Healthwatch Gateshead

What Healthwatch Gateshead does

Healthwatch Gateshead is a statutory, non-profit community advocacy organization serving the residents of Gateshead, a metropolitan borough in North East England. Established under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, it operates as part of the national Healthwatch network with a legally mandated remit to gather, represent, and escalate the views of local people regarding health and social care services. Its core activities include a freephone information helpline (0800 038 5116), in-person community drop-in sessions held across multiple locations, Enter and View monitoring visits to care settings, public surveys on specific service lines (dentistry, physiotherapy, vaccinations, gluten-free prescriptions), themed research reports, and a bi-monthly email newsletter distributed via Mailchimp. The organization publishes an annual report and "You Said, We Did" case studies demonstrating how resident feedback has led to service changes.

The organization is funded through statutory grants from Gateshead Council (the local authority) with supplementary support from Healthwatch England, and all services are provided free of charge to residents. It works strategically with the Gateshead Health and Wellbeing Board and the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), and participates in a regional collaboration of 14 local Healthwatch organizations across North East & North Cumbria. Additional operational partners include Age UK Gateshead, Nexus (transport), and Gateshead Housing Company for referral and joint-project purposes. Outreach channels span Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, an RSS feed, and physical venues including libraries, community centers, and festivals.

Technology use is limited and non-proprietary: a website built on a standard CMS and Microsoft Teams for virtual meetings. The organization has 11-50 staff and operates from Gateshead, United Kingdom. Michael Brown serves as Committee Chair. There are no disclosed commercial revenue streams, no investor base, no parent company, and no subsidiaries; ownership and governance sit within a community-interest model rather than a corporate equity structure.

Name

Healthwatch Gateshead

Legal name

Healthwatch Gateshead

Website

https://healthwatchgateshead.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Healthwatch Gateshead is a statutory non-profit advocacy organization that collects and represents Gateshead residents' feedback on local health and social care services. It operates a free information helpline, community drop-in sessions, surveys, and reports, funded by Gateshead Council.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health and Social Care Advocacy Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Patient Advocacy, Navigation & Access to Care (BPAGACAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Health & Health Equity Organizations (BPAGACAL)

Keywords

• Health advocacy services
• Social care feedback
• Patient experience research
• Community health engagement
• NHS signposting support

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle Upon Tyne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Healthwatch Gateshead is funded by the local authority (Gateshead Council) through a statutory requirement under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, with additional funding from Healthwatch England. The organization provides free services to the public.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Healthwatch Gateshead provides free, independent information, advice, signposting, and advocacy support to Gateshead residents on accessing health and social care services. It gathers public feedback through surveys, drop-in sessions, and an information helpline, then channels that feedback into reports and recommendations to NHS commissioners, the local authority, and Healthwatch England to drive service improvements. The organization also conducts statutory Enter and View visits to observe health and social care settings.

Product overview

Healthwatch Gateshead operates as a community advocacy organization rather than a software product company. The organization provides a unified suite of citizen engagement services focused on gathering public experiences of local health and social care and advocating for service improvements. Core offerings include an information helpline, community drop-in sessions, Enter and View monitoring visits, advice and information resources, research publications, public surveys, and a newsletter mailing list. These services collectively form the organization's advocacy and feedback-gathering mission rather than a commercial product portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Information Helpline and Support Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,780 people engaged across 72 sessions at 22 locations in Q1 2026
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Healthwatch NewcastlecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership with Healthwatch Newcastle on joint research projects including loneliness studies, vaccination surveys, and cost of living impact research across Gateshead and Newcastle populations.
• Healthwatch Across North East & North Cumbria (14 local Healthwatch)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional collaboration of 14 Healthwatch organizations across the North East & North Cumbria region, working together on shared research projects such as the Modern General Practice Access report.
• Age UK GatesheadminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerReferral and support partnership connecting residents who need assistance with Age UK Gateshead services.
• Nexus (Transport for the North East)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership to help residents access transport support information including the Nexus Bridge Card scheme for additional travel assistance.
• Gateshead Health and Wellbeing BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthwatch Gateshead receives intelligence from the Gateshead Health and Wellbeing Board and works with them on health improvement priorities for the local population.
• North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks with the ICB on health service improvements. The ICB provides information on NHS services including dentistry, gluten-free prescriptions, and other regional health matters.
• Gateshead Housing CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPreviously collaborated on the 'Lost in Translation' project gathering experiences of Arabic-speaking service users on accessing interpreting and translation services.
• Gateshead Central LibraryminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCommunity outreach location for advice and support services for under 25s.
• St Chad's Community ProjectminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCommunity outreach location for advice and support services for under 25s.
• The Sage GatesheadminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCommunity outreach location for advice and support services for under 25s.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Care Quality Commission (CQC): National independent regulator of health and adult social care in England; Healthwatch Gateshead's Enter and View visits complement CQC inspections of local providers, operating in the same monitoring space at borough level.
• National Voices: Coalition of health and care charities in England that amplifies patient voices into national policy, providing a broader advocacy platform comparable in mission to Healthwatch Gateshead's local voice function.
• Healthwatch England: National body of the Healthwatch network that oversees all 152 local Healthwatch organisations and provides additional funding to Healthwatch Gateshead under the same statutory framework.

Direct peers

• VoiceAbility: UK-wide independent advocacy organisation delivering NHS and social care advocacy services comparable to Healthwatch's information, signposting and complaint support functions.
• POhWER: National advocacy charity providing independent advocacy on health, social care and related issues, overlapping significantly with Healthwatch's advocacy and complaint-navigation remit.
• Healthwatch Newcastle: Direct local Healthwatch covering neighbouring Newcastle, operating under the same statutory framework and frequently collaborating with Healthwatch Gateshead on joint research projects such as loneliness and vaccination studies.
• Healthwatch Sunderland: Local Healthwatch for neighbouring Sunderland, operating under identical statutory mandate and participating in the same regional collaboration framework as Healthwatch Gateshead.
• Healthwatch Northumberland: Local Healthwatch serving Northumberland, part of the same North East & North Cumbria consortium of 14 organisations collaborating on regional research initiatives.

Regional players

• Citizens Advice Gateshead: Local advice charity offering free, confidential advice to Gateshead residents on welfare, health-related benefits and access to services, addressing overlapping needs such as complaint navigation and information signposting.
• Age UK Gateshead: Local branch of national older-persons charity operating a referral partnership with Healthwatch Gateshead, serving overlapping populations (elderly residents needing health and social care access support).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HWGateshead
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCAYd82bS_IKu8z2rqMzWKAA
• Facebookfacebook.com/gatesheadhealthwatch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/healthwatch-gateshead
• Instagraminstagram.com/healthwatch_gateshead/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Healthwatch Gateshead