## **Healthwatch Camden Annual Report & Accounts 2024/25** Charitable Incorporated Organisation Trustees’ Report and Unaudited Financial Statements – year ended 31[st] March 2025 ## **Here to make care better** Healthwatch Camden supports residents in obtaining better access and outcomes in Healthwatch Camden supports residents in obtaining better access and outcomes in health and social care in the London Borough of Camden. This report documents how the organisation used its resources in 2024/25 to pursue its objectives. lth and social care in the London Borough of Camde. This report documents how the organisation used its resources in 2024/ ## **Reference and administrative detail** **Status** : Charitable Incorporated Organisation **Charity Registration No** : 1152552 **Chief Executive Officer** : Stephen Heard **Registered Office** : 85-87 Bayham Street, Camden, London, NW1 0AG The Charity's governing document is its constitution dated 21 June 2013 **Trustees** : Louise Jones (chair), Philippa Robinson (vice chair), Paul Webley, John Hoar, Jiten Raval. Tracey McDermott, Corinna Gray (Appointed January 2025). **Independent examiner** : Shruti Soni Ltd Chartered Certified Accountants, 117a St John’s Hill, Sevenoaks TN13 3PE The trustees present their report and the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 This Trustees Report and the associated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with guidance for preparing Charity Accounts and Reports presented in “Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice” and are therefore in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (effective 1 January 2019) – (Charities SORP FRS 102). 1 ## **Charitable objects** The advancement of health and the relief of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability or financial hardship by: a) providing information and advice to the general public about local health and social care services b) making the views and experiences of members of the general public known to health and social care providers and commissioners c) enabling local people to have a voice in the development, delivery, improvement and equality of access to local health and care services and facilities and d) providing training and the development of skills for volunteers and the wider community in understanding scrutinizing, reviewing and monitoring local health and care services and facilities. ## **Our role and remit** Run by and for local people, our role is to ensure that Camden people have a strong **VOICE** in local health and social care services; that they know about the **CHOICES** they can make in these services; and that local people’s views lead to positive **CHANGE** in services. **Our remit** derives from the key functions and powers of a local Healthwatch organisation, as set out in the 2012 Health and Social Care Act. These are: - to provide information and advice to the public about local health and care services; - to make the views and experiences of members of the general public known to health and social care providers and commissioners; - to enable local people to have a voice in the development, delivery, improvement and equality of access to local health and social care services and facilities; - to provide support for our volunteers and the wider community in understanding and monitoring local health and social care services and facilities. ## **Activities, achievements and performance** See Appendix: Annual report on activity for information about the charities activities this year. ## **Structure, governance and management** Healthwatch Camden is a small organisation with 6 staff (4.25 full time equivalent) led by Chief Executive, Stephen Heard. Staff have expertise in gathering and reporting people’s experiences and views. They reach out to different communities of interest and work with local voluntary organisations to make sure we are hearing from as wide a group of people as possible. Staff have skills in influencing local service providers, and in making alliances to achieve change. Staff are also able to gather information about services and share it via our website and social media, as well as responding to queries by telephone or email. We benefit from additional expertise by working with community organisations who, for example, assist with interviews in a variety of languages. Some expertise is gained through the use of associates - freelance workers - who contribute to specific projects. 2 ## **Structure, governance, and management (cont.)** We also have a number of active volunteers. Volunteers help us to gather and to disseminate information. Some are trained for specific roles such as ‘PLACE’ assessments (patient led assessment of the care environment, which takes place in hospitals annually) or to do formal visits to local care services using Healthwatch ‘enter and view’ powers. We are grateful for the volunteer support organizations in Camden that help us to find suitable volunteers. The organisation is governed by a board of trustees. This year one trustee was recruited. There are currently seven trustees. Trustees are appointed for a term of three years and may serve two terms consecutively. Trustees are recruited through a mix of open advertising and personal recommendations, and all are interviewed. The board reflects a range of skills and experience. All trustees must have a connection with Camden as residents, service users, workers, or students. New trustees are provided with an induction briefing. All trustees receive a regular update from the Chief Executive on current issues. Trustees met formally four times this year. Two of our meetings are held in public each year. In addition, trustees and staff hold an annual ‘away-day’ to review progress and plan future work. Trustees have also met virtually as required. There are no standing committees; however, the board sets up ad hoc task groups from time to time, and different trustees provide oversight and expertise to specific areas of work. This includes oversight of financial management, review of operating policies, staff issues, and strategic planning. ## **Maintaining independence** It is essential to our role that we are independent, so that we may provide unbiased insight and recommendations. Trustees are mindful of their role as representatives of the public interest, and both trustees and staff follow the ‘Nolan Principles’ of conduct in public life. Our role requires us to be well-connected with local stakeholders and to act as a ‘critical friend’ to the health and social care system. So we always strive to keep a balance between maintaining close and constructive relationships and being demonstrably independent. ## **Financial review** The total income for 2024/25 was £222,425 as compared to £222,189 in 2023/24, of which £221,850 (2024: £219,010) was restricted. Total expenditure for 2024/25 was £234,410 as compared to £200,156 in 2023/24, of which £225,801 (2024: £193,771) was restricted. As a result, the net income in 2024/25 decreased to £11,985 from £22,033 in 2023/24. Unrestricted funds as of 31 March 2025 stood at £108,223 (2024: £116,258) of which general funds were £26,223 (2024: £34,258), and the remaining £82,000 (2024: £82,000) were designated. The CEO and Board of Trustees are reviewing the organization’s activities to find a way of delivering the service within budget. A new sustainability strategy will also be developed. Trustees regularly review our spending plans to make sure we are making the best of our Resources.” 3 ## **Reserves policy** Trustees reviewed our reserves policy in December 2022. Current policy is to maintain a reserve of not less than six months’ running costs. This is being achieved; our current designated reserve is £82,000. Trustees also aim to create a reserve for development costs, from surplus unrestricted funds. All other funds are available to be used in-year to further the objectives of the charity. ## **Risk statement** Healthwatch Camden has a risk register, reviewed at least annually. Its biggest risks remain financial. We have legal functions as a local Healthwatch organisation and trustees are mindful that we may not be able to fulfil these if our core income drops any further. We have the ability to refer funding concerns to Healthwatch England, who may intervene on our behalf with our main funders, the London Borough of Camden. As a small charity with limited technical financial knowledge we had identified a general risk of loss due to fraud; our move to appoint a qualified independent financial service has helped to minimise this risk by creating a further layer of oversight. Trustees consider that all general operational risks are being well managed and present a low risk overall. Trustees are satisfied that risk management in use is proportionate and sufficient. ## **Public benefit statement** Public benefit statement The Trustees have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the Trust's aims and objectives and in planning its future activities. In particular, the Trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives that have been set. 4 ## **Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities** The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). The law applicable to charities in England & Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to: a) select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently; b) observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP; c) make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent; d) state whether applicable UK accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; e) prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Trust will continue in operation. The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Trust's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Trust and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Trust and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities This report was approved by the Trustees on and signed on their behalf by: Signed: ___________________________________ Trustee: :Philippa Robinson Name: __ Philippa Robinson ____________________ Date: 21/11/25 5 **Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Healthwatch Camden** I report on the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2024 as set out on pages 8 to 20. ## **Responsibilities and basis of report** As the charity’s trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’). I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. ## **Independent examiner's statement** I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: - accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or - the accounts do not accord with those records; or - the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view’ which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed ___________________________________ Date: 25 November 2025 Shruti Soni FCCA FCIE Shruti Soni Ltd ● Chartered Certified Accountants 117a St. John's Hill Sevenoaks TN13 3PE 6 Annual Accounts HEALTHWATCH CAMDEN Statement of financial activities {incorporating an 11K￿ne arKI eXp￿￿lture accounti For the year ended 31 March 2025 2025 Total Unrestricted Restricted 2024 Total Unrestricted Restricted Note Income from: Donations and legacies Charitable activities Health advice, infornution and research Investments 194,050 194.050 202.160 202,160 151 425 27,8(M) 27.951 425 2.n6 453 16.850 19,576 453 Total Income 576 221,850 222.4Z6 3.179 219,010 222,189 Expendlture on: Ralsing funds Charitable activities Health advice, infornmtion a￿1 research 2,340 1,910 1,910 8.609 223,461 232.070 6,385 191,861 198,246 Total expendlture 225.801 234.410 6,385 193.771 2IXI.156 Net Income I lexpendlture) before net 8alns l (lossesl on 18,033) 13.951) (11.984 (3.2061 25,239 22.033 Net Income I lexpendlture) for the year 18,033) 13,951) 111,984) (3,2061 25,239 22,033 Transfers between funds Net movement In fund5 18,035 13,9491 111.9841 (3,2061 25,239 22,033 Reconclliation of funds: Total funds brought forward 116,258 n,907 189,165 119.464 47.668 167,132 Total funds carrled forward 16 108,223 68,958 177,181 116,258 72,907 189,165 Ail of the ab¢)ve results are derlT¥ed from c(mtlnulng actlvliles. There were other recwlsed qalns ￿ l(6ses other than tlw stated above. Movements In lunds are dlsclosed In Note 16 to the flnanclal statements. |82,000
26,223|| |---|---| |4/1/24|108,223| |00/11/24
10/12/2|177,181| |21/11/25|| These financial statements were approved by the board Of wutand Louise Jones - Chair Louise Jones, Chair Philippa Robinson, Chair 9 HEALTHWATCH CAIADEN 1 Accountini pollcl•s a) Basts ol preparatlon The finjncial StaterT￿rtS have prepared with kcWntl￿ Rewlin8 ty Chorities.. St)1￿￿nI ol RecLMmmended Pr•ctSce appllcabie to charitles sxepailry tr*lr acccAmts In accordance wrth the F5nancial ReF￿rtIng SiaThlard appiKable hi the UK ar¥1 Ilep*Jllc ol IrelaThl IFRS 1021 ielfecti¥* l Janwy 20191 . {C￿ritIeS SORP FRS 10ZI, the Flnantlal Rewthig awlkatA* kn th* UK and Rel￿1£ ol Ir*land IFRS 1021 and the Compan1* Act 2CI)6. H*alihwatch Camden ts a tharfiatAe IrK(ry*atod Nganisatlon regtsiwed Charlty Cc#nmissI￿ wfth regtstsathin nber 1152552. Its 85.87 8a)thaffl Sireei. C4ffKlen, Lofthn. NWI OAG. The accwits afe wesented kn GBP lo￿)ded to Éi. Assets and Ilabaftlm are knftlally recoqnlwd at thtst(wlcal cast or tran5xilon othon•l* stated In th• The finjncial Stste[￿S have Lyen prepared to li￿ a Inx lair vivw dewrted frc*n the Chariiies lAc(o￿lts and Rep)rtsl Rewiatiorn 21IX only to tht extent requtred to a'ty￿ lalr wleW. Tr* departure kn¥ol¥ed •£c￿￿tI￿ arnl ReF¥Ytinq by Chwiiie5: Staieryent of RecoThffer¥led Prxtlct applK•ble to C￿lItIeS prewrinq their •ccwrts in accordance with the F¥wrial Repxtknry StaNlard •WKable In the UK a￿1 Repubilc ol Irelarkl IFRS 1021 ISS￿rt on 16 JLAY 2014 Ihan the ACC(￿ntI￿ and Re￿ri￿9 try Charitbes.. Statement al Recunrnended Pr•cike eff•ctlve from I W"12C(15 has sthce been wlthdrnwffj. bl Publk bpneflt orttty The chafltable meets tr* dellnltlon ol a pknlk beneflt ertlty wKler FRS 102. cl COnC•fn Key ltyjgements lexclL¥Jwry Il¥)se In￿￿￿9 estlm•te5I t￿1 the ch•rit•bie h•5 m•de wlkh ho￿ 4 *nllk•nt eflect ￿ the Kcowts inclL¥Je Dewethatk￿ r•les for twwe Flxed A5*ts. The tntslees consldw that there are any s(￿rt•S ol t￿6m￿tIOn wtertalnty at rei*Jtlry dale that have slgnlfKant rlsk of a m•ttrtal adj￿t￿￿nl to the carying anwiis ol assets aThJ liabMiiIt5 Withln the r*xt rep￿tIng Income Is recrynlsed the charlty has entttlement to tre pwlornwKe Condltla￿ attached to the Inc¢yne beffi It ts yobable that w*lll be recelved thai the arn￿nt can be meaMwed rellabty. Incl￿ Ir(¥n goverrywit ar¥J oU*r ywrt5. 'c•pltal' ywt5 w 'remwt' grants. 15 recry￿se￿ i Charlty ￿tIlleM￿rt to Iw¥ts. ary F*rformwKe C￿￿tkffj at1•cl￿d to the qrants hwe been mei, t¢ Is obable th•i the YKINre wlll recelved orrfl tre an¥y*)t can be measured rel￿blY arrfl Is ¢Jelerred. IncLry recefrfftl In •¢J¥¥Ke ol wo¥lskn d • ¥Ycffled 5ffvke ts thIwTed wrtll crtrlffl• lor reciv4nltl¢ •) lrt•r•5t r•c•lv•bl• Intertsi on funds he&1 derwxlt Is recelYatAe thè tan ￿ nwwred relitibly ty tr ¢￿ty. Ihi5 is ￿[T￿Y no¢lfic•tTh of hrtere51 ￿ld or pay•bie by b• 10 HEALTHWATCH CAMDEN Moths to flhartlal statèmènts Forth r ended 31 March 2025 1 Accountln8 pollcles Icontlnuedl Fund acc¢)untlni ResirKted li￿d5 are to be used lor speclflc (mypo￿ as Lald t*y•m ty the d¢Th)r. Exp*Mttts*e meets these crlteria Is charged to fund. iknrestrkted IwKls are and other rejowces fe¢etr*ed or 8eMrateO for chartlabie P￿￿$e$. DesI￿ated Ilmds ore Lyrntrlrted ILY*ts earmarked by tr* trwteej for p¥tscular ￿F￿Se4. Ewdlture ExpendllLwe Is reco￿1$￿0 onté thert ts a Iqal (* (￿st￿l￿t to make a paynMt to a thlrd party. It Is probable ihat settlement trtlll bt rewlred and the &YKM#)t of the dJll8atlon can be oThtraswed relI￿ly. ExpeThllture Is classifleo ￿￿er the followlTr4 actlvlty headlngs: Costs ol ralslng funds relaie th the cosu Incurred ty tt* clwftable cc#npany In Irthlng ihlrd partles to make volwtary contributbons to It. as weil as the cosl ol ary acllvltie5 wlth a fundralsing ptsrp￿e LKpttMllture on charftabie ictlvitlos Inclth the costs of pNIOrm￿eS and dmyal s1ng1￿ actlviles un(le￿￿en to fLwiher ihe PLY￿Se$ ol the charlty and ihelr aSS￿l￿ted SuPp￿t cosis her expeTrJiLwe rewesents tr*ise item5 not laUlINI Into any other htathrq h) All￿tIon of suPp￿t costs Resources eXp￿ded are allocated to partIC￿lf ¥rt￿e the cost felates dlfectly to t￿t actlvlry. llowev￿. pport costs, belng cost ol overall directlon and adminlstratlon ol exh act￿ty, COM￿lS1n9 the salary arid overthead costs of the centr•1 fwKtlw. 15 •PVtlwd b•sts ol elllm•ted staff tln* •ttributabie to e•ch Jctlvlly. Cost ol raISi￿ lunds Health athice, Informillm and rejearch Govern&nce costs 1% 97% 2% i) Op•ratlry IMs•s Refital thar8ts ire d￿rIed ¢)n i str*Wt Ikle bAsls the temi of the le￿e. JI T•nObl• flx•d w•ts Items of equlw￿t c•pl¢•115ed wt*re Ihe pwclwse syke exceelts £5fA). Deweclatkn costs are •llocated lo actlvitles on the basis of the use of the related assets in those actlvllles. Assets are revlth¥ed flx Impalrment 11 clrcumsutKes Ir•JKate thelr value may exceed thelr ner feaiisbbie value aThJ value In w. Where fixed assets ha¥e been rev•lL*d, ￿ excem bet*tffi the rw•lwd •mcuit hlstrrt cost ol the uset WIU be as a rtraluatlon rvJer¥t In the bIl￿￿e sheet. DeprecIatI￿ Is provthd ai rates calculated to wrlte dtr•m the cost of exh assrt to Its eStlm&ted resl¢knl over its exK*cted uselul Ilfe. The derAeclatlon rates In use ¥e as foLIo¥A: OflKe Ewlw*nt k) Debtors Trade and other debtors are Tecognised at the settlement am(xmt Ilier ary trath dtscwnt offered. Prepay￿￿1$ are wal￿￿ at the arno￿t prepaid rf of any trade dIsco￿ts dL*. 11 HEALTHWATCH CAMDEN Motes to thé f1r￿lI sut•m￿lS For the ar endèd 31 Mbrch 2025 1 AcCO￿tI￿ pollcles Icwtlnuedl l) Cash at b￿k and In h•nd (Jsh at bank and (ash In hand InCi￿leS and short term h*Ny IIqLrfd Investrr*nts wlth a shNt mJturfty of three monihs or less from date of acqthslllon or c¥)enlnq of the de[￿lt ￿ slrnliar ￿cOUn[. C*sh balances exclude any funds held M behalf of servke users. ml Credltors and pro¥lslons Crellt¢xs aN1 Pro￿$70￿ are reCO￿lsed wI￿e the chadty has a we$￿t obllqatkm feyAtirw4 frrm a wst event that wlll ythbly reyAi In the trwsler of Iwds to a thlrd party aThJ amrAmt to srttle the obltyatlon can be measured or estlmaieé rellably. Cretht¢Ys and w¢yAslorn we Mrmiuy fetqnlsed &t thelr srttlement am0￿1 al￿r al1trwl￿ lor any trade dIsc￿ntS d￿. The charlfy only has fIna￿la1 assets and flnanclal Ilabllltles ol a klnd that quallfy as baslc fIna￿la1 Insuuments. Baslc flnancial lrtsrrnments are In$t￿llY reco￿lse￿ at iransacilty) value arml s￿￿tlY rf*asured at t￿1 setilemenl value the exceptlon of bank loan5 vthlch are the(wtly measwed at amortlsed cost usln4 ihe effectlve lfiterest mtrthod. n) Tax The charlty Is •n exerTVt (￿rtty wlthln tre ffwilry of xteOAe J ol the Ch•rl¢leJ kt 2011 •r#l ts cw51der¢d to pJss the tests set In Parasraph 1 Scheth 6 FITh￿* ki 2010 and therel(Ye tt definltlon of a chjrltknle c(#))p&w for UK ctyporatKm tax ￿[m1$e$. 2 Incom• fram dort#kM l•wl•s 2025 Total 2024 Ttxèl Unrestdcted Restrkted London B(￿gh of Camden LMdon Catalysl The Hospllal Saturday Fwd 194.09) 194,050 187,0(X) 7,5 7.580 194.050 194.050 202.li Ail recel¥ed In 2024 was restrlcted 12 HEALTHWATCH CAMDEN Mot•s to th• fln•Thcl•l stat•m•nts nded 1Mar 3 Income from Charli￿ acilvltles ZOZS LIY14 Unreslrtc￿d Restrlcted Total atth advke. lTrformatlon and resewch NCL CCG . Commthilty ConnKtors NHS p￿11( awarew <4nw•ffjn Healthwatch Isllngton 11.250 5.6LXI 18,4(K> 18.4rf1 CAher 151 2.726 Tothl Income from charltable actlvll*s 27.800 27.951 19.576 Of the totsl Income from chartthble actmiles 01 £19,576 In 2024. £2.726 Y4as unrestslcted and £16.850 was restr*Eed. 4 Incom• from In¥•stm zoz) Total UNesirkted Restrtcted Tothl Bank Intertst 425 425 453 425 425 453 13 HEALThWATCH CAMDEN Foff the ended 31 1025 Far y••r hafltable acil￿TY Cast ol troÈaith XllS Toi41 2024 To¢•1 Staff coAs INrfe 71 158.27• J.441 172,042 137.419 12.é17 12.617 4JO 7.iK12 12.678 127 1.733 1.872 1,989 1.471 S.J31 •,J72 4.912 O¢ard ar¢1 pwoil l* 1ry4 and •.Jth) ot￿r siafl cojts Aert hXLnKe 1,797 7•6 1.11J 7,419 1.11) 7.415 Jdeb ¢Wecthi 2.112 2.765 171.762 48.553 10,873 50.055 234.410 150.0551 I￿,156 •xp•vkn 1025 2.J40 2J2.Q70 234.410 2th>.156 1.•10 191.246 200.196 14 HeALTIfiYATCH CA#ffjÉM Fof tr* erthd 31 M•r*r AmNnt released io the y 19.2( {19.20CI 15.250 115.2501 19.2C 19,2CA) WE5tncied DN1gr￿•d IIE5trKted Tolal T•nillAe fixed assets 1.614 24.1( 1.614 175,567 82. M•t 31 IAwdb 2025 26.223 68,958 177.181 Tarylble flxed wets 1.￿7 1•7.2Y 31.351 Met a5￿t5 as at JI lknch 2024 J4.25• 82.000 72.907 189.165 18 HEALThWATCH CAIADEN 16 wffjvern￿tS In l￿d5 At Jl Ilarch 1025 2024 Tw6lers 63.9TI 194.OX) 1101,5951 56.432 Cat4ys¢ The H05Prtai Saturdry Fw 14.0661 16,4761 19.6WI 18.4x1 12.526 KL CCG. Connect n.￿7 221.8X) 68.958 De5V￿led funds: •2.OCiI 82.0fy) 576 18.6091 26.223 116.256 576 11.6LV•I 108.223 Trf*l funds 189.165 222.426 12J4.4101 177.181 At Jl Alarth 1024 Twfers 187.(<0 lIR).￿lI 13.5161 13.5161 63.977 4.064 4.06 602 200 Lfmthl Catalysi The H05Prtai Saturday Fu IKL CCG. Connect 11,2S) 47.668 219.010 1193.771 72.907 De5VWted fund5: 82.OLKI Total designated fw 37.464 3.179 16.3851 J4.258 119.464 3,179 16,3851 116.258 Trtal fund5 167.132 ZU.189 12(0.1561 189.165 19 MEALTHWATCH CA￿DEN 16 Mo¥•mMu ICONbrw•dl IKL CCG . C(*Nruiiiy CtMoctU5 TIMS is a treart health wolea by the IC8 whKh are to rKrtht ¥ol￿teerS aThl comnwty to r•u• aw¥eMss of hEalthy bi£*)d yt59JTf •rnl lrfest th doabilJtie5 Kcess￿Ility requiron*•ts IKL IC8 Healthw•tth Reryewi•th . rew*￿11 IKL IKL KB Volunieer intern ftecnrtrr*rt . (￿•t1￿ • fty tr*xh vdjmtevs lor mld to lty¥ 17 Lwl al th• dhv*y 20 **Annual Report 2024–2025 Health Champions for the People of Camden** 21 ## Contents |A message from our Chair|3| |---|---| |About us|4| |Our year in numbers|5| |Working together for change|6| |Making a difference in the community|7| |Listening to your experiences|8| |Hearing from all communities|13| |Information and signposting|15| |Showcasing volunteer impact|16| |Finance and future priorities|18| |Statutory statements|20| “The impact that local Healthwatch have is vitally important. Healthwatch are empowering their communities to share their experiences. They’re changing the health and care landscape and making sure that people's views are central to making care better and tackling health inequalities.” **Louise Ansari, Chief Executive, Healthwatch England** 22 ## A message from our Chair ee ## **Introduction** Our work in 2024/25 in Camden has focused on three key areas: women’s experience of **endometriosis, young people’s** health and helping to raise cancer early diagnosis rates with seldom-heard communities. Our work on **endometriosis** has helped shine the spotlight locally and nationally on minority ethnic groups’ experience of this condition, with Wes Streeting referring to our report as ‘valuable research’. Our work in listening and analysing the health experiences of those aged 13-24 has seen a number of positive outcomes for **young people** locally. Camden Council and the local ICB took on board several of our recommendations, including committing to undertake a review of their youth mental health services and to embed young people’s views and experiences into their quality assurance models. Effectively putting young people more at the heart of the mental health services they use and know best. Our report on vaping, amongst other positive outcomes, helped to raise the profile of **vaping harms** via the local media, reaching hundreds of thousands of residents. We have also been helping to raise awareness of the early signs of **cancer** working with people with a disability as well as those whose second language is English. Finally, we would like to express our thanks and appreciation for Dr Louise Jones’ tenure of Chair for the last five years. Lousie intends to step down towards the end of the year when we will be welcoming our new Chair. We would also like to offer our thanks to all the organisations we have worked with over the last year and of course above all, to the people of Camden who have trusted us with their experiences and views. The team have listened to the experiences of residents and shone a light onto key areas of inequality in endometriosis care and in youth services. A big thank you to all our staff, directors and volunteers, and most importantly to the residents of Camden for sharing their views with us”. **Dr Louise Jones, Chair of Healthwatch Camden** ed] 23 ## **About** us _ ## **Healthwatch Camden is your local health and social care champion.** **We ensure that NHS leaders and decision-makers hear your voice and use your feedback to improve care.** ## **Our vision** To bring closer the day when everyone locally gets the care they need. ## **Our mission** To make sure that people’s experiences help make health and care better in Camden. ## **Our values are:** **Equity:** We’re compassionate and inclusive. We build strong connections and empower the communities we serve. **Collaboration:** We build internal and external relationships. We communicate clearly and work with partners to amplify our influence. **Impact:** We’re ambitious about creating change for people and communities. We’re accountable to those we serve and hold others to account. **Independence:** Our agenda is driven by the public. We’re a purposeful, critical friend to decision-makers. **Truth:** We work with integrity and honesty, and we speak truth to power. 24 ## **Our year in numbers** , **We’ve supported more than 1,700 people to have their say about their health and care. We currently employ 6 staff and our work is supported by 18 volunteers.** ## **Reaching out:** - 1,746 people shared their experiences of health and social care services with us, helping to raise awareness of issues and improve care. - We have reached 284,096 people through our campaigns such as on vaping, endometriosis and early signs of cancer. - We carried out 158 in-person visits to community and other local groups. ## **Championing your voice:** We published reports about the improvements people would like to see in areas like endometriosis care and what young people would like to see in the areas of vaping, sexual health and mental health. Our most popular reports were on Vaping and Endometriosis which can be found on our website, www.healthwatchcamden.co.uk under the reports section. ## **Statutory funding:** We are funded by the London Borough of Camden. In 2024/25 we received £187,000, which is the same as last year. 25 ## Working together for change CSC **We have worked alongside many organisations over the last year to ensure local people’s experiences are heard and key inequalities are put under the spotlight. A few projects are highlighted below.** **In addition, we have an ongoing relationship with our local Integrated Care Board, working across multiple areas to influence policy and practice.** ## **Experiences of people with disabilities shared with ICB** The North Central London Cancer Alliance (NCLCA) cited our “ _expertise and trusted community relationships”_ as well as our “ _collaborative work with local people_ ” as the reason we were chosen to work with them as part of a national public awareness campaign to raise cancer early diagnosis rates. In Camden, rates currently sit at 61% with new data expected in 2026. Our work with people with physical and mental disabilities shone the spotlight on key inequalities affecting this group which the NCLCA will share with the North Central London Integrated Care Board (NCL ICB). ## **Experiences of homeless people to help reshape sexual health services** Public Health Camden commissioned us to gather feedback on Sexual and Reproductive Health Services from a number of seldom-heard groups. These included residents experiencing homelessness and or drug/alcohol addiction. They will be using these findings to mold and shape the future of sexual health services in Camden, making them more inclusive, appropriate and relevant to these often-excluded groups. ## **Camden Council to involve young people in their mental and sexual health service plans** As a result of our reports into youth mental and sexual health services, Camden Council and the local Integrated Care Board (NCL ICB) have committed to ensuring all future engagement work hears from young people from diverse communities. This will mean that young people with specific cultural needs are more likely to get the tailored care and advice they need and deserve, improving health outcomes. 26 ## Making a difference in the community ~~I~~ **We bring people’s experiences to healthcare professionals and decision-makers, using their feedback to shape services and improve care over time, for example:** ## **Creating empathy by bringing experiences to life** **Hearing personal experiences and their impact on people’s lives helps services better understand the issues that people face.** As a result of our report into youth mental health (Your Voice Your Health Camden Series: Mental Health Report), the council and local commissioners agreed to work with the North Central London Integrated Care Board (NCL ICB) to evaluate and develop their current digital platform app for young people’s mental health, which is used by individuals and in schools. The experiences in our report were both impactful and poignant. For example, one young person shared how their bouts of depression left them isolated and without support: _“I was in a really bad spot…and I got like a bottle of mouthwash and like a bunch of pot noodles because it's like I'm not going to cook and I'm not going to want to brush my teeth”._ ## **Getting services to involve the public** **By involving local people, services help improve care for everyone.** Following the recommendations to come out of our report into youth mental health (Your Voice Your Health Camden Series: Mental Health Report) the council agreed to carry out a review into how they monitor and improve services, looking carefully at the role that young people play within this process. ## **Improving care over time** **Change takes time. We work behind the scenes with services to consistently raise issues and bring about change.** After publishing our Living with Endometriosis in Camden Report, we have been working with Camden Learning to try and bring about an inclusion of menstrual health-related conditions into the Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) curriculum in all Camden schools. 27 ## Listening to your experiences ## **Services can’t improve if they don’t know what’s wrong. Your experiences shine a light on issues that may otherwise go unnoticed.** This year, we’ve listened to feedback from all areas of our community. People’s experiences of care help us know what’s working and what isn’t, so we can give feedback on services and help them improve. **----- Start of picture text -----**
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## **Endometriosis** ## **Championing local women’s experiences of endometriosis and improving care for patients** Across the UK, it is estimated that 1 in 10 women have endometriosis, yet only a tiny fraction are receiving secondary care for the condition. The vast majority of women are currently living without a diagnosis and without access to specialist care and treatment. There is also very little understanding of ethnically and culturally specific experiences of the condition. ## **What did we do?** We ran a programme of expert-led workshops involving 33 local women and carried out a series of in-depth patient journey interviews, to understand more about how endometriosis impacts women’s lives. We particularly focused in on the experiences of women from Bengali, Sudanese, Black African, Chinese, and mixed British communities. We published a report of our findings Living with Endometriosis in Camden. ## **Key things we heard:** - Menstruation and related pain are taboo subjects in many cultures. Individuals from different backgrounds are often left to manage their pain alone, potentially leading to feelings of stigma or shame. - • Women reported medical gaslighting at every stage of their disease journey. - [•] Period pain is frequently viewed as psychological and associated with stigma. ## **One woman told us…** “… _in every Muslim household, you pray five times a day. And when it comes to fathers and brothers, they will only know that you're on your period because you've stopped praying now. So that's the way you tell them. Instead of actually going to them.”_ 29 ## **Endometriosis** ## **Shining a spotlight onto the challenges for women from specific cultural backgrounds who have endometriosis** ## **What difference did this make locally?** ## **Following our recommendations, the Council and ICB have agreed to four main actions which will help to support endometriosis patients, namely to:** 1. Improve rates of endometriosis diagnosis by working with the Camden Training Hub to deliver a webinar to local GPs, co-designed with women with lived experience, and making it available as a training tool for primary care services. 2. Engage with PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic) curriculum leads to feed back our recommendations and explore opportunities to promote relevant training and resources to improve menstrual health education through schools. 3. Consider a specific women’s health steering group to take forward relevant actions related to reproductive health. 4. Including women's experience of accessing reproductive health information, as part of their Sexual Wellbeing and Reproductive Health Strategy work programme. ## **Any other local impact?** - The London newspaper, The Camden New Journal, ran a feature on our findings, featuring a case study we provided, with the headline ‘Constant Pain Others Don’t Believe’. - With a reach of 109,000 people, we anticipate this will have helped to raise the profile of the disease locally and to have empowered women to speak up about seeking diagnosis. 30 ## **Endometriosis** ## **What difference did this make nationally?** Our focus is always the health and wellbeing of the people of Camden. However, in some cases our work adds to a wider debate. We can record the following impact nationally: - Our report was described as ‘valuable research’ in a registered letter from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting to the Prime Minister, Sir Kier Starmer. - The Director of the research body, the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) issued a press release supporting our report, saying they hoped our ‘ _recommendations…are adopted to ensure better care in Camden, and that they function as a catalyst for other boroughs to address this important issue_ ”. - National charity, Endometriosis UK, issued a press release supporting our report which they said ‘ _highlights…the stark inequalities often faced by under-represented groups”. They also supported our findings with an online campaign, with their blog attaining over 7,500 views._ 31 ## **Listening to your experiences** ~~i~~ ## **Action on vaping after young people speak out** **According to our report into vaping** ( **Your Voice Your Health Camden Series: Vaping Report), many young people do not realise the risks of vapes, thinking of them as a harmless way to relieve stress, with schools badly lacking experience-led instruction** . **Also, that over half of the young people who experimented with vapes had never smoked before.** ## **Key things we heard:** **Over of the young people who experimented with 50% vapes had never smoked before** **of the young people said they did not associate 30% nicotine with vaping or were not sure if it was associated** _“I think (education in schools) should be less geared towards TELLING people (that) vaping (is) bad but SHOWING people instead. For example, having a person with lung damage come in and talk.”_ “ ~~|~~ _(Vaping) helps from stress.”_ We listened to the experiences and views of local young people and together with them produced a series of recommendations, focused on increased surveillance of new vaping regulations and experience-led education in schools. ## **What difference did this make?** The council agreed with our recommendations including: - That there should be a set timeframe for reviewing the effectiveness of the government ban on disposable vapes. - To supplement Trading Standards’ capacity to check and ‘mystery shop’ vape purchases. - Working with ourselves and the young people who contributed to our report to further disseminate a new, tailored vaping leaflet. - Formally recognising our recommendation that personal stories are a powerful way to communicate health harms and to aim to obtain more input from young people. 32 ## Hearing from all communities **We’re here for all residents of Camden. That’s why, over the past year, we’ve worked hard to reach out to those communities whose voices may go unheard.** Every member of the community should have the chance to share their story and play a part in shaping services. **This year, for example, we have reached different communities by:** - Holding a workshop to find out how people with physical and mental disabilities feel about cancer messaging and feeding this back to the North Central London Cancer Alliance (NCLCA). - Making sure more vulnerable young people can access sexual health services in ways that work for them. 33 ## **Hearing from all communities** ## **Running an event on the early signs of cancer** We spoke to people with physical and mental disabilities about the early signs of cancer. This work shone the spotlight on key inequalities, specifically concerning people who are hard of hearing or deaf and are from ethnically diverse communities. In these cases, British Sign Language (BSL) is the first language, followed by the spoken language at home, with spoken English as a third or sometimes a fourth language; and written English as fourth or fifth. This highlighted the insufficiency of written public health (specifically cancer) messaging for these groups. The North Central London Cancer Alliance (NCLCA) will be sharing this information data with the North Central London Integrated Care Board (NCL ICB). ## **What difference did this make?** We have passed on this information to the North Central London Cancer Alliance (NCLCA) who will work with the local Integrated Commissioning Board to highlight areas for improvement. ## **Making sure more young people can access sexual health services in ways that work for them** Following our report into young people’s experience of sexual health services (Your Voice Your Health Camden Series: Sexual Health) we recommended that Camden Council make services accessible via schools in Relationships and Sex Education lessons. This echoes the successful example of Bracknell Forest Council where lessons are delivered by trained health workers, backed up with a sexual health drop-in and one-on-one information service. ## **What difference did this make?** In response to our recommendation, the Camden School Nurse Team have agreed to support and provide advice on Relationships and Sex Education subjects and to welcome individual school referrals. Camden Council will also contact Bracknell Council to better understand this model and see what else might be replicable within Camden. 34 ## Informationandsignposting **Information and signposting** **This year we are proud to say that we have reached out to over 284,000 people to share advice or public health messages. We recorded that our website alone had 53,000 searches for information, and our (and our partner) social media sites received over 14,500 views.** ## **We have helped people by:** - Providing up-to-date information people can trust. - Helping people access the services they need. - Supporting people to look after their health. - Signposting people to additional support services. **----- Start of picture text -----**
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## Showcasing volunteer impact **Our fantastic volunteers have given 40 days to support our work. Thanks to their dedication to improving care, we can better understand what is working and what needs improving in our community.** ## **This year, our volunteers:** - Visited communities to promote our work. - Collected experiences and supported communities to share their views. - Gave advice and help on individual concerns. **----- Start of picture text -----**
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**Showcasing volunteer impact** ## **At the heart of what we do** **From finding out what residents think to helping raise awareness, our volunteers have championed community concerns to improve care.** Volunteering as part of her degree in health studies, Emma Phelps says she loved her time volunteering for Healthwatch Camden. She particularly enjoyed connecting with local people. _“It allowed me to get to know this community as a whole and see the friendships, support networks, and kindness that are behind every Camden resident. I hope to take the lessons that HWC taught me about trust and community to all my future positions, to better serve the communities I work with. I cannot recommend this position enough!”_ ## _**Emma**_ Habibur is a qualified medical doctor with a Master’s in Public Health. _“I have gained valuable experience working with Healthwatch Camden’s outreach officer, engaging with diverse communities and distributing multilingual resources. This role strengthened my communication skills, deepened my understanding of healthcare and volunteering, and enhanced my English proficiency. I truly value contributing to meaningful work that empowers people and fosters connections.”_ ## **Habibur** ## **Be part of the change.** If you've felt inspired by these stories, contact us today and find out how you can be part of the change. www.healthwatchcamden.co.uk/ volunteer/ 0207 383 2407 info@healthwatchcamden.co.uk 37 ## Finance and future priorities **We receive funding from the London Borough of Camden under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to help us do our work.** ## **Our income and expenditure:** |**Income**||**Expenditure**|| |---|---|---|---| |Annual grant from
Government|£187,000||| |Additional income|£35,425||| ||||| |**Total income**|**£222,425**|**Total Expenditure**|**£234,410**| ## **Additional income is broken down into:** - £7050 received from the London Borough of Camden for work on Camden sexual health, which spanned across the 25/26. - £94,00 received from the North Central London Cancer Alliance (NCLCA) for work on cancer awareness to be delivered across 2025/2026. - £18400 received from NHS public awareness and heart health awareness campaigns to be delivered across 25/26. NB additional income across some projects spanned across more than one financial year; therefore, the total for the projects may differ from the actual amount used or utilised in that financial year, due to gradual, budgeted spending. ## **Integrated Care System (ICS) funding** |**Purpose of ICS funding**
Collaboration with NCL
representative Healthwatch
**Total**|**Amount**| |---|---| ||**£2,000**| ||**£2,000**| 38 ## **Finance and future priorities** ## **Next steps:** **Over the next year, we will keep reaching out to every part of society, especially people from the most vulnerable groups, so that those in power hear their views and experiences.** We will also work together with partners and our local Integrated Care System to help develop an NHS culture where, at every level, staff strive to listen and learn from patients to make care better. ## **Our top three priorities for the next year are:** 1. To understand the factors which influence Bengali women to interact or not interact with diabetes initiatives and messages. To feed back our findings and analysis to our local health commissioners and service providers. 2. To work alongside the North Central London Cancer Alliance to raise screening take up amongst those aged 50-74 in the clinical areas of Bowel Cancer and Lung Cancer, particularly focusing on those groups whose second or third language is English. 3. To carry out further recruitment initiatives and projects to work alongside local academic partners to fill the roles of Enter and View volunteers so that we can progress with our programme of Enter and View work, which has been hampered by challenges in securing appropriate volunteers. 39 ## Statutory statements ## **Healthwatch Camden, 85-87 Bayham Street, London NW1 0AG** **Healthwatch Camden uses the Healthwatch Trademark when undertaking our statutory activities as covered by the license agreement.** ## **The way we work** ## **Involvement of volunteers and lay people in our governance and decision-making.** Our Healthwatch Board consists of six members who work voluntarily to provide direction, oversight, and scrutiny of our activities. Our Board ensures that decisions about priority areas of work reflect the concerns and interests of our diverse local community. Throughout 2024/25, the Board met four times and made decisions on matters such as working with the North Central London Cancer Alliance (NCLCA) on a cancer awareness campaign. Also working with Public Health Camden to complete a specialist piece of listening work on views and experiences of local Sexual Health Services. We ensure wider public involvement in deciding our work priorities. ## **Methods and systems used across the year to obtain people’s experiences** We use a wide range of approaches to ensure that as many people as possible can provide us with insight into their experience of using services. During 2024/25, we have been available by phone and email, provided a web form on our website and through social media, and attended meetings of community groups and forums. We also operate interactive computer feedback pods. We ensure that this annual report is made available to as many members of the public and partner organisations as possible. We publish the report on our website and publicise it through our newsletter and social media platforms. 40 ## **Statutory statements** ## **Responses to recommendations** We are pleased to say that no local providers refused requests for information or recommendations. There were no issues or recommendations escalated by us to the Healthwatch England Committee, so there were no resulting reviews or investigations. ## **Taking people’s experiences to decisionmakers** We ensure that people who can make decisions about services hear about the insights and experiences shared with us. For example, we take information to the local Health and Wellbeing Board, and to the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee. We also take insight and experiences to decision-makers in the North Central London Integrated Care Board (NCL ICB). For example, we work alongside Barnet, Enfield, Haringey and Islington, sitting on the Primary Care Contracting Committee. In addition, we share our data with Healthwatch England to help address health and care issues at a national level. ## **Healthwatch representatives** Healthwatch Camden is represented on the Health and Wellbeing Board by Stephen Heard, Director of Healthwatch Camden. Healthwatch Camden is represented at the North Central London Integrated Care Partnerships by Healthwatch Enfield. 41 ## **Statutory statements** ## **Enter and view** We are committed and keen to progress with our Enter and View workstream. We successfully carried out multiple recruitment advertising campaigns over the last six months across our social media platforms, also in our newsletter and partner newsletters, as well as reaching out to specific local groups, and working alongside the local job centre. Following several rounds of interviews, two candidates were appointed in May 2025. However, for different reasons both candidates were unable to take up the positions. We are now currently exploring working with local academic institutions to secure appropriate volunteers to carry out Enter and View work in 2025 and 2026. 42 **Healthwatch Camden 85-87 Bayham Street London NW1 0AG** www healthwatchcamden.co.uk 0207 383 2407 info@healthwatchcamden.co.uk @healthwatchcam @healthwatchencamden @healthwatchcamden 43 Healthwatch Camden - Annual report 2024-2025