How Healthwatch Cornwall turned feedback into better care

A quiet word about a dentist you cannot get, a GP you cannot reach, a mental health service with a waiting list too long to help. On their own they are private frustrations. Gathered up, written down and put in front of the right people, they become something with the power to change how care is delivered. That, in a sentence, is the year Healthwatch Cornwall has just reported.

Speaking up for people is the job of the county’s independent health and social care watchdog, and its newly published annual report sets out what that looked like over the last twelve months, across GP surgeries, dental care, mental health services and social care. In one area in particular, speaking up produced a result you can point to.

From feedback to a dental strategy

Dentistry was where the year’s clearest example of impact landed. Nearly 1,200 people shared their experiences of NHS dental care, describing long waits, limited availability and journeys of some distance to be seen. Of those looking for routine NHS treatment, 82% could not get an appointment, and among people who went private, 53% said they could not really afford it but felt they had no other option.

Rather than sit in a report, that evidence travelled. It fed a Westminster debate led by Richard Foord MP and a run of media coverage, and NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board went on to publish a dental strategy aimed at improving provision across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

A Senior Strategy Officer at the Integrated Care Board credited the watchdog directly. “We built the new Dental Strategy on the foundation of Healthwatch’s findings. It was the clearest evidence we had of public need,” they said.

Listening to the people who deliver care

A second piece of research turned to the workforce looking after Cornwall’s adults, at a time of real pressure in the sector. Staff described the strain plainly. More than half, 55%, said they often felt work-related stress. Almost a third, 32%, said they rarely or never had enough time to provide quality care. And 69% said the needs of the people they support had become significantly more complex in just the last one to two years.

Bringing those experiences into the open helped keep workforce sustainability, recruitment and retention in front of the people planning services, grounded in the reality of the job rather than the spreadsheet.

The mental health report people read most

The third study, Cornish Communities in Focus: Evolving Voices in Mental Health, was the watchdog’s most widely read report of the year. It set out the barriers people meet when they look for mental health support, from long waiting times to the extra difficulty of getting help in rural parts of the county, and helped keep those experiences visible in local planning. Feedback on GP access completed the picture, highlighting inequalities in how easily people can get through to a surgery and work through triage and appointment systems.

Closer to home

Over the year, Healthwatch Cornwall heard from more than 3,200 people, with 3,239 sharing their experiences and almost 300 more getting in touch for advice, information and signposting.

Much of that reach came through a growing network of Listening Hubs in Bugle, St Dennis, St Just, Bude and Mullion, set up to give rural and seldom-heard communities a face-to-face way to be heard closer to home. The watchdog also carried out 28 Enter and View visits to care homes, pharmacies, surgeries and hospitals, producing more than 95 recommendations that led to changes including new seating for waiting patients, better discharge information and improved access. Alongside these sit five Partnership Boards, covering Ageing Well, Autism, Carers, Learning Disability and Mental Health, which bring service users and providers around the same table.

“Listening to people, understanding their experiences”

Debbie Gilbert, CEO of Healthwatch Cornwall, said the year had brought significant change across health and social care, but that the organisation’s purpose had not moved.

“Against a backdrop of significant change across health and social care, our focus has remained unwavering: listening to people, understanding their experiences, and ensuring their voices influence the decisions, services and support that affect their lives,” she said.

“This report demonstrates the value of an independent patient voice, not simply as a record of activity, but as evidence of impact, influence and accountability. It reflects how listening to people’s experiences can shape better decisions, stronger services and improved outcomes for our communities.”

Where the money goes, and where it goes next

Healthwatch Cornwall was funded entirely by a government grant of £433,011 in the 2025/2026 financial year, administered locally by Cornwall Council, with no additional external income. It spent £409,224, the bulk of it, £260,000, on pay.

For the year ahead it has set three priorities. Reducing health inequalities by looking at barriers to care and delays in diagnosis and treatment. Exploring how wider factors such as housing, transport and income shape whether people can get help at all. And expanding the Listening Hub network further into rural, remote and seldom-heard communities.

Board Chair Dr Keith Judkins said the people behind the work were what made the difference.

“I am incredibly proud of our CEO, staff, volunteers and Board members whose commitment, professionalism and passion continue to make a positive difference,” he said. “Together, we remain committed to ensuring that local voices are heard, valued and reflected in decisions that affect communities across Cornwall.”

You can read the full annual report here, and there is more about the watchdog’s work on the Healthwatch Cornwall website.