The challenges Portsmouth residents are facing Parts 1, 2 & 3

Part 1 (scroll down for parts 2 & 3)

This report shares what people have said about the challenges they face in the city. It comes from a research project between the University of Portsmouth and Healthwatch Portsmouth, which also provided the funding. We asked people about their experiences with healthcare, education, housing, good jobs, support networks, and social life.

Read the report:

FINAL REPORT_ The challenges facing Portsmouth residents_ a community-based research study.

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Throughout 2023, we invited Portsmouth residents to share their experiences and unmet needs with a university researcher collecting feedback for us. We also asked for their ideas on how to solve the problems they faced. This report includes those ideas, along with recommendations from conversations with 18 individuals and a group of 6 people who help residents in deprived areas access services.

We talked to people living in deprived areas of Portsmouth, including Central Portsmouth, Buckland, Port and Mile End Industrial Estate, Paulsgate, and Paulsgrove. The report includes many direct quotes from residents about the problems they face and what changes are needed. In 2024, we invited Portsmouth residents to share their thoughts with Healthwatch Portsmouth on how the suggested solutions in the report can be put into action.

You can read the summary:

SUMMARY - The challenges facing Portsmouth residents - UoP research.pdf

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Alternative formats are now available to read:

Easier to read summary

Easier read_challenges P resi_ face; com based solutions FINAL.pdf

Download PDF • 154KB

Easy read

Easy Read_ chall fac P residents_FINAL.pdf

Download PDF • 561KB

Part 2

In August and September 2024, Healthwatch Portsmouth created a plan to gather feedback from residents on how the solutions in the first part of the research report could be put into action. To start these conversations, we used the following materials:

Health Inequalities project Part 2 conversation starter document

HealthWatch Portsmouth single page 300524 convos starters.pdf

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Graphic showing topics for conversation starters

HealthWatch Portsmouth graphic for convo starters.pdf

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What we found out from Portsmouth residents in 2024

HealthWatch Consultation report FINAL.pdf

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We presented our findings to the Portsmouth Health and Wellbeing Board Development Session in early November 2024

SUMMAR~1.PPT

Download PPT • 394KB

We shared the findings with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Partnership Joint Committee in January 2025. Our research was well received and will help shape future decisions on improving access to housing, jobs, and non-digital information across the region.

Part 3

In February 2025, efforts began in Portsmouth to use our findings, along with input from local partners, to create plans for supporting struggling communities. In May and June, we developed the project proposal outcomes for the city-based community helpdesk service in order to help reduce health inequalities in the city’s areas most affected.

Our work reached its final stage in November and December. Two city-based community help desks were set up to reduce health inequalities in the city’s areas most affected. More details are in our blog here: https://www.healthwatchportsmouth.co.uk/come-and-visit-new-hive-portsmouth-community-helpdesks

We have used those same unmet needs as stated by residents when we first gathered their feedback during guided conversations in 2023, to drive the purpose. What people told us mattered most was:

• Improved awareness of how to access mental health teams

• Reduced anxiety by speaking with someone about the challenges they are facing

• Reduced stigma and judgement by others on people from underserved communities access the support they need

• An acquired baseline knowledge of everyday health and what is available to support people to be healthy

The setting up of the community helpdesks provides perfect early pilot work for the city’s new Neighbourhood Health Centres. We are receiving a briefing from HIOW ICB’s Portsmouth Place Director on Integrated Neighbourhood Working which sets this in context.

The structural model, starting with a clear framework, will build towards an understanding of how services fit within the community. The project’s steering group (that Healthwatch Portsmouth sits on) is refining an overall working model, useful across health and care sectors and offers a chance for broader engagement and understanding of how this type of approach fits with Portsmouth’s overall vision.

Healthwatch Portsmouth will keep reinforcing the message that in patient-centred work it is important to return to what matters most to patients and users of care services.

For enquiries about the report please contact by email:  info@healthwatchportsmouth.co.uk    or phone: 023 9354 1510