Healthwatch County Durham

19/03/2026

This Sign Language Week 2026, the Healthwatch County Durham team are learning these basic BSL signs to help our communication.

19/03/2026

We know that finding the right help can feel overwhelming, especially when you don’t know where to start.

That’s why a new Chester-le-Street Support Directory has been created to make it easier to find local services and support 💬

Inside, you’ll find information on:
✔️ Crisis support
✔️ Mental health & wellbeing
✔️ Financial advice & benefits
✔️ Housing support
✔️ Support for young people & families
✔️ Carers’ support
✔️ Community groups & wellbeing activities
…and much more.

Whether you’re looking for help for yourself or supporting someone else, this directory is a great place to start.

🙏 With thanks to the Su***de Prevention subgroup of the Community Mental Health Transformation steering group for bringing this together.

📄 Take a look here: https://bit.ly/4bxm7rf

Or scan the QR code!

17/03/2026

Read the details on the original post to find out where the Wellbeing For Life team will be for the rest of this week:

💙 Where can you find 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 this week around County Durham?

- Monday 16 March, 10am to midday – The Social Prescribing Roadshow at Freeman's Quay Leisure Centre, Durham
- Tuesday 17 March, 3pm to 5pm – Stop Smoking Clinic at Bishopgate Medical Practice, Bishop Auckland
- Tuesday 17 March, 10am to midday - Karbon Homes Silver Friends at Parish Church of Consett
- Wednesday 18 March, 9am to midday – Wellbeing Wednesday at The Hearth, Bishop Auckland
- Wednesday 18 March, 10:30am to midday – Wellbeing Drop-In at Citrone's Cafe, Chester-Le-Street
- Wednesday 18 March, 1pm to 3pm – Eatwise at Waythrough Health and Wellbeing Hub, Newton Aycliffe
- Wednesday 18 March, 1:30pm to 4pm – Open Day for staff and health professionals at ARCH Recovery College, Durham
- Thursday 19 March, 9am to 10:30am – Healthy eating with Employability Durham at the The Louisa Centre, Stanley
- Thursday 19 March, 10am to midday – Healthworks Coffee Lounge with Energising East Durham from East Durham Trust at Healthworks, Easington

For more information about these events, or how to access our service, contact 0800 876 6887, [email protected], or visit www.yourwellbeingservices.uk/whats-on/

17/03/2026

Please note that although ANPR has been introduced at Shotley Bridge hospital, this does not affect the car parks.
The system has been introduced to discourage parking on double yellow lines on access routes.

17/03/2026

❗Please see Medication Recall Notice

IMPORTANT MEDICATION RECALL

17/03/2026

Meningitis can be very serious if not treated quickly.

The NHS website has all the information you need, including what to look out for and when to get medical help.

➡️ https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/meningitis/

16/03/2026

This week we are proud to join Neurodiversity Celebration Week.
Not just raising awareness, but celebrating all the ways that our differences make the world a better place ✨

🧠✨ It's Neurodiversity Celebration Week (16th - 2th March)! ✨🧠

A week to celebrate the incredible range of ways human minds think, learn and experience the world! 🌈

Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences. Different minds don't just deserve acceptance, they deserve celebration.

💡 Did you know some of the world's most brilliant and creative people are neurodivergent?

🎵 Billie Eilish – ADHD & Tourette's
🪄 Daniel Radcliffe - Developmental Coordination Disorder.
🎨 Leonardo da Vinci – believed to have had ADHD & dyslexia
💻 Bill Gates - ADHD
🌳 Greta Thunberg - Autism and OCD
📚 Emma Watson – ADHD & dyslexia
🎤 Justin Timberlake – OCD & ADHD
🧬 Albert Einstein – believed to have been autistic.

These are just a few of the many neurodivergent individuals who've shaped our world! 🌍

Neurodivergent people often have the following traits:

✅ Unique problem-solving and creative thinking
✅ Exceptional focus and passion for specific subjects
✅ Fresh perspectives
✅ Pattern recognition and attention to detail
✅ Thinking outside the box when others can't

Different minds make a better world 💙

13/03/2026

We are attending this event next Tuesday 17th March. If you are in the Consett area, pop in for free advice, cuppa and cake 😀 Karbon Homes Silver Friends

12/03/2026

📢 Call for volunteers!

We’re looking for people who have recently had an ADHD assessment (or are carers of someone who has) and chose a Right to Choose provider.

Right to Choose gives NHS patients the legal option to select an alternative provider for faster ADHD assessments.

We’re creating a document about ADHD assessments, how Right to Choose works and what to look for when selecting a provider. We’d love a couple of volunteers to review the document and share their insights.

If you’re interested, please get in touch by Friday 20th March:

📧 [email protected]

11/03/2026

🌟 It’s Young Carers Action Day!

Young carers do incredible things every day, and they deserve recognition, support & Fair Futures💛

Find out more here:🔗 carers.org/young-carers-action-day

08/03/2026

Today is International Women's Day!💙

To celebrate, we're looking back at some of the amazing and passionate women who have shaped the history of healthcare as we know it🏥

Thankyou to all the amazing women working across health and social care who continue to make a vital difference, day in and day out🌟

05/03/2026

After feedback from our first Carers Support Group we have decided to change the time to 10.30am. Please come along to our next group on Wednesday 6th May, have a cuppa and make new friends at Hamsteels Community Centre, Esh Winning supported by Durham County Carers Support We look forward to seeing you there.