Hidden Voices

“Healthwatch Essex launched (1st April 2022) a new campaign encouraging people in Essex to seek support if they are battling with addiction, fronted by people in recovery from drug, alcohol and gambling addiction.

The campaign has been driven by and co-designed by people in Essex who are recovering from addiction and sharing their stories in the hope of inspiring others to seek support.

The campaign will see posters placed across the county in public areas and medical facilities, featuring photographs of the participants illustrating how their lives have changed since they entered recovery, accompanied by an online campaign using various social media. Each of the participants recorded some short clips that were shared via TikTok earlier in the project, proving popular with viewers as they reached a combined audience of more than half a million people and sparked important conversations about addiction support.

Each of the participants told us about the importance of seeking peer-led support, something which, in most cases, wasn’t actively offered or explained to them when they initially asked for help. The campaign will focus on ensuring on highlighting the importance of this, and through Healthwatch Essex, helping people to access the services they may need.”

Find more from Healthwatch Essex (UK, 2022)

‘It’s not just a bad period!’ – Living with Endometriosis Hidden Voices

In this episode we meet Sarah, Katie and Donna from the Rayleigh Endometriosis Support Group who all shared their lived experiences of endometriosis with us.They talked about the difficulties getting diagnosed, and then the challenges once diagnosed of finding support that works for them. This episode contains discussions of fertility, menstrual health, mental health and suicide.If you have been affected by anything discussed in the episode and would like to get support, speak to our Information and Guidance team – https://healthwatchessex.org.uk/speak-to-our-team/Rayleigh Support Group – https://www.rayleighanddistrictpcn.nhs.uk/endometriosis
  1. ‘It’s not just a bad period!’ – Living with Endometriosis
  2. 'PSA and Me' – Christie's Story of Arthritis
  3. The Future of Health – Talking to Nick Hulme
  4. Life after a Stroke – Sarah's Story
  5. Living with an Underactive Thyroid Condition – Emily’s Story

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