Current engagements

Below you will find a range of opportunities to have your say on health and social care services across the North East and North Cumbria. These will be updated regularly, so please check back.

If you take valproate or topiramate we would like to hear your views. We want to understand how these medicines are talked about. We would like to hear from people over the age of 13 who take these medicines or who have thought about taking them. We would also like to hear from people's carers.

Please tell us your experience of talking about these medicines if

  • you could get pregnant or could get someone pregnant and take valproate or
  • you could get pregnant and take topiramate.

Please fill in this survey https://eu.surveymonkey.com/r/SaferPrescribing

You can fill in as much or as little as you like. It can take up to 15 minutes to fill it all in. We don't ask for your name in the survey- it is anonymous. The survey is open until 28 February, 2025.

Contact Jo Whaley on 0191 2172806 or necsu.icb.involvement@nhs.net if-

  • you have any questions,
  • you would like help filling in this survey,
  • you would like the survey in a different format or language.

Thanks to everyone who gave us their views on pre and post diagnosis autism support services in Tees Valley. These findings have been summarised into a final report. These findings are now being used to influence the development of a new pre and post autism diagnosis support service in Tees Valley. Where there have been specific comments about assessment, rather than pre/post autism diagnosis support services, these comments will be forwarded on to the appropriate assessment team.

We published our first plan about the way we involve people in 2022. In 2024, we wanted to hear more views on the plan before refreshing it. Healthwatch spoke to lots of different groups and then reported the feedback to us in a report. You can open the report here. We heard that people:

  • agreed with the content but wanted clearer language,
  • wanted to see a clear plan on how we will deliver, and
  • suggested different principles.

In response, we have:

  • Shortened and simplified the document.
  • Created new principles. These are:
    • meaningful involvement
    • removing barriers
    • listening to feedback
  • Made it clear what processes and systems support us to deliver. Also how these systems keep us to account.
  • Developed an action plan. This will show what we will do and how we will measure progress.

Thank you to everyone who has filled in a survey or got in touch.

If you would like to talk about the plan or have any queries please email necsu.icb.involvement@nhs.net.

During August, September and October, we asked parents/carers and professional referrers about their experience of Speech and Language Therapy in Tees Valley. Thank you to everyone who told us their views. We had over 600 responses to our surveys. That information has been written up into a final report which summarises the key findings from this involvement exercise. You can read the findings here.

These findings are now being considered and used to inform the development of a new Speech and Language Therapy contract in Tees Valley.  We will give updates on what will happen next soon.

This survey and engagement has now concluded.  A report of the results and findings will be published in due course.

This survey and engagement has now concluded.  A report of the results and findings will be published in due course.

The Tees Valley Getting Help involvement project has now concluded and the findings are now being considered. Please find a link to the final report, setting out the findings from this work here.

Tees Valley getting help - engagement findings report

Tees Valley getting help - engagement findings presentation

We'd like to understand the thoughts and experiences of people in the Tees Valley regarding early mental health support for children and young people, by listening to children and young people, their parents and carers and other key stakeholders (such as people working in educational settings and local organisations) about what currently works well, what can be improved, and what they'd like to see from these services in future.

The THRIVE Framework is a person-centred and needs-led approach to delivering mental health services for children, young people and their families.

Here is a short video that explains iTHRIVE in more detail.

Getting Help is an element of this framework and comprises of children, young people and their families who would benefit from short term, evidence based help and support. This support will have clear aims and goals with criteria for assessing whether the aims and goals have been achieved. 

Between 4 December 2023 and 9 February 2024, we are listening in a variety of ways:

  • Facilitated conversations about mental health with children and young people, mainly in schools and across voluntary sector services
  • A survey for young people aged 11-25
  • A survey for parents and carers of children and young people
  • A survey for stakeholders, current providers and staff
  • Interviews with local authority colleagues.

We are keen to work with anyone who supports children and young people, or parents and carers (whether that's in schools, community settings, Family Hubs or elsewhere).

  • If you would like to hold a facilitated conversation with children or young people, you can download a facilitated discussion guide to ask questions and record key themes. Notes from your discussion can be submitted online at: https://eu.surveymonkey.com/r/GettingHelpDCRT

Discussion guide attachment can be found here.

Recording template can be found here.

If you’d like paper copies of the children and young people survey, or the parent and carer survey (including pre-paid return envelopes), you can request them by sending an email to necsu.icb.involvement@nhs.net. We can also provide A3 posters to promote this listening exercise.

The children and young people survey is also available in easy read and audio formats.

The feedback we receive will be analysed independently to produce a report that will be publicly available. We will continue to involve patients, families, members of the public and stakeholders in conversations around how we develop and improve the mental health support offer for children and young people.

Please consider sharing this information with people in the Tees Valley who you think would be interested in taking part.

This survey and engagement has now concluded.  A report of the results and findings will be published in due course.

Thanks to everyone who gave us their views on pre and post diagnosis autism support services in Tees Valley. These findings have been summarised into a final report. These findings are now being used to influence the development of a new pre and post autism diagnosis support service in Tees Valley. Where there have been specific comments about assessment, rather than pre/post autism diagnosis support services, these comments will be forwarded on to the appropriate assessment team.