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Our Community Reporters

Building on the success of last year’s local account we have continued our working with a team of community reporters from The People’s Network. The reporters met with a local videographer and discussed what they wanted to achieve from their short illustrative films, including questions, techniques and approaches to the films. They then went out and about, meeting with the council’s adult social care heads of service and team managers, as well as with local people who have received services. They were filmed talking to these people, asking the questions that they felt local people would want answers to.  
The reporters felt that it was important that this year’s report included films of local people in receipt of adult social care services, telling their stories and experiences, as well as of the council’s leads and managers. 

The People’s Network

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The People’s Network is a group of people who live in Dudley Borough and who have experience of using adult social care services. The group meet every two months, supported by Healthwatch Dudley and the council and discuss a range of topics realted to care, health and support. The Network gives local people a really important opportunity to have their say about local health and social care services and to influence these services. The meetings are designed to give everyone the chance to: 

 

  • Network in a positive way with people who have similar interests in social care 

  • Have discussions and share knowledge about local services 

  • Inform policies and influence local services 

  • Have real opportunities to provide feedback to decision makers 

  • Test the accuracy and readability of public documents before they are published 

  • Bring and share powerful stories, journeys and experiences  


The People’s Network is very much appreciated and valued by care and health decision makers. It is vital that we do give local people who have experience and knowledge of local services the opportunity to share this knowledge and contribute to the development and delivery of health and social care services. 

Who are the community reporters?

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To increase the accessibility and for the local account to reach a wider audience it was agreed in 2018 that an online report would suit. The council decided that they needed to work closely with a group of local people interested in the world of adult social care and the experiences of local people. Healthwatch was able to link together the group of community reporters who had a passionate interest in this area. 
 

The reporters are local people who have a range of long term health conditions, issues or disabilites, or are carers of other people. As such they all have considerable experience of local adult social care services and a commitment to make services as good as they can be. Their role is to look at the format of the online report, the content and approach to it, as well as. Their aim is to make the report accessible, less wordy and a report that is read by people and of interest to a much wider audience. 

Interview - Matt Bowsher

Director of adult social care

with Paul

Subtitled version
Signed version

Interview - Santokh Dulai

Head of Dudley Disability Service

with Alan

Subtitled version
Signed version

Special report 

Dudley Disability Service

with Paul and Gemma

Subtitled version
Signed version

Interview - Stephen Lonsdale

Head of Adult Safeguarding

with Rachel

Subtitled version
Signed version

Special report

Adult Safeguarding in Dudley

with Rachel 

Subtitled version
Signed version

Interview - Paul Grainger

Health and Wellbeing manager

with Demi and Angela

Subtitled version
Signed version

Special report

Dudley carers hub

with Demi and Angela

Subtitled version
Signed version

Interview - Chris Outwaite

Team manager - assessment and independence with Alan and Josh

Subtitled version
Signed version

Our interviews

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