WorkWell Focus Groups

Blog - 25 February 2026

As part of a request from the ICB, Healthwatch teams across the North East and North Cumbria supported a rapid engagement exercise to gather feedback on the WorkWell programme, a service designed to help people with long-term health conditions stay in or return to work.
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Between August and September 2025, selected Healthwatch organisations ran small focus groups with people who have lived experience of managing a health condition or disability while in or out of employment. The aim was to hear directly from those most affected and ensure their voices help shape future support.

This work focused on reaching harder-to-reach groups, including those who may not usually take part in formal consultations. Each participating organisation received a small contribution to support their time and delivery.

Despite tight timescales and limited initial information, the Healthwatch network responded quickly and collaboratively. A summary of findings was shared with J Harvey Research to inform the development of WorkWell and demonstrate the value of community-led intelligence gathering.

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