Four Local Healthwatch Teams Working Together To Hear Your Experiences Of Stroke Care

Response - 11 May 2026

Healthwatch Shropshire, Healthwatch Telford & Wrekin, Healthwatch Stoke-on-Trent and Healthwatch Staffordshire are inviting people to share their experiences of stroke care. This includes patients, carers, family members and anyone who has supported someone after a stroke.
Older man with a beard completing a jigsaw with someone behind, helping him with their hands on his shoulders.

They are asking for feedback on all parts of stroke care. This includes diagnosis, hospital treatment, rehabilitation and the support people receive after leaving hospital, whether from the NHS, charities or community groups.


People often receive care across different areas. For example, some patients from Shropshire may be treated in Stoke. By working together, the four Healthwatch teams can build a clearer picture of what is working well and where things could be improved.


This work is especially important right now. Some stroke support services are facing funding changes, and this may affect the help people receive during recovery. Hearing real experiences will help show what difference this makes.


Lynn Cawley, Chief Officer at Healthwatch Shropshire, said “This is a chance for people to come together and share their views to help shape future services.” She added that “listening to people’s experiences is key to improving care.”


Jan Suckling, Chief Officer at Healthwatch Telford & Wrekin, said: “Recovering from a stroke doesn’t end when someone leaves hospital. We want to understand how well ongoing support is working for people as well, and where there may be gaps, so services can better meet people’s needs.”


Sarah Adderley, Associate Director for the Midlands at the Stroke Association, said that they welcomed the work as it highlights how vital ongoing support is:


“Feedback from the stroke community we serve is incredibly valuable and we are consistently told how valuable personalised stroke recovery services are for survivors in the area.


“While currently, 280 people have a stroke every day in the UK, which is one person every five minutes, we expect the number of people to have a first or second stroke to only increase.


"We are encouraging more people in the community to share their experiences through this Healthwatch initiative, to ensure that they continue to receive the right levels of support into the future.”


If you or someone you know has experience of stroke care, please take a few minutes to share your views. Every response helps build a better understanding of services and how they can improve.


You can share your experience online through the Healthwatch Shropshire website or call 01743 237 884.
 

Or online at  Healthwatch Telford and Wrekin website or by calling 01952 739540.


If this does not apply to you, please consider sharing this with someone who has experience of stroke care. Your voice, or theirs, can make a real difference.
 

Take three minutes to share your experiences

NHS and social care staff are doing everything they can to keep us well during these challenging times, but there might be things that can be improved for you and your loved ones, both in the area you live in and across the country.

You can help make health and care services better by sharing your experiences and ideas.

Talk to us

You might also be interested in

HEALTHWATCH SHROPSHIRE formal questions to The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt NHS Foundation Trust following contact from patients with the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service (IHCAS) provided by Healthwatch Shropshire and their Enter & View visit

This article contains feedback from investigations carried out by the Chief Executive Officer at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RAJH) in response to questions raised by Healthwatch Shropshire Chief Officer Lynn Cawley on 28th November 2025 following an Enter and View visit to the Midland Centre for Spinal cord Injuries (MCSI) by our volunteers.
Response
People waiting in a hospital setting

Community Hospital Experiences in Shropshire

During last year's Share For Better Care Campaign, Healthwatch Shropshire received over 260 general comments online and via the telephone.
However, we identified a significant gap in our knowledge: we rarely hear feedback about the community hospitals and Minor Injury Units (MUIs) scattered throughout our county. We decided to target these vital facilities with face-to-face engagements, to find out more about the patient experience of their services.
Report
Woman in hospital bed talking to nurse

Healthwatch Shropshire Launches Campaign to Hear People’s Experiences of Spinal Injury Services

Healthwatch Shropshire has launched a new campaign to understand more about people’s experiences of spinal injury services across the county. The initiative follows a recent visit by Healthwatch Shropshire volunteers to The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital’s Spinal Injuries Inpatient Ward in Oswestry, where staff and patients shared valuable insights into local health and social care services.
News