News and reports

Learn about the NHS app, how to order prescriptions, view test results, book GP appointments, and access online consultations at one of our free digital skills workshops. You'll receive 1:1 support and be able to ask questions.

Disabled people and people with sensory loss have a legal right to get health and social care information in a way that's accessible for them. Yet Healthwatch England has found one in five people struggle to understand the information they receive.

As a local Healthwatch, we are able to visit health and social care services (such as hospitals and GP surgeries) and see them in action. This is called 'Enter and View'. Our goal is to identify what's working well and where improvements are needed.

That’s the question being asked by the new Integrated Care System (ICS) for Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, as it launches a wide-ranging public engagement exercise to shape priorities for health and care in the years ahead.

Your feedback helps us influence positive change and encourages the improvement of local NHS health and social care services. Take a look at everything we've been up to throughout 2021/2022.

Throughout the pandemic, multiple changes were made to maternity care and health visiting services. We heard from 100+ women about their transition from maternity care to the health visiting service between 2020 and 2022.

Healthwatch England has responded to the Independent Review of Maternity Services at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, led by Donna Ockenden. The review examined almost 1,600 clinical incidents and found repeated failures in care.

On the February 10 2022, our Prioritisation Panel came together to discuss the health and social care issues you've raised, and what Healthwatch North Somerset can do to bring about change.

GPs offer a range of health services, including advice about physical and mental health, treatment, and prescriptions for medicines. To register with a GP, you don't need a fixed address, proof of your immigration status, or identification.

Practice Plus Group - NHS 111 South West, who have a contact centre in Bristol and answer NHS 111 calls from people across the South West, were found to be safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well-led by the Care Quality Commission.

Our collaborative research with Bristol Health Partners' Bladder and Bowel CONfidence Health Integration Team (BABCON HIT) found that one in three people who use bladder and bowel services had been affected by changes to these services during COVID.

Many people are able to recover from COVID-19 at home. If you are at a higher risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19, you may be eligible for a free pulse oximeter to monitor your health and ensure you can get medical care if you need it.