Volunteer
Make a difference in your community
Volunteers are at the heart of helping people share their experiences and shape health and social care services. By volunteering with Healthwatch County Durham, you can develop new skills, gain valuable experience and make a real difference in your community.
We have a variety of volunteering opportunities available and we’d love to hear from you. To get involved, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator:
Office: 0191 9169806
Mobile: 07761 205660
Email: claire@healthwatchcountydurham.co.uk
Why volunteer with us?
- Make a difference: Help people in your community have their say on health and social care.
- Build connections: Meet new people and become part of the Healthwatch County Durham team.
- Boost your CV: Develop valuable skills and gain confidence that will benefit you in the workplace.
- Use your skills: Contribute your talents to the success of Healthwatch across County Durham.
Our volunteering roles
Community Engagement Volunteer
Help make health and social care services better in your area.
What you’ll do:
- Talk to local people about their experiences with health and social care.
- Gather feedback through surveys, events and conversations.
- Signpost people to relevant services when needed.
- Support the Healthwatch team to ensure feedback drives positive change.
Enter and View Representative
Visit health and social care services and help improve care through direct feedback.
What you’ll do:
- Visit care homes, GP surgeries, hospitals, and other care facilities.
- Observe how services operate and speak with staff, residents, patients and families.
- Gather and record feedback to support improvement reports.
- Highlight excellent practices and identify areas needing attention.
Community Research Volunteer
Help improve health and social care services by gathering and analysing feedback and research.
What you’ll do:
- Identify trends from feedback received by Healthwatch.
- Conduct desk-based research for projects and website articles.
- Assist with research projects, including focus groups, interviews, and case studies.
- Support the online signposting directory.
- Analyse patient and public experience data.
- Opportunity to carry out your own mini-research projects with support from Healthwatch staff.
Meeting Representative Volunteer
Represent Healthwatch County Durham at meetings to share updates and gather insights.
What you’ll do:
- Attend meetings of service providers (e.g., hospices, mental health providers), patient groups (e.g., GPs’ patient participation groups), or organisations representing patients (e.g., Age UK, People’s Parliament).
- Report on Healthwatch activities and gather feedback from attendees.
- Highlight issues, opportunities, and insights to feed back to the Healthwatch team.
Contact Claire Sisterson for further details: claire@healthwatchcountydurham.co.uk
Healthwatcher
Support Healthwatch County Durham by helping us reach local people and gather feedback.
What you’ll do:
- Distribute publicity leaflets and promote Healthwatch locally.
- Encourage members of the public to complete comment cards.
- Collect and return feedback cards to the Healthwatch team and request new ones as needed.
Contact Claire Sisterson for further details: claire@healthwatchcountydurham.co.uk
My favorite thing about volunteering is being able to have a positive impact on service user experiences