1. Raising Concerns about Nurses or Midwives

    Advice and Information -

    The Nursing and Midwifery Council have produced a new leaflet for patients, carers and the public called Raising concerns about a nurse or midwife.

  2. Open letter shows progress in reopening health services ahead of winter

    News -

    An open letter outlining plans to get services back to their pre-pandemic levels but still ensure everyone’s safety has been released.

  3. "This is another scandal where it’s clear that lessons from past tragedies haven’t been learnt" - Healthwatch England's response to the Ockenden review

    News -

    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.

  4. Report: lessons from health visiting during COVID-19

    Report -

    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.

  5. 'The barriers to accessing timely care can put people’s lives at risk' - Healthwatch England's response to the Care Quality Commission's 'State of Care' report

    News -

    The Care Quality Commission is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. Their latest report sets out the challenges the NHS and social care sector face: 'the health and care system is gridlocked, unable to operate effectively.'

  6. Share your experience: maternal mental health

    News -

    Have you given birth since April 2020? Did you experience any mental health issues or emotional challenges such as low mood before getting pregnant? We'd like to hear your story and find out if you got the support you needed from the NHS.

  7. Work to improve the care offered to new mothers highly commended for national award

    News -

    We were one of only eight local Healthwatch to be shortlisted for the award, and one of only four to be highly commended for our work around improving the care offered to new mothers by the health visiting service.

  8. New parents assured community breastfeeding support groups will continue amidst fears of closure

    News -

    Mums supported by charity Barnado's breastfeeding groups were concerned the groups were ending due to funding cuts. South Gloucestershire Council have clarified that support will continue to be available, but under a new provider.

  9. Six-week postnatal checks are failing many new mothers, Healthwatch England warns

    News -

    Many women are struggling to access the support they need for their mental health during and after pregnancy. Only 1 in 5 were satisfied with the time their GP spent talking to them about their mental health at their six-week postnatal check.

  10. Continuity of care is crucial to addressing perinatal mental health

    News -

    Research shows that continuity of care - receiving care from the same midwife or team of midwives - is best practice in maternity care. But we spoke to new mothers whose experiences show that services don’t always implement it.

  11. Stories from new mothers: accessing maternal mental health services

    Blog -

    Mental health issues are widespread and of significant concern to new parents, but many face substantial difficulties accessing mental health services. Mothers from across the local area told us about their experiences.

  12. Annual Report 2022/2023

    Report -

    Last year, 793 people shared their experiences of health and social care services with us. Our annual report sets out how your comments and concerns have had a real impact on local health and social care services.

  13. Transforming the health visiting service after COVID-19

    Response -

    New mothers told us that there were issues with the transition from maternity care in hospital to the health visiting service in the community. We've worked with the local provider of the service to improve standards of care.

  14. Stories from new mothers: the importance of good communication

    Blog -

    The commitment to personalised care has been a cornerstone of NHS policy on maternity care for many years. A crucial part of personalised care is good communication, listening and agreeing on actions together.

  15. Our statement following the conviction of Lucy Letby

    News -

    Lucy Letby was found guilty on the 21st August 2023 of murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016, while working as a nurse. She was also convicted of trying to kill six other infants.

  16. Maternity services at North Bristol Trust remain rated 'Good' by independent regulator

    News -

    The Care Quality Commission, independent regulator of health and social care services, inspected Maternity Services at North Bristol NHS Trust in November 2023.

  17. Report: Investigating local health inequalities using the Core20PLUS5 approach

    Report -

    102 people in Knowle West, Hartcliffe and Weston-super-Mare spoke to us about their experiences of health and social care. They shared the barriers and failures that prevented them from accessing local services, and what improvements are needed.