News and reports

Take a look at our supporting papers for the February 2023 committee meeting.

When one person advocates for themselves for better health care and improved accessibility, we all benefit.

One in five people we spoke to with a GP referral for specialist care had bounced back to general practice. This suggests potentially serious issues with referral processes. We are calling for more to be done to understand people’s experiences.

Read our response to the latest A&E figures published by NHS England.

One year ago, NHS England published its elective care recovery plan. Our national director, Louise Ansari, comments on the progress of this plan and responds to the latest NHS performance stats.

Thanks to people sharing their views with Healthwatch, local leaders have invested £17m to improve hospital discharge – read more.

We have written a letter to NHS England to express our disappointment at the lack of progress in reviewing the legally-binding Accessible Information Standard.

Working with deaf people and people affected by hearing loss, Healthwatch Norfolk created a step-by-step guide on how GP practices can improve communication and make care accessible.

NHS 111 First is now obliged to offer pre-booked slots at A&E for people needing non-life-threatening care.

Healthwatch Bolton helped to arrange walk-in cervical cancer screening clinics in the community, removing barriers to lifesaving healthcare.

Download an Easy Read version of our 'Have your say' form.

With the NHS under extra pressure this winter, we need to hear your experiences of care to help services understand what is working and spot issues affecting support for you and your loved ones.