News and reports

Last year 4,700 people gave up their time to help make a difference to local health and care. This Volunteers' Week we spoke to Healthwatch Somerset about the difference our volunteers make and why we need more people to get involved.

A new briefing from QualityWatch looks at the number of emergency readmissions to hospital. The report found there was a 41.3% rise in the number of people returning to hospital for "potentially preventable" conditions.

It’s Volunteers’ Week and we want to say thank you to the 4,700 people who volunteered for Healthwatch last year. Read Oriana’s story to find out what it’s like to be a Healthwatch volunteer.

From 25 May 2018 people will be given the choice to opt out of sharing their patient information with the NHS for reasons other than their individual care. Read our response.

From 25 May 2018, people will be able to make a choice about how the NHS uses their confidential patient information for reasons other than their care. We polled over 2,000 people to find out more about their views and concerns on sharing their data.

From 25 May, you’ll be able to make a choice about how the NHS uses your confidential patient information for reasons other than your care. 77% of the public say they are confident in the ability of the NHS to protect their patient data. Are you?

Find out more about how we collect, process and store data.

Find out what happened at our public Committee Meeting.

For most people, going to the doctor or dentist is a routine experience. However, if you have autism, accessing health and care support can be a difficult and stressful experience.

Most people take access to a GP for granted but if you become homeless, it’s not always so easy.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has today published its review of every company in England that provides online primary care services, such as GP consultations and prescriptions.

Today we launch our new strategy, setting out the difference Healthwatch will make over the next five years.