1. Government announces greater focus on mental health services for children and young

    Response -

    Today the Prime Minister announced an overhaul on mental health services for young people. Read our response to the news.

  2. Every voice matters: Newcastle residents help transform local home care services

    News -

    When home care services were due to be recommissioned in Newcastle, local Healthwatch went out to speak to people being looked after in their own homes to find out what they wanted.

  3. Our response to General Medical Council’s report on doctors revalidation checks.

    Response -

    New report highlights how doctors are failing to get enough feedback from patients.

  4. What do people think of dementia services?

    News -

    With cases of dementia on the rise, it's more important than ever that services give people the support they need. Read our briefing to find out what people have told local Healthwatch about their experiences of care.

  5. Dementia services - findings from the Healthwatch network

    Report -

    Over the past year local Healthwatch have spoken to people across the country about their experiences of dementia care - from help provided by GPs and pharmacists to support offered through hospitals and social care.

  6. Are people experiencing problems accessing social care support?

    News -

    Concerns raised by the public indicate services need better information to ensure timely support to those in need.

  7. Exploring sexual health support in Southwark: schools and sexual health services

    News -

    Young people in Southwark are calling for better education about sex and relationships and improvements to sexual health services.

  8. NHS wants to know if you find care information accessible

    News -

    Since August 2016, NHS services have been required by law to ensure their communications are accessible to all. Six months on, NHS England wants to hear what difference the Accessible Information Standard has made to your experience.


  9. Making the most of the information you share with us

    News -

    People share their experiences about health and care with Healthwatch every day. We spoke to our Intelligence Coordinator, Penny Manika to understand how the information you share with your local Healthwatch helps to change and improve services.

  10. Our public Committee Meeting February 2017 - supporting materials

    Report -

    Find out what happened at our public Committee Meeting.

  11. Raising awareness of the experiences of homeless people

    News -

    With over 4,000 people estimated to be sleeping rough every night across England, we take a look at what local Healthwatch have been doing to understand the experiences of people in their community when it comes to health and care.

  12. Local people share their experiences of using gender identity services

    News -

    Find out what people in Devon told their local Healthwatch about their experiences of using gender identity services.

  13. Exploring sexual health support in Southwark: pharmacies

    News -

    Five ways pharmacies can improve sexual health support for young people.

  14. Why hospital discharge is everyone’s problem (and how new plans can help)

    News -

    When discharge goes wrong, it comes at a cost to the NHS, to social care services, and to the individual. When it works, people are able to move on with their lives and recover safely.

  15. Many areas still need effective public engagement

    Response -

    A new report by the King’s Fund highlights some of the challenges and opportunities that exist with future changes to health and care services.

  16. Our Chair's response to the King's Fund's Sustainability and Transformation Plans progress report

    Response -

    New report from the Kings Fund highlights challenges and opportunities that exist with future changes to health and care services.

  17. Our Chair's response to the CQC's 'State of care in NHS acute hospitals' report

    Response -

    Today, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has released a new report highlighting what they have learned from three year's worth of inspections of NHS Acute Hospitals.

  18. How can we make buying medication online safe?

    Response -

    The Care Quality Commission is calling on people to act with caution when using online medical services.

  19. Four ways your views have helped make health and care accessible

    News -

    We take a look at how people's experiences across England have already helped to challenge barriers and improve accessibility in health and care.

  20. Why are services changing?

    News -

    Health and social care services are changing to become more efficient and better at providing the support that people want. If services are to get these changes right, it is important that they work with local people to give them a say in decisions.

  21. New NHS target aims to improve your experience of leaving hospital

    News -

    The Government has published what it wants the NHS to deliver over the next 12 months, including a new target to reduce the delays people can face when leaving hospital.

  22. Our business plan 2017-18

    Report -

    Our business plan outlines our plans for 2017/18 sets out how we, in partnership with local Healthwatch, will build on our work from last year, into the next 12 months and beyond.

  23. Helping Hertfordshire’s transgender community get the support they need

    News -

    A survey conducted by charity Viewpoint found that there was just one support group for this community, that people wanted better information about the help available.

  24. Our commitment to equality and human rights

    Report -

    Our remit covers all health and social care services and we work for everyone, not just those who shout the loudest.

  25. Autism services for children and young people - findings from the Healthwatch network

    Report -

    Our new report highlights the four most common issues that people have told local Healthwatch they want to see improve.

  26. Our response to NHS England's update to the Five Year Forward View

    Response -

    New plan setting out changes across health and care services for the next few years is published.

  27. NHS England publishes new guidance on public engagement

    Response -

    New guidance has been published about how Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and NHS England should engage people in work to improve health and care services.

  28. Making a trip to the doctor easier for people with autism

    News -

    For people who have autism and their families, visiting the GP can be stressful. We look at six ways that staff in GP surgeries can help improve patient experience.

  29. Four ways GP practices can become dementia friendly

    News -

    Find out how one local Healthwatch has been showing GP practices how small changes can make a big difference to patients’ experiences of visiting the doctor.

  30. What do people think of autism services for children and young people?

    News -

    There are around half a million people in England on the autism spectrum.

  31. Our public Committee Meeting May 2017 - supporting materials

    Report -

    Find out what happened at our public Committee Meeting.

  32. What inspires students to volunteer with us?

    News -

    Volunteers’ Week is a chance to say a huge thank you to our 6,000+ amazing volunteers who help make a difference to health and care across the country.

  33. Our response to CQC's report on driving improvement in hospital care

    Response -

    The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has today published a report that explores how eight NHS trusts have been able to make significant improvements in the quality of care.

  34. Shortlist announced ahead of Healthwatch Network Awards 2017

    News -

    After reviewing over 150 entries, we are pleased to announce all of the finalists for the Healthwatch Network Awards 2017.

  35. Our response to the Capped Expenditure Programme proposals

    Response -

    Local people need to be given opportunities to contribute to changes to the NHS from the beginning of any decision making process.

  36. Our complaints process

    Report -

    Our complaints process outlines how to make a complaint about us and our approach to making sure complaints are resolved.

  37. Volunteer shares experiences of Asperger’s Syndrome to encourage young people to speak up

    News -

    A 24-year-old woman in Dorset has been leading the charge in helping health and care services in the county understand the issues affecting young people.

  38. Meet the patients helping to heal the NHS

    News -

    Almost 300,000 people have shared their stories in the last year to help improve care. Our new #ItStartsWithYou campaign highlights the difference patient feedback can make.

  39. Parent secures changes to orthotics services by sharing her son’s experience

    News -

    Speaking up about her son’s experience saw one woman help improve orthotics services for people across the country.

  40. Speaking up helps improve care for sheltered housing residents

    News -

    A 96-year-old sheltered housing resident and manager have helped improve ambulance services in Dorset.

  41. Our response to CQC's report on the quality of adult social care services

    Response -

    The CQC has today published a report highlights the findings from its adult social care inspections from 2014-2017.

  42. Man with dementia leads improvements to care for people in Shropshire

    News -

    A Shropshire man with dementia has been using his experiences to help improve support for local people with the disease.

  43. Healthwatch Network Award Winners 2017

    News -

    The Healthwatch Network Awards recognise the ways in which Healthwatch across the country have helped make people’s views of health and social care services heard over the last 12 months. Take a look at our winners this year.

  44. New drive to improve social care complaints handling

    News -

    Listening to feedback and learning from it is vital to improve quality of service. We have launched a new toolkit to help councils, care staff and services work together to build a positive culture around complaints and the opportunities to learn.

  45. Parents and carers help GPs in Crawley become autism-friendly

    News -

    Parents and carers of autistic children have won an award for their work training staff at GP surgeries in Crawley to make their practices more autism-friendly.

  46. Local complaints systems: how well are they working?

    Report -

    This toolkit is designed to help local Healthwatch scrutinise local complaints systems, make recommendations based on findings and follow through on the improvements they ask for.

  47. Healthwatch help people in south London get support after leaving hospital

    News -

    Being discharged from hospital isn’t just about going home – it’s about the care and support you receive afterwards too. Read about two local Healthwatch who have won an award for working together to help people in south London get what they need.

  48. What do men think of health and care services?

    News -

    Local Healthwatch go on tour to see what men in the pubs and clubs of Blackburn with Darwen really think about health and care services.

  49. Making your voice count 2017

    Report -

    Read seven inspiring stories from our 2017 Healthwatch Network Awards, to show how your feedback is helping to change health and care for the better.