Healthwatch Listening Tour 2024/25: Summary Report

This Listening Tour report brings together the findings of engagement in Wealden, Lewes and the Havens and Hastings between May 2024 and May 2025.

The Introduction sets out the change in our approach over the last year, focusing on a wider area of East Sussex than in the past.

The What We Heard feedback is drawn from the three Listening Tour area reports that were published following engagement in each area.

This report identifies the differences and common themes in the areas that we visited, and makes five recommendations on these themes:

• Accessing Primary Care: there is a need for multiple ways of accessing GP care.
• Social Isolation: there is a significant role for social prescribing in tackling loneliness.
• Social Determinants and Equality: there is a need for targeted support for young people, disabled adults, and carers.
• Transport: there is a need for further co-ordination of public transport with the NHS and voluntary community schemes.
• Health and Wellbeing: there is a need for targeted local initiatives to improve access to the community for people with reduced mobility.

Future of the Listening Tour

Following evaluation of this year’s engagement, Healthwatch will develop the Listening Tour further to include:

• Greater use of data from the Healthwatch Feedback Centre and
• Information and Signposting Service.
• A digital Listening Tour survey promoted throughout the year.
• Outreach to VCSE organisations across the whole of East Sussex.
• Two Listening Events, to feed into the developing workplans of Integrated Community Teams.

Finally, we would like to thank everyone that contributed to the delivery of our Listening Tour and to the public and patients who shared their experiences.