We are committed to working closely with voluntary and community sector organisations that can support our engagement and consultation activities and help us reach out to a broader and more diverse range of people. We work with local community and voluntary organisations on specific engagement projects, encourage them to help us share important healthcare and service messages, and meet with them regularly through our events.
We also hold regular Northumnbria cafes which aim to look at ways we can work better together to support people in our communities.
The first Northumbria Café engagement event took place in January 2024 when 25 organisations attended to offer their views and opinions on a number of key issues for communities in Northumberland and North Tyneside.
Due to the success of this event, the second café was held in July at the new Health and Care Academy with 31 organisations represented by more than 50 attendees. We reported on the impact of the first event and how that engagement session informed the patient charter with examples such as making clinical messaging simpler to match the reading levels of people in our community.
The next Northumbria cafe will be on 7 November in Berwick - more details to follow.