Your Independent
Health & Care
Champion
We are Doncaster’s independent voice for health and social care. Since 2013, we have listened to residents, published research and influenced the services that matter most to people across our city.
Rooted in Doncaster, Connected to England
As part of the national Healthwatch network, we carry Doncaster voices into regional and national health decisions — making sure local experiences drive real change.
Meet Our Team
Our friendly, dedicated team brings together experience in health, social care, communications and community engagement across Doncaster.
Leadership
Operations
Engagement
Want to join our team?
We’re always looking for passionate volunteers and staff who want to make a real difference to health and care in Doncaster.
Our Mission & Purpose
Everything we do is guided by one goal — making sure the health and social care system in Doncaster works for everyone who needs it.
Listen & Engage
We actively seek out the voices of Doncaster residents — especially those who are seldom heard — to understand their real experiences of health and care services.
Influence & Challenge
We take what we hear and use it to challenge health and care providers to improve. We hold organisations to account and make sure your feedback leads to action.
Advise & Support
We provide free, impartial advice to help people understand their rights, access the right services and navigate the health and care system with confidence.
A Trusted, Independent Organisation
About Healthwatch Doncaster
Healthwatch Doncaster was established in April 2013 as part of a national network of 152 local Healthwatch organisations across England, set up under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. We are an independent statutory body — not part of the NHS or local authority — which means we can always act in the best interests of local people.
Our work is wide-ranging: from visiting health and care services to check the quality of care, to running community engagement events, publishing in-depth research reports, and supporting individuals who need advice or help making a complaint. Everything we do is entirely free and confidential.
We work closely with Healthwatch England, the national body, to ensure that what people in Doncaster tell us influences decisions made at a national level — giving residents a genuine voice in shaping the future of healthcare.
Find out what we do →What We Stand For
These values guide every conversation we have, every report we publish and every decision we make as an organisation.
We are fully independent of the organisations we scrutinise, giving you confidence that our findings are honest and unbiased.
We go out of our way to hear from seldom-heard groups — ensuring everyone in Doncaster has an equal voice, whatever their background.
We are transparent in how we work, honest in what we report and rigorous in how we gather and analyse people’s experiences.
We measure our success by the changes we help bring about — in services, in policies and in the lives of people across Doncaster.
A Decade of Making a Difference
Healthwatch Doncaster Established
Launched in April 2013 under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, replacing the previous Local Involvement Networks (LINks) to create a stronger statutory voice for local people.
First Major Research Reports Published
We published our first large-scale research reports on mental health services and GP access in Doncaster, directly influencing commissioning decisions made by the Clinical Commissioning Group.
Enter & View Programme Launched
Our authorised representatives began formal Enter & View visits to health and care settings across Doncaster, providing independent assessments of the quality of care provided.
COVID-19 Community Response
During the pandemic we adapted rapidly, capturing the experiences of Doncaster residents accessing health services and producing urgent reports to support the local response.
Dementia Insight Report
Commissioned by Doncaster Council and the CCG, our landmark Dementia Insight Report captured the experiences of people living with dementia and their carers — leading to concrete service improvements.
Annual Report 2024–25 Published
Our most recent annual report reflects on a year of listening, engaging and making a difference — with over 3,000 people heard and significant influence on NHS and social care decision-making across Doncaster.
Ready to Have Your Say?
Your experience of health and social care in Doncaster matters to us. Share your story and help us make services better for everyone.