1. How people with learning disabilities are helping to improve local services

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    Hivewatch is a partnership between Healthwatch and The Hive, a charity that supports people with learning disabilities. Authorised representatives conduct Enter and View visits in partnership.

  2. Access improvements made by the people that matter - LOCAL PATIENTS

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    We teamed up with local charity the Hive and assembled a team of six people with learning disabilities to look at how access and services could be improved in a project called Hivewatch.

  3. Celebrating LGBT History Month

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    Our Healthwatch team Maisy and Vicky winged their way down to Bristol Aerospace to the event run by the Diversity Trust. Maisy is seen standing next to Concorde, which was brought to its new home in Bristol, three years ago - Feb 7th, 2017.

  4. A big hearty thanks to all our volunteers

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    We are celebrating Volunteers' Week June 1st to 7th by saying a big thank you to our 30 volunteers and 7 trustees who help us at Healthwatch Bristol, North Somerset and South Glos.

  5. Action needed after report shows BAME groups adversely affected by pandemic

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    Large scale research and data collection is needed to tackle “humbling inequalities" in Covid-19 death rates, according to the new Public Health England report. We want our feedback to build an understanding of health experiences of BAME groups.

  6. NHS Race and Health Observatory

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    A new NHS centre to investigate the effects of race and ethnicity on people’s health has got the go ahead after Covid 19 helped to focus minds on the continuing problem of racism in medicine.

  7. Learning Disability Annual Health Checks Project

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    We need your help to improve Learning Disability Annual Health Checks. We are creating a set of pre-check questions, tailored to the needs of those in South Gloucestershire and to help individuals get the most out of these checks.

  8. Celebrating 10 Years of The Equality Act

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    Healthwatch South Gloucestershire joins other local organisations to mark 10 years since the introduction of the Equality Act.

  9. Webinar: Busking the Myth of Risk and InAbility with Adam Pearson

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    Following the success of their last webinar, South Gloucestershire Disability Equality Forum are hosting a session with disability rights campaigner, Adam Pearson.

  10. Flu vaccinations - making a point about protection from viruses this winter

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    Adults at high risk from flu are also more susceptible to coronavirus so having the flu vaccine is more important than ever, to help protect everyone this winter. Read the information in 12 different languages.

  11. Healthwatch is making a difference nationally

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    Healthwatch’s work, highlighting people’s experiences of health and care, has formed part of a major House of Lords report on learning key lessons from the health pandemic.

  12. NHS Nightingale Bristol will open to day patients

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    The NHS Nightingale Hospital in Bristol is to open for children and adults’ routine appointments to ease pressures on hospitals in the region caused by Covid-19.

  13. Equality, Diversity and Unconscious Bias Training for VCSE groups in South Glos

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    Southern Brooks Community Partnerships and CVS South Gloucestershire have organised FREE training for VCSE groups, particularly Mutual Aid Groups, new community groups and groups involved in the COVID crisis response.

  14. Zoom in for our next Prioritisation Panel meeting on February 11

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    At our Prioritisation Panel you can hear first hand how Healthwatch uses your feedback to understand the city's key health issues and works to bring about resolutions to help everyone have better health and care.

  15. If you have a learning disability you need to be on your GP's learning disability register to have the vaccine

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    Find out more about how to get on your GPs learning disability register to ensure you have the Covid-19 vaccine. Being on the register also means you should also be invited to have an important health check-up to pick up any symptoms of illness.

  16. Winterbourne View 10 years on: Supporting those with learning disabilities to stay safe and well

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    People with learning disabilities are still at risk of dying unnecessarily and receive poorer care – 10 years on from the abuse suffered at Winterbourne View.

  17. NHS patient data sharing scheme explained

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    Plans to collect patient data to understand more about viruses and other conditions for planning and research have been delayed. The NHS wants to work with key organisations like Healthwatch so people understand who will use this data and why.

  18. Translated COVID-19 advice posters available in 12 languages

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    Posters with the most recent COVID-19 information and recommended steps to keep everyone safe and reduce the spread of the virus are have been translated into 12 different languages, including Somali, Polish, and Gujarati.

  19. Have your say: the South Gloucestershire All-age Learning Disability draft strategy consultation

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    If you have a learning disability, or if you're a parent, carer, or someone who works with a person with a learning disability, South Gloucestershire Council want to hear your thoughts on how they plan to make your life better over the next 5 years.

  20. Disabled people being left behind due to a lack of accessible healthcare information

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    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.

  21. Experiences of being in hospital for people with a learning disability and autistic people

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    The Care Quality Commission says people with a learning disability and autistic people "continue to face barriers when accessing health care and treatment" after collecting people’s experiences from 8 hospital trusts in England.

  22. People are increasingly avoiding NHS appointments and prescriptions due to cost of living, Healthwatch warns

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    The number of people avoiding an NHS appointment because they can’t afford travel almost doubled between October and December as the cost of living crisis is forcing many to change how they use health and care services.

  23. Have your say: consultation on draft SEND strategy

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    South Gloucestershire Council want your views on their draft Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) strategy 2023 - 2028.