1. Our response to changes to the NHS England Mandate for 2015/16

    Response -

    Thanks to your views we have provided feedback on the NHS Mandate.

  2. Our response to NHS England A&E performance figures for October-December

    Response -

    This morning NHS England released figures on how A&E departments performed during October - December 2014.

  3. Getting an appointment with a GP is a major concern

    Response -

    1 in 4 face difficulty booking an appointment on the phone according to new GP patient survey results.

  4. Our response to new draft guidance on safe staffing levels in A&E

    Response -

    NICE has outlined new draft guidance to help A&E departments ensure there are enough nursing staff available to provide safe care at all times to patients.

  5. Greater improvement needed in complaints handling, says Health Select

    Response -

    The Health Select Committee's new report on health and social care complaints further highlights the need for greater improvement and culture change in the way that people's complaints and concerns are handled.

  6. Staff should work closely with patients all the time, not just at Christmas

    Response -

    New statistics released by NHS England show a decrease in delayed hospital discharge over the festive period.

  7. Our public Committee Meeting February 2015 - supporting materials

    Report -

    Find out what happened at our public Committee Meeting.

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

  10. Our response to 'Culture change in the NHS' report

    Response -

    The Department of Health has released a report which sets out the progress made in applying the lessons learned from the failings at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.

  11. 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.

  12. Concerns from the Healthwatch network on lack of quality assurance of non-regulated services

    Response -

    We have written to the Department of Health outlining our concerns about the safety of people using health and care services that aren’t currently regulated.

  13. 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.

  14. New NICE draft guidance on safe midwifery staffing levels

    Response -

    New guidance to help hospitals ensure that there are the right number of midwifery staff to provide care for women and their babies.

  15. 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.

  16. 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.

  17. Our response to HSCIC statistics on children’s dental care

    Response -

    New statistics show that nearly half of 15-year olds and a third of 12-year olds had obvious tooth decay.

  18. Delayed discharge figures have risen steadily over the past 12 months

    Response -

    Latest statistics show a steady increase in delayed discharge from hospital settings over 12 months.

  19. Our response to Public Administration Select Committee's report into investigating clinical incidents

    Response -

    The Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) has published their report looking at how incidents of clinical failure in the NHS are investigated – and how subsequent complaints are handled.

  20. Our public Committee meeting May 2015 - supporting materials

    Report -

    Find out what happened at our public Committee Meeting.

  21. Our response to ‘A very general practice’; the Citizens Advice report on non-health visits to GPs

    Response -

    New report states GPs spend almost a fifth of their consultation time dealing with non-health issues, such as personal relationship problems, housing and unemployment.

  22. 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?

  23. Our response to the CQC's inpatient survey

    Response -

    Findings from CQC’s survey show that too many people are experiencing delays in leaving hospital.

  24. Our response to Monitor's GP report and patients survey

    Response -

    A third of people are dissatisfied with availability of appointments at their GP and almost half struggle to book an out of hours appointment according to a review by Monitor. Read our response.

  25. Our business plan 2015-16

    Report -

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

  26. Our letter to the Secretary of State with recommendations for creating an effective and compassionate health and social care complaints system

    Response -

    We have written to the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to take action with a seven-point plan for reform to help create an effective and compassionate complaints system.

  27. 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.

  28. 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.

  29. We warn councils funding cuts could mute patients voice

    News -

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

  30. 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.

  31. 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.

  32. Our Quality Statements

    Report -

    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.

  33. 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.

  34. 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

  35. 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.

  36. 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.

  37. 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.

  38. 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.

  39. 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.

  40. 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.

  41. 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.

  42. 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.

  43. Our public Committee Meeting August 2015 supporting materials

    Report -

    Find out what happened at our public Committee Meeting.

  44. 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.

  45. 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.

  46. Addressing GP access issues for people in Hertfordshire

    News -

    Patients struggling to access GP services helped by Healthwatch Hertfordshire

  47. 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.

  48. 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.

  49. 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.