tees NHS Foundation Trust
- Oral Health, teaching young and old about good oral hygiene, one of the main comments from people was that they did not realise they should not rinse the toothpaste off and let the fluoride do its job!
- Sexual Health gave out free condoms and information.
- Stop Smoking, interacted with and signposted more than 20 people for assessments
- SPA Team
- Diabetes UK shared useful support information
- Accessing Change Together (ACT) and Recovery Connections provided information on their drug and alcohol services and linked up with a young person who is struggling with drug misuse
- My Sister's Place had open conversations and advised about the support their organisation offers. They commented that after events such as this, they find people will contact them separately to seek support
- Integrated Care Board, Lung Health and Cancer Screening connected with the right local people
- The Hope Foundation shared information on their services
- Cleveland Fire Brigade generated Safer Homes Assessments
- Middlesbrough Voluntary Development Agency linked up with people who want to start volunteering
- We Care You Care connected with carers who are struggling and offered advice
HWST staff are now fully trained to complete Healthy Heart Checks. On the day, we took more than 30 blood pressure readings. Several people were referred to their GP / 111 and many others were given practical advice about managing their health. We are delighted to now be able to offer this service at all of our future health and wellbeing events.
Thank you to our team of volunteers for supporting us on the day, the HWST team, staff from each of the services and of course, the people of Thorntree for coming along. We look forward to more events this year.
Wellbeing Pedge
We wanted people to think about how they can help themselves based on what they had learned from the event and asked them, 'What is the one thing you will do differently'? They told us :
The services with stalls told us about their conversations with the local community on the day:-
