Our 2019-2020 Annual Report

Welcome to our 2019-2020 Annual Report!

Our vision is that Lambeth people have their health and care needs heard, understood and met. We remain wholly committed to making this happen especially for people who are least well heard and most in need of high quality appropriate health and care services. Last year 1,229 people told us about the improvements they would like to see health and social care services make in 2019-20.

Some highlights from the past year include:

• We have a leading role in the Lambeth Advanced Care collaboration. Alongside other charities and primary care colleagues our aim is to encourage Lambeth people to plan ahead about serious illness and the end of life, so that their wishes are respected when the time comes, and they get the care and support that’s right for them.
• Following our Investment in Volunteers (IiV) accreditation last year, we appointed a coordinator who is boosting opportunities for volunteers to get involved.
• Two of our staff completed internationally recognised training in public participation. We are using their new found skills to develop more empowering and inclusive ways for people to influence local services, and to support local partners to use similar approaches.
• Black Thrive, the Lambeth race equality in mental health partnership that HWL hosts has also really developed this last year. One example is an exciting new project to promote employment for black people with long term conditions (LTCs) as a means to promote and protect their mental and physical health.

There is much more to say so please read on.

More than anything we want to thank all the staff and volunteers across Black Thrive and Healthwatch Lambeth for their incredible commitment and hard work. It’s really down to you! I also want to thank our dedicated trustees.

The coming year could be very different but the lived experience of Lambeth people, their ideas and contributions must always be at the heart of decisions about health and care. Healthwatch Lambeth is here to make sure that happens.