I will start by sharing my journey as a young single mother sat on the train travelling north from London Kings Cross, I knew the journey well having spent all my growing years doing the very same trip, backwards and forwards, going home was how I saw it, back to my grandmother. The difference this time was I knew I wouldn’t be returning to London, but that was the only thing I knew.
I had collected a wealth of life experience in what I now know was a short twenty years. I had sat on the sidelines and watched how chaos around me had unfolded, complex mental health problems, alcoholism, homelessness, teenage pregnancies, gangs, drugs, and abuse. Something deep inside me knew that the only way I could give my unborn baby a real chance at a better life was to leave, to use all the knowledge I had and lessons I had learned to strive to make things better.
Isn’t it true that we are all on our own journeys, all unique in their own way? We have no idea what our next chapters hold or where we will be, but every day we get up with the intention that we want it to be good, maybe better than yesterday. We want to achieve, be included, be valued and ultimately find our purpose.
So here I am today, at the beginning of another journey, Healthwatch as I have known it has the opportunity to grow from all its previous challenges, learning and experience. As we embark on Healthwatch part two, transitioning from our previous provider to a collaborative approach with MVDA and RCVDA, we have the chance to embrace change and look forward to new beginnings.
As the Manager of Healthwatch South Tees, the voice of the public, I have the same desire for change that I had all those years ago, only this time it isn’t only my daughter that drives me, it’s the improvement in services for all those that need it. It’s the yearning for people to take responsibility and know that they can make positive changes for themselves. I believe entirely that people can take control and make the changes they want to make for the better; help is out there if we know where to look, and if it isn’t, tell us.
Give us the information let’s start our journey together.
Natasha Judge is the Healthwatch South Tees Development and Delivery Manager
