News and reports

Healthwatch Wandsworth’s 2024-2025 research priority is children and young people’s experiences of autism and mental health.

About Nada and her background

I’ve worked for charities for many years. I’ve got a master’s in information science, and I started off in pharmaceutical publishing, volunteered in Sri Lanka for 3 years as a librarian, and returned then got a job at a specialist library at the Institute of Marine Engineers (a charity and professional body).

I also worked for the Alzheimer’s society for about 10 years setting up their website and discussion board. A couple of colleagues and I ran our own community interest company which is like a small charity. We did lots of projects with people with dementia. We got a real reputation for service user involvement.

Then, I was caring for mum for a long time which is when I came across Healthwatch. Service user involvement is one of my passions- that’s why Healthwatch appeals to me. Healthwatch is something that I could do while caring for mum, and it stretch my mind.

Read more about our work and the topics we are focusing on for the next year.

How it started?

I was working at Age UK Wandsworth (AUW) and had been since the start of my 3rd sector career in 2004, having started out as a volunteer for both their popular Out & About and Be-a-Friend services, before becoming a staff member in Volunteer Management and Events Fundraising.

Our AUW CEO was a co-opted Trustee of Wandsworth Community Transport (WCT), and she was keen to step down, to give someone else the opportunity to become a member of their Board of Trustees.

Read on about what people have told us matters most to them and how we influence changes in collaboration with our community.

We all care for someone, but the word ‘carer’ is defined under the Care Act as anyone who, without payment, looks after a person who cannot cope without their support. Carers might care for someone who needs help because of their illness, frailty, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction. The person a carer looks after doesn’t have to be a family member or partner; they could be a friend or neighbour.

Community Champions are volunteers in Wandsworth who help support community members and encourage healthy life style choices.

Recently, Estate Art took part in our Community Champions programme over 2022/23, recruiting 20 Champions who would be supporting the Roehampton community. These Champions were all MECC (Make Every Contact Count) trained and all either had or applied for a basic DBS check, ensuring they felt safe and prepared for any situation they may encounter.

Estate Art is a non-for-profit organisation who were first set up during COVID to help members of the Roehampton community with their physical and mental health through art. They are committed to enabling a person’s full potential, and developing community cohesion, through creative community-led projects.

Children and young people are the most vulnerable members of our society, yet many continue to suffer in silence from various forms of violence and abuse.

This topic requires urgent attention and action from individuals and communities. By shedding light on this problem and working together to address it’s root causes, we can create safer environments where children and young people can thrive.

Violence and abuse against children and young people can take many forms, including physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological abuse, as well as neglect.

We are tracking how the Adult Mental Health Care Transformation could make a difference to patients. Find out more below.

Community champions are volunteers helping people in Wandsworth to be happier and healthier by talking about preventable illnesses, encouraging the use of health services, and telling authorities what works for real people. This way, locals can get the help they need before illness becomes more serious and potentially life-threatening.

I’m Dominic and I’ve been working at Wandsworth Care Alliance as a Mental Health Project Manager since September 2022. Mental Health Awareness Week is on 13th -19th May and has a theme of movement so I wanted to speak about enhancing mental well-being through physical activity and connections.

Stress is something we all feel sometimes, and some stress is normal. However, when it becomes regular and makes day-to-day tasks feel impossible to handle, that’s when we need to take appropriate actions to help us better manage it.