Healthwatch Portsmouth announces that Siobhain McCurrach, Manager of Healthwatch Portsmouth received the Inspirational Women of Portsmouth Award 2022 (health category) Siobhain was nominated in the Health category of the Pamodzi Creatives awards and was one among 250 women put forward for the sterling work they do every day around the city. As the ‘critical friend’ of Health and Social Care services, Healthwatch represents patient views about the things that matter – and Siobhain has gone above and beyond to ensure that the voices represented are truly reflective of her community.
“She gives so much more of her time than she’s paid for, and she is well regarded and respected,” says Healthwatch Portsmouth Advisory Board Chairperson, Roger Batterbury. “She is an inspirational woman.” Siobhain says that her own inspiration comes from 20 years’ working in patient empowerment and seeing the results.
She is tenacious when it comes to getting the right message across to the right people where needed – and also knows the power of a respectful and reasoned argument. Siobhain has a mantra that has stood her in good stead: “Be nice, and be helpful to everyone”. “I’d like to thank the entire Healthwatch Portsmouth volunteer and staff team who have helped me to achieve this award,” she said.
“I do what I do because I can see the positive difference it makes to people’s lives. “Healthwatch Portsmouth amplifies the voice of the patient and gets their message to those people in the city who are making decisions about health and social care services. Getting changes made from those messages shows patients that it is possible to influence decisions about services.”