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Our new data shows a worrying increase in the number of people avoiding vital care. We're calling for urgent action from government and health and care services to ensure rising costs are not a barrier to healthcare.News -
Digital and remote methods are playing an increasingly important role in how people access care since the pandemic. Building confidence in digital skills is key to helping people who are digitally excluded from getting online.Report -
Download an Easy Read version of our 'Have your say' form.News -
Healthwatch Bolton helped to arrange walk-in cervical cancer screening clinics in the community, removing barriers to lifesaving healthcare.News -
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.Response -
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.News -
When one person advocates for themselves for better health care and improved accessibility, we all benefit.Report -
Take a look at our supporting papers for the February 2023 committee meeting.News -
Clear, understandable information is important to help you make decisions about your healthcare. It is feedback from people like Karl that inspired us to launch the Your Care, Your Way campaign last year.Report -
Our latest report sets out what funding the Healthwatch network has received to carry out its statutory activities in 2022-23.News -
Recent research highlighted that long delays for hospital treatment, last-minute cancellations, and a lack of personalised information and support were huge concerns for people. Find out what we're calling for.News -
From 1 December 2020, the NHS introduced a new system called NHS 111 First. Find out what we’re calling for to ensure the service works for everyone.Blog -
Our annual report demonstrates the power of public feedback to help services think about how care can be better. But, with the NHS facing such big challenges, public feedback is more critical than ever.
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NHS and social care services only make the best decisions if they listen to the people they care for. Read our Annual Report to Parliament to see how your feedback has helped decision-makers prioritise what matters most.Blog -
We mark the difference the public has made in improving NHS and social care services.Report -
Take a look at our supporting papers for the May 2023 committee meeting.News -
Health and social care services face big challenges, and if they are to improve, decision-makers must listen to public feedback. Read how we aim to help make this happen.Report -
With unprecedented challenges facing NHS and social care services, we've launched a new plan setting how we work to make sure your experiences help make care better.News -
The cost of living is having a detrimental impact on people's decisions about their healthcare. But if you are disabled, on means-tested benefits or aged 18-24, you're more likely to avoid vital health services due to the fear of extra costs. We set out immediate actions for the government and the NHS.News -
The cost of living crisis is putting people under a lot of pressure - and affecting their ability to access the care they need. Read our evidence on the problems people are facing and how we believe these can be reduced to ensure cost is not a barrier to accessing care.News -
Professor David Croisdale-Appleby has been appointed as the new Chair of Healthwatch England, the independent champion for people who use health and social care.Blog -
Get to know some of our volunteers below and find out what they've learnt during their time at Healthwatch.News -
When people have concerns over any aspect of their care or the actions or decisions of any NHS or social care body, they have the right to make a complaint. Read our position on how health and care services should manage complaints, and our work on this issue.Blog -
A Leeds volunteer filmmaker shares why he volunteered at Healthwatch and how it helped him pursue a Television career.News -
As we celebrate 75 years of our NHS and look to a future where everyone can get the care they need, we celebrate some of the people who took the time to share their experiences with us and helped make care better for everyone.News -
By law, people in England have the right to get healthcare in the format they can understand. However, there’s a growing body of evidence suggesting that this is not happening. Read our policy position.Report -
With record NHS waiting times, the ongoing impact of the pandemic, and industrial action in the NHS, we've conducted research to understand the extent to which NHS patients are having their care disrupted and the impact this is having.News -
Thousands of people tell us their first-hand experiences of care every month. We've looked closely at some issues people told us about in June to help NHS and social care decision-makers improve support.Report -
Find out what we plan to do to put equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of our work.News -
Getting good social care can make a big difference in someone's life. But are people always receiving the help they need? Find out what people have told us and how we think social care support could be improved.Response -
Healthwatch England welcomes NHS England’s simplification of cancer waiting times data. A simplified care timeline can help patients and their loved ones to have a better understanding of what milestones and timelines they can expect during their cancer treatment journey.Blog -
Neurodiversity is a word used to describe the different thinking styles that affect how people communicate with the world around them. It includes dyslexia, autism, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Tourette's Syndrome and more. Neurodivergent people encounter challenges accessing services which meet their needs.News -
Jane Laughton joins the Healthwatch England Committee.Advice and Information -
75% of children and young people who experience mental health problems aren't getting the help they need.Report -
Take a look at our supporting papers for the September 2023 committee meeting.Advice and Information -
Cervical cancer screenings save at least 2,000 lives every year in the UK. Here's what you should expect from your smear test and why these screenings are important.Blog -
The statutory inquiry into how nurse Lucy Letby was able to murder seven babies is likely to result in lessons that the wider NHS needs to act on. One of the questions it will need to explore is how the NHS can tackle the culture of denial and secrecy that often lies at the heart of tragic scandals.Blog -
The public needs a bold vision for health and care services, informed by the wealth of patient experience we’ve collected over the past decade.Advice and Information -
The continuing cost of living crisis is negatively affecting people's physical and mental wellbeing, with vulnerable people and those on lower incomes hit the hardest.Report -
This briefing shows how engagement and participation with people and communities can deliver real benefits to the health and care system.Advice and Information -
With more than thirty recognised symptoms of menopause and growing awareness of the impact on day-to-day life, it can help to know what to look out for and what support is available.Response -
Care Quality Commission has today published its annual State of Care report, highlighting that a combination of cost-of-living crisis and workforce pressures risks ‘unfair care’ for many people. Read our response.Blog -
We share the key trends in what people from different ethnic minority groups are telling us, and propose steps the NHS can take towards equity in care.Report -
Take a look at our supporting papers for the November 2023 committee meeting.Blog -
Access to care is the main concern people have shared with us in the past year. Our new report looking at health and social care from the patients' perspective has warned that we risk "a two-tier health and care system" unless the NHS takes faster action to tackle access issues.Blog -
Long wait times for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) support can have a severe impact on individuals. We look at what people have already told us and urge you to come forward if you have been affected.Blog -
Homeless people have worse mental and physical health than the general population. Our research shows issues with access to the health and social care they need.
