Healthwatch Wandsworth have spoken to over 1120 local residents in the last year to hear their stories, in order to find where things aren’t working but also to let doctors, nurses and care workers know when they’re getting it right.

They’re part of a nationwide movement that has seen almost 300,000 come forward over the last year to help those running frontline health and care services find ways to improve. A new campaign, #ItStartsWithYou (designed to highlight the difference patient feedback can make) launches today.

Thousands of people across the country are sharing their experiences to help hospitals, GP surgeries and care homes find ways to improve.

The Healthwatch network aims to make it easy for people to give feedback about health and care services, requiring no more than a short telephone call, email or even a tweet.

Healthwatch Wandsworth has been encouraging people to share their views, and helping local NHS and social care services gather insight into people's experiences by:

• collecting opinions on a wide range of issues including local support for carers and mental health.
• using social media to engage people in thinking about how to keep well with their #whatkeepsmewell campaign on Instagram.
• visiting supported living accommodation, mental health wards and renal services at St. George’s Hospital to find out how the services are working for the people using them.
• held public events to ensure local people are informed about local services, can ask questions and give feedback to those who influence the design of health and social care services.

To find out more about how they’ve used the voice of local people to influence local health services, their annual report is available at www.healthwatchwandsworth.co.uk.

Imelda Redmond, National Director of Healthwatch England, said, "Giving doctors and nurses or care home staff a box of chocolates to say thank you is a lovely gesture but sharing feedback about the experience with those in charge is far more powerful. Not only does it help to boost the morale of under pressure staff but it can help the whole health and care sector understand what it is getting right and where things need to improve.

"Healthwatch makes it easy for people to share their experiences, both good and bad, and ensures that from individual doctors' surgeries to the corridors of central government, those in charge of planning and delivering services hear what people have to say.

"It’s heartening to see a growing culture of people willing to share their story and incredibly important that the NHS is also increasingly keen to find out what people are feeding back. But to unleash the full potential we need people to keep sharing their experiences with us, so I urge everyone to speak up and help us make the changes we all want to see.”

You can leave feedback with Healthwatch Wandsworth on their short survey https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/iswy, call them on 020 8516 7767, email enquiries@healthwatchwandsworth.co.uk or tweet them at @HWWands.