Healthwatch Tower Hamlets welcomes two work placement candidates
Read on to find out what type of work they were involved in and what skills they learned during their time with us.
Healthwatch Tower Hamlets have had the pleasure to offer two Tower Hamlets residents, Angie (pictured) and Breyah, paid work placement opportunities for the period of two weeks. This opportunity was available for working age residents (18-65 years).
The placements enabled the candidates to take part in a range of Healthwatch activities including creating promotional material for the Healthwatch website and social media channels, creating surveys on SmartSurvey, engaging with local people to find out about their experiences of using local health and social care services, inputting data into our Patient Experience Data base, take part in meetings with the local authority and NHS trusts, and much more!
Below you can read about two of our work placement candidates' experiences of working with us.
Angie's Experience
Q: What kind of things did you learn during your work placement?
Healthwatch was a complete mystery to me before this placement. Now I understand they play a vital role in improving healthcare for everyone. They achieve this by visiting various healthcare providers, like clinics, hospitals, and dentists, and collecting feedback through patient experience surveys.
Q: Did the work placement improve your learning/confidence or knowledge in a specific area?
Yes, my work placement absolutely improved my confidence in a specific area. Initially, I wasn't sure how to talk to patients or approach them to complete our patient experience surveys. It can be daunting to interrupt someone's day, especially when you know they may not be feeling well. However with the help of being able to shadow Khadeeja, I was able to watch her and learn how she approached every patient which looked so natural. As I gained experience, I became more comfortable and confident in explaining the importance of patients feedback and how it can improve their experience. This improvement in my confidence is a valuable asset that I can take forward in my future endeavours, and I am grateful for this opportunity to have developed it during my placement.
Q: What did you enjoy the most about the work placements?
I truly enjoyed getting to meet everyone and being part of a real working environment again. Creating content for HealthWatch's social media, like those posters for National Awareness days was a great way to contribute. I also enjoyed being able to come in the office, working off-site and also experiencing what its like to work from home which was great.
Q: Has working with Healthwatch changed how you view health and social care services?
Working with Healthwatch has emphasized the power of providing health and social care services. It's made me realise how important it is to raise awareness of these services and resources so that everyone in the community has access to these places or events that goes in the borough. Hearing directly from people about their experiences has highlighted the importance of clear communication and I am now much more aware of the challenges people face in navigating the healthcare system and the vital role Healthwatch play in bridging the gap.
Breyah's Experience
Q: How did you find out about the work placements at Healthwatch Tower Hamlets?
I was actually completely unaware of the existence of Healthwatch before my work placement. I have now discovered from first-hand experience that Healthwatch consists of many people working behind the scenes to help make the NHS a safer health space for the community. The team at Healthwatch TH were frequently collecting feedback from patients, leading meetings and preparing key presentations to share information and spread awareness. Healthwatch helps to make a difference by giving direct feedback of not only what is going right in our health and care services but providing insight to the vital areas in need of improvement.
Q: Did the work placement improve your learning/confidence or knowledge in a specific area?
The placement has definitely boosted my communication skills. We travelled frequently to various hospitals and GP practices within the borough, which meant that I was always meeting and speaking to new people. My confidence has improved a lot by taking part in many patient experience surveys with Khadeeja!
Q: What did you enjoy the most about the work placements?
What I have enjoyed the most about working at Health Watch has been the opportunity to speak to patients face to face. The world has experienced some changes in our health systems communications due to factors such as COVID. With the implementation of online e-consultations, it is clear that such developments despite strengthening appointment flexibility pose a clear practicality issue for the older generation.
This is why I have enjoyed directly speaking with the elderly. It felt very fulfilling to be able to ask them questions and see them take advantage of the opportunity to open up about their true thoughts and feelings on the health and care services provided in the borough - that they have been experiencing for far longer than the rest of us!
Q: Has working with Healthwatch changed how you view health and social care services?
I would say that working with Healthwatch has changed my views on the NHS. After speaking with multiple patients my perception which previously was founded only upon my family and I’s experiences broadened.
Being able to hear lots of different perspectives from a diverse group of people has enabled me to have a better judgement on what the NHS is actually like on a whole rather than personally.
Whilst there can always be room for improvement in all things, those who work in the health and social care domain are still simply people themselves that together unite to make the service function and flow around the clock.
Thank you to all key workers in the health sector for your sacrifice and dedication!
