Become our new Treasurer! Work with a charity helping over 4,000 people Support us with fundraising and funding bids Meet regularly with our Board of Trustees Scan the QR code above or visit tinyurl.com/TAGtreasurer24 Email Angela.Ellis@advonet.org.uk or call 0113 244 0606

Would you like to help a #charity to support people and communities in #Leeds get their voices heard? If so, we are looking for a new #volunteer Treasurer to support us with work such as funding bids and fundraising.

What should national policy-makers do to make care closer to home a reality?

We have identified 15 issues and actions needed, exploring the policy levers available to any government looking to reform health and care services.

Read now. buff.ly/rHe35TY

Ensuring that the voice of children and young people is heard in health& care service planning is vital. Youthwatch are an important part of that in Leeds. we are always keen to welcome new Youthwatch volunteers/leaders of the future! Congrats to Annie for taking over as Rameesah heads to London!

Can Health Services Solve The Government's Growing Benefits Bill? | The King's Fund The government has outlined plans to cut the welfare benefits bill. Helen Gilburt considers what these cuts might mean, especially for those with mental health conditions.

The government has announced proposals to make it harder for people to claim for benefits for health-related reasons, while addressing those needs through health services and employment support. Helen Gilburt considers the impact of this approach. buff.ly/cANMB0K

a large event with people sat round tables talking with text that reads February and March 2025 newsletters

In case you've missed any of our recent updates, you can read and view our latest newsletters.

March newsletter: re-url.uk/WLED
February newsletter: re-url.uk/WP58

Read about how your voice has made a difference and ways you can get involved in sharing your experiences.

A blue background with the logos of the 3Cs (Communication, Coordination and Compassion) and Healthwatch Leeds in the top left corner. A photo of Abdul in the bottom left corner with a connecting speech bubble which says "My wife worked with the NHS, I worked for the council, but even the work pension is not much. If we had the means of buying gas and electricity on a regular basis, probably that would have made things different”. This quote is from the How Does It Feel For Me November Update 2024

𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗯𝗱𝘂𝗹’𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼?

In our How Does It Feel For Me video, Abdul shares how financial barriers-like prescription costs and travel-affect access to care. Money worries can be a barrier to getting care.
Watch: tinyurl.com/wvxxz6wf

Share your experience with us!

#HowDoesItFeelForMe

Grt meet at battlescars, of our Leeds citywide grp putting voices of pple at the centre of h n c decision making. Big topics incl our one insight library for Leeds so we stop duplication and asking communities the same things...and how qualitative data can be seen alongside quantitative data.

Have you experienced challenges with your mental health? Have you used the new NHS 111 mental health service?

Did you know that NHS111 has an option for those who are struggling with their mental health? Have you used it? In May 2024, the Leeds mental health crisis line switched to NHS 111. We would like to hear your thoughts on the new service: www.surveymonkey.com/r/NHS111Cris...

A smiley face rating system that says let us know your thoughts, take the survey.

Now is your chance to tell us what health and social care services you want us to focus on for our next financial year. All the work that we do is dependent on what matters most to people in Leeds. Make your voice heard here: www.surveymonkey.com/r/PubVolrevi... or get in touch

A collage of many photos of Rameesah with the text in the middle "Goodbye Rameesah"

Today we say farewell to Rameesah, our amazing Community Project Worker & YouthWatch Lead. From volunteering in 2014 to leading YouthWatch in 2023, she’s inspired so many & made a huge impact, especially through the Oral Health report. We’ll miss her greatly! Wishing you all the best! #ThankYou

Do With: A Call To Action | The King's Fund Do With is a network of people and organisations calling for a radical shift in the public sector from ‘doing to’ to ‘doing with’. Join the movement today.

Welcome to everyone joining us today for our #DoWith event, calling for radical change to the way public sector services work, from 'doing to' people and communities to 'doing with'. If you're taking part, let us know your thoughts using #DoWith. buff.ly/7Nvuw5X

Huge thanks to Rameesah who is leaving us for an exciting next chapter in London. A super talented colleague who not only made sure children and young people s voices were heard in health and care in Leeds but who also inspired and supported so many young people to believe they could achieve too! 🥰

Manthology, a collection of poems from men in Leeds.

An Invitation to Walk the Thread A Listening World learning journey This is not a training. It’s not a course with fixed outcomes or a curriculum designed to deliver pre-packaged knowledge. It’s a shared inquiry. A process. A space to explore how we live, relate, and respond in a world on the edge. We invite you into a circle of fellow travellers. Together we’ll follow the thread—through story, stillness, dialogue, and embodied practices. There will be structure, but not rigidity. Guidance, not instruction. The path will emerge beneath our feet as we walk. This is for those who sense that something deeper is needed. For those seeking not answers, but better questions. For those ready to listen—to themselves, to one another, and to the world. You might come away changed. Or not. You might find clarity. Or more mystery. Whatever your journey, you won’t walk it alone.

I have been working on new type of development programme, designed to encourage and strengthen right hemispheric thinking toward:
context, connection, and coherence
felt experience, metaphor, and imagination
presence, humility, and care

If this sounds intriguing please do let me know...

Many thanks to the 248 children and young people and 352 parent/carers who spoke to us about their experiences of oral health. Important findings on the impact on c&yp and great to see how the report has been listened to with new and targeted investment in Leeds.

Rameesah smiling in the Channel 4 studio. The presenter is checking her notes and Rameesah is sitting next to Anastasia.

Rameesah speaking on tv.

Last night, Rameesah, our Community Project Worker and YouthWatch Lead spoke on @channel4news.bsky.social about what children and young people have told us about their mental health in light of the announcement about age restrictions to disability support.
#MentalHealth #YoungVoices

Important to see Rameesah, who leads our Youthwatch feature on channel 4 tonight talking about young people's health and care experiences in light of the announcement about age restrictions to Pip. Great work Youthwatch and Rameesah.

So good to meet with partners from the council, hospital, hospice, carers, mental health services around how we move even further on improving the 3Cs of better Communication with people, better co ordination of care and Compassionate care. Exciting things happening but soo much more we could do!

How we support people when people are thinking about taking their own lives should be a key measure of an effective health and care system. Heard some really poor accounts today of recent experiences. If you have any experiences you can share, positive or negative please get in touch 0113 8980035

The Government Wants a ‘Neighbourhood Health Service’. The First Step is to Agree What That Means. Does a neighbourhood health service mean different things to different people? Chris Naylor argues that there needs to be a common understanding of what the goal is.

The government has put the idea of a ‘neighbourhood health service’ at the heart of its vision for the NHS.

Chris Naylor argues that there needs to be a common understanding of what the goal is.

Read the full blog. buff.ly/hhhDHDY

Palliative End of Life Care Workshop, wednesday 26th February. Logos for the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership and healthwatch working together in West Yorkshire.

It is great to see that the Healthwatch West Yorkshire report on people's experiences of end-of-life care was key to discussions on improving palliative care at today's workshop in Bradford. Your voice and experience really do make a difference.
#PalliativeCare #MakeADifference

Excellent Peoples Voices Partnership session on AI, health and care and what it could mean to involvement. So much to digest and clearly a lot of potential but also clarity that the dangers of increasing health and access inequalities needs to be at the centre of the thinking.

In a world that is feeling under shadows, it's the inspiring people I work with that have provided amazing energy to keep the faith. Big thanks to all at Healthwatch Leeds, Peoples Voices Partnership and Jenny Groves, a third sector leader who has single handedly just opened a new mh hub!

We haven't called it admin in Leeds, we ve framed it around getting the 3Cs, Communication with people, better Co ordinated care and Compassion right but great national report highlighting the importance of getting the basics right for improved outcomes for people and savings to the system.

Did it! Thanks Mike!

Ooh sounds technical! Will ask Gemma who knows about these things! Hope all good with you :)

Wumi standing behind the Healthwatch Leeds table.

A selfie of Annie and Wumi with the Healthwatch Leeds banner.

A bowl of lentil soup. Wumi is holding a slice of bagel with an air hole, which she has filled with soup.

Annie and Wumi enjoyed visiting Rainbow Junktion’s Hyde Park Community Hub to hear people’s experiences of the new NHS 111 mental health phone line.
One visitor told Wumi about a really positive experience at his local GP, where the doctor took the time to truly listen to his health concerns #Listen

Grt to see this national work echoing the work we are doing in Leeds together around improving the things that are core to good health and care services but often form the majority of complaints and feedback. We call them the 3Cs, Communication, Coordination and Compassion.

Grt to see this report and totally echoes the experience and work we have been doing together in Leeds around focusing on the 3 things that form the majority of complaints and feedback and are core to good care. We call them the 3Cs, the need to focus on Communication, Co ordination and Compassion.

First post on bluesky is an important one to profile the work we are doing to make sure the move to 111 for mental health crisis is working for people and carers. Please share or contact us to talk to us about your experiences.