1. Our public Committee Meeting February 2015 - supporting materials

    Report -

    Find out what happened at our public Committee Meeting.

  2. Proposed standards for complaints advocacy

    Report -

    We have worked with users, providers and commissioners of complaints advocacy services to create a vision of what a good complaints advocacy service should look like.

  3. Our briefing on mental health

    Report -

    We ask local Healthwatch every year to tell us what matters most to local people regarding health and social care. This year it was mental health that came out on top with 77 out of 152 local Healthwatch identifying it as a priority.

  4. Disabled people struggling to access GP appointments

    News -

    Most people say they are satisfied with their GP but research from our network suggests that there are significant issues of concern for some groups of people, particularly for those with hearing, visual and mobility problems.

  5. What help do you need to look after your health in the future?

    Report -

    By analysing over 11,000 conversations the Healthwatch network has had with the public about this issue, we found five common areas where people wanted to see improvement.

  6. Primary Care: A review of local Healthwatch reports

    Report -

    Find out what we found when our network spoke to more than 11,000 people and visited over 550 GP surgeries, pharmacies and opticians across the country.

  7. Funding and support information for NHS Complaints Advocacy services - FOI results

    Report -

    Results from our Freedom of Information Request show care home residents and other social care users are not being given support to make a complaint about social care services.

  8. Our public Committee meeting May 2015 - supporting materials

    Report -

    Find out what happened at our public Committee Meeting.

  9. Action needed on gender reassignment surgery delays

    News -

    Local Healthwatch across the country are hearing reports of long delays for access to consultations and surgery for people waiting for gender reassignment surgery, but how long should people wait?

  10. Our business plan 2015-16

    Report -

    Our business plan outlines how we plan to meet our strategic priorities from April 2015 to March 2016.

  11. Ombudsman reform only one part of the complaints puzzle

    News -

    We are calling on the Government to take action to reform the complaints system - our seven-point plan sets out how.

  12. Every complaint matters - a seven-point plan for the NHS and social care

    Report -

    Our seven-point action plan to help ensure that the complaints system gives patients what they need and ensures the NHS and social care services can learn from their mistakes.

  13. We warn councils funding cuts could mute patients voice

    News -

    Survey finds local Healthwatch areas being hit cover half of hospitals in special measures.

  14. State of Support - Local Healthwatch finances 2015/16

    Report -

    This report outlines the funding each local Healthwatch has received to deliver their statutory activities based on survey results from 148 local Healthwatch, working across 152 local authority areas.

  15. Why don’t UK citizens complain about care services when things go wrong?

    News -

    As the All Party Parliamentary Group on Health meets to discuss patient complaints today, new poll reveals half of people who experience poor care want to complain but far fewer go on to do so.

  16. Our Quality Statements

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    Each local Healthwatch works in an area with its own unique issues but there are specific statutory activities which every local Healthwatch must undertake and it is important that this work is consistent.

  17. Celebrating the Healthwatch network’s success

    News -

    The remarkable contribution local Healthwatch across the country have made to health and social care at a local and national level has been marked at the Healthwatch Network Awards of Achievement 2015.

  18. Healthwatch network visits to local services increase by 300%

    News -

    In the last 12 months local Healthwatch have been out in their communities putting on engagement events in libraries and supermarkets, visiting health and care facilities and running public surveys

  19. Improving access to health services for the deaf community

    News -

    Health and care services need to be accessible for everyone, but those who are deaf often face problems. Healthwatch Bedford Borough share how they are working to achieve change in their area.

  20. Safely home: People's experiences of leaving care

    News -

    With the help of 101 local Healthwatch, we heard from over 3,000 people who shared their stories with us about their experiences of the discharge process.

  21. Major issues with GP access being tackled in Derby

    News -

    Many people in Derby face significant issues accessing GPs. Healthwatch Derby City listened to people views and called for change.

  22. Getting hospital discharge right would stop suffering and save millions of pounds

    News -

    Our new report brings together 3,230 stories gathered by 101 local Healthwatch from across the country, revealing the human and financial cost of getting the discharge process wrong.

  23. Safely Home - what happens when people leave hospital and care settings

    Report -

    With the help of 101 local Healthwatch, we heard from over 3,000 people who shared their stories with us about their experiences of the discharge process.

  24. Putting the focus back on patients

    News -

    Read a letter from our Chair Anna Bradley to the Times newspaper expressing her concerns regarding the need to champion patient voice.

  25. Making it easier to get to hospital in Buckinghamshire

    News -

    After hearing that people were struggling to get to hospital appointments due to problems with local transport, Healthwatch Buckinghamshire decided to investigate.

  26. NHS services must tell people how to contact their local Healthwatch

    News -

    People can’t help improve health services if they don’t know who to talk to. That’s why patients will now be guided to local Healthwatch by health services to do just that.

  27. Our public Committee Meeting August 2015 supporting materials

    Report -

    Find out what happened at our public Committee Meeting.

  28. Use of discharge checklists - Freedom of information request results

    Report -

    As part of our research into unsafe discharge from hospital and care settings we conducted a Freedom of Information Request in May 2015 of 164 hospital trusts.

  29. Top tips for recruiting volunteers

    News -

    Healthwatch East Sussex recently hit the news for the fantastic response they received as a result of their plea for volunteers. They tell us the secret of their success.

  30. Addressing GP access issues for people in Hertfordshire

    News -

    Patients struggling to access GP services helped by Healthwatch Hertfordshire

  31. Official figures on complaints don’t tell the full story.

    News -

    New figures show that 562 written complaints were made to the NHS per day in 2014-15, however recorded complaints are only part of the picture.

  32. Involving local people in improving disability access

    News -

    Find out what happened when one Healthwatch Bolton worked with their local hospital to improve access for people with disabilities.

  33. GP surgeries updating good practice in registering new patients thanks to local Healthwatch

    News -

    Almost all GP practices in Southampton routinely ask for proof of identity, potentially denying many people access to care in Southampton.

  34. Katherine Rake to move on from Healthwatch England

    News -

    Having set Healthwatch England up and nurtured it through the first three years, Healthwatch Chief Executive Katherine Rake has now decided to move on in the New Year to pursue a portfolio and consultancy career.

  35. NHS England working to improve communications with people who are transgender or non-binary

    News -

    NHS England publish their first in their series of regular updates about what they are doing to improve gender identity services.

  36. Young Ambassadors champion eye care at local primary schools

    News -

    Healthwatch Bedford Borough has taken part in the first child-led campaign launched to tackle avoidable blindness in the UK.

  37. Our Annual Governance Statement 2014/15

    Report -

    Find out more about the processes and procedures in place for Healthwatch to carry out its functions effectively.

  38. People as partners for better care

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    The past year has shown what is possible when services engage people as equal partners in improving care. This needs to happen more if health reforms are to be successful.

  39. Our Annual Report 2014/15

    Report -

    Find out what we, along with the Healthwatch network, have achieved over the past year.

  40. My first 7 days with local Healthwatch

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    We ask Emilia, Healthwatch Dorset's new engagement officer about her first seven days in the job.

  41. Our public Committee Meeting November 2015 - supporting materials

    Report -

    Find out what happened at our public Committee Meeting.

  42. Three ways Healthwatch are making sure everyone’s voice gets heard

    News -

    Last year local Healthwatch engaged over 300,000 people across England to help understand people’s experiences of care, but how do they do it?

  43. Is there a feedback gap?

    News -

    We look at what recent public polling tells us about people's desire to provide feedback to help care services improve.

  44. Better orthotics services thanks to one courageous mother

    News -

    Today’s announcement by NHS England of a drive to improve orthotic services will come as welcome news to patients who depend upon services to help improve their mobility, independence and help with pain relief.

  45. People's experiences of primary care

    News -

    Accessing GP services is a key concern people share with their local Healthwatch. Here are some of the issues people from different communities face.

  46. Perspectives on primary care part 1: Mothers of young children

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    Being able to access primary care services is a key concern that the public have raised with local Healthwatch. Our first in a series of blogs focuses on what one group of mothers in Southend-on-Sea told us.

  47. Understanding the everyday experience of unpaid carers in Essex

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    Carers play a vital role in supporting people who are frail, ill or disabled, but, in doing so, carers often become vulnerable themselves. We look at one example of how local Healthwatch is working to find out if carers could be better supported.

  48. What help do you need to look after your health in the future?

    News -

    Read our new report on how people want to play a bigger role in looking after their own health and care and what would support them to do that.