News and reports

Mental Health Week May 18th – 24th is about kindness and we at Healthwatch want to focus on the phone friends, from Age UK South Glos, who are chatting to older people to help them through this pandemic.

People with disabilities and those who are less mobile may be struggling to attend necessary medical appointments due to reduced transport services.

People are not seeking help for potentially life-threatening health conditions due to the Covid-19 outbreak, Healthwatch has learned.

The health pandemic has resulted in many mental health support services either being suspended or becoming ‘self-service’ over the internet due to social distancing.

Only a small fraction of “at risk” children are taking up the emergency school places which are open to them, prompting concerns that they are facing increased danger during the lockdown.

If you are at home self-isolating and need a support lifeline you can now call our team to find the right type of help from the new army of NHS Responders.

Use our new Healthwatch guides to help you get to grips with using health websites and apps. From Patient Access and NHS App to using Zoom, you can download and print our step-by-step guides.

If you are self isolating and need your prescription delivered to your door Healthwatch South Glos is here to help.

Share your stories of care with Healthwatch - we want to recognise all the wonderful work being done to help people in their homes and the wider community. A virtual hug from us to all the social care sector.

Digital activity sessions are being run by a South Glos youth organisation to keep young people occupied and resist the urge to go outdoors.

People who need emergency dental treatment are advised to contact their regular surgery - and their case will assessed on a priority basis. They will then be referred to two new dental hubs, one in Bristol and one in Weston, for treatment.

The Keep Safe website has put together a range of resources for people with learning difficulties.