1. Registering with your GP: understanding your rights

    Advice and Information -

    People have told us they can have problems registering with a GP. This article explains more about your rights and what do to if you are refused the right to register.

  2. Accessibility checklist for GP surgeries

    Advice and Information -

    Help make sure that your practice meets people’s accessibility requirements using this checklist from Healthwatch Slough.

  3. Do you need help travelling to NHS services?

    Advice and Information -

    Find out what support is available to help you when travelling to your GP, hospital or other NHS services.

  4. Getting the most out of the virtual health and care experience

    Advice and Information -

    National Voices, Traverse, PPL and Healthwatch England put together some tips on how to get the most out of the virtual health and care appointments both for patients and health and care professionals.

  5. Don’t Rely on GP Websites for Cancer Information…Speak to your GP

    News -

    With the help of our volunteers we checked 103 local GP websites, and found that while most offered advice for patients about cancer, the quantity and quality of that advice was not always very good.

  6. Covid-19 Patient Experiences – What can Hertfordshire learn?

    News -

    During the first lockdown, we celebrated the NHS and others who put their own health at risk to deliver what services they could. However, there have been challenges and concerns raised about how patients have been affected.

  7. By talking to us you have helped to make Annual Health Checks better

    News -

    We have been working with Herts County Council to find out what people with learning disabilities, their carers and support workers think about Annual Health Checks. The response was fantastic and our report is now available.

  8. Changes to outpatient activity made in response to Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak

    Advice and Information -

    Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, there have been local changes to the NHS provision of non-essential outpatient appointments.

  9. Staying Well This Winter

    Advice and Information -

    Our local NHS services are here to help you stay well, safely. Do not delay getting help for your health this winter.

  10. Covid-19 Patient Experiences – What can Hertfordshire learn?

    Report -

    Our report on people's experiences of health, social care and community support during the pandemic is published today. It contains the views of more than 660 Hertfordshire residents. Find out what people told us.

  11. Public Attitudes Towards the Sharing of Health and Care Information

    Report -

    Through our involvement with the Information Sharing work stream of the Better Care Fund Programme, we worked with colleagues from health & social care to better understand people’s views on the way health information is collected, recorded & shared.

  12. GP Website Audit – Finding information during COVID-19

    Report -

    Are GP websites providing up to date information on COVID-19 and is there accessible and available advice for cancer patients, particularly at a time when it is likely that there would be an increase in patients accessing websites for information?

  13. Experiences of Annual Health Checks: Voices from the Learning Disability Community

    Report -

    Annual Health Checks for people with learning disabilities were being missed, or not done properly by local GP’s. This is how we helped.

  14. Improving the Patient Experience of Making an NHS Complaint

    Report -

    In response to local feedback about complaints processes, as well as Healthwatch England's report 'Suffering in Silence', we launched our own research into how complaints handling works locally, and what could be improved.

  15. Accessing GP Services: Stort Valley & Villages Locality 2014

    Report -

    Working with Councillors, Commissioners, GP Practices and patients, we looked into issues surrounding access problems, and made recommendations designed to have an instant, positive impact on the way services are delivered. Read more here.

  16. Stockwell Lodge Medical Centre - Helping to Improve Access and The Patient Experience

    Report -

    Following a recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which rated Stockwell Lodge Medical Centre as ‘inadequate’, we were asked by NHS commissioners to work with them and the Practice to help improve its rating and service.

  17. Coronavirus Vaccine: Share your thoughts

    News -

    The national COVID-19 vaccination programme is well underway in Hertfordshire, with both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines being given to local residents. Whether you have had the vaccine or not, we want to hear from you.

  18. Survey launched to gain views on end of life care in East and North Hertfordshire

    News -

    Across East and North Hertfordshire, a new survey has been launched to gain vital feedback on end of life care to help improve services and share learnings.

  19. Healthwatch England investigates GP access during COVID-19

    News -

    The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way people access their GP practice and a report by Healthwatch England has found not everyone is pleased with these changes.

  20. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has investigated ‘do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation’ decisions made during Covid-19.

    News -

    The CQC said it was unacceptable for any do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions to be made without proper conversations with the individual, or an appropriate representative, taking into account their wishes and needs.

  21. Covid-19 safety measures stay in place at healthcare settings

    Advice and Information -

    Official message from NHS England - Anyone using or visiting healthcare settings must continue to wear a face covering and stick to social distancing rules.

  22. Sharing your experiences has made healthcare better for people with a learning disability

    News -

    Local healthcare leaders have made further improvements to Annual Health Checks, in response to our research investigating the experiences of the learning disability community.

  23. NHS sets plan to improve GP access

    News -

    The NHS has published a plan for improving access to GP appointments for patients alongside supporting GPs and their teams.

  24. Feeling the effects of Long COVID? There is help available.

    Advice and Information -

    For some people who have had Coronavirus (COVID-19), their symptoms can last for a long time after the initial infection has gone.

  25. Do you think you get the healthcare you deserve, regardless of race or ethnicity? Share your views and experiences

    News -

    Everybody is entitled to access equal and fair treatment from the NHS. But current ethnic inequalities in healthcare mean this is not always the case.

  26. Ask your GP to become Veteran Friendly

    News -

    This Remembrance Day, show your support for veterans by encouraging your Hertfordshire GP practice to become Veteran Friendly accredited, so they can provide better care for veteran patients and, in some cases, prioritise their treatment.

  27. Working Together to Improve GP Access

    News -

    By working together with patients, GPs and the NHS, we are helping tackle the widespread concerns voiced by patients about accessing GP services since the pandemic.

  28. What do I do if I’m unwell over the festive period?

    News -

    It can be difficult to know who to contact and what to do if you are unwell during the festive period. Here you’ll find a list of services and when best to contact them.

  29. Barbara Birch: Volunteer Interview

    Blog -

    Barbara is an Enter & View Authorised Representative and has been volunteering with us since 2016.

  30. Breaking down barriers to cervical screening

    News -

    Cervical cancer screening is currently at record lows in England, yet some women with physical disabilities who want this life-saving test are finding it hard to access screening.

  31. Take action this World Cancer Day

    News -

    World Cancer Day, February 4, was an important chance to remind people to take action and help close the gap on health inequalities and save lives through early detection.

  32. Need support for an eating disorder?

    Advice and Information -

    Eating disorders are complex mental illnesses that anyone can develop, regardless of age, income and ethnicity. Take a look at some of the common signs of eating disorders and where to go for support if you need help.

  33. Having problems with your GP Practice, but not sure what you can do? We can help.

    Advice and Information -

    Knowing who to speak to about problems with your GP Surgery can be complicated, especially since GP Surgeries have changed how they talk to patients due to the pandemic. Read on to find out what you can do.

  34. Don’t be embarrassed – simple checks save lives

    News -

    April is Testicular Cancer Awareness month. In the United Kingdom, testicular cancer is the most common cancer amongst males aged between 15 and 35.

  35. Never too young for bowel cancer

    News -

    Every 15 minutes somebody is diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK - that's nearly 43,000 people each year – according to figures from Bowel Cancer UK.

  36. What you've been telling us about local services

    News -

    Problems with accessing GP surgeries, waits for hospital appointments and care home visiting rules are some of the top concerns you've been sharing with us over the past six months through our Signposting service.

  37. What is Monkeypox?

    News -

    As you will have heard in the news, monkeypox is a rare viral infection and the risk to the UK population is low.

  38. Armed Forces Day 2022 - How are services supporting our local veterans?

    News -

    Armed Forces Day on Saturday 25th gives us an opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved in the last year to improve access to healthcare for local veterans.

  39. Healthwatch Hertfordshire welcomes new NHS structure

    News -

    Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care System (ICS) today becomes a statutory body, creating new opportunities to feed people’s views into the planning and running of local services – especially the voices of those not being heard now.

  40. Live in the Borough of Broxbourne? Share your experiences of accessing your GP

    News -

    Do you live in the Borough of Broxbourne? Share your views and experiences of accessing your GP so we can work with NHS leaders to improve GP practices in the local area.

  41. Are you a parent or carer? Share your experience of accessing your GP for your child or the young person you care for

    News -

    Are you a parent or carer for someone under the age of 18? Share your experience of accessing your GP for the child or the young person you care for so we can work with NHS leaders to improve GP practices across Hertfordshire.

  42. Making Local Healthcare Equal: Healthcare Concerns in Black and Asian Communities

    Report -

    In our latest report, Making Local Healthcare Equal: Healthcare Concerns in Black and Asian Communities, residents shared powerful stories with us, leading to our NHS taking action in tackling ethnic health inequalities.

  43. Honour veteran patients by encouraging your GP to become veteran-friendly

    News -

    GP practices who wish to honour veterans for their service this Remembrance Day are being encouraged to apply for the RCGP's veteran-friendly accreditation.

  44. If you care for someone who couldn’t manage without you, do you get enough GP support yourself?

    News -

    As a carer, we want to know if your GP practice is supporting you and what they do to help you.

  45. How does the NHS in England work and how is it changing?

    Advice and Information -

    Big changes have been happening across England's health and care system.

  46. Group A Strep - What you need to know

    News -

    Group A streptococcus is a common bacteria that can cause a number of infections, some mild and some more serious. The vast majority are relatively mild, such as throat infections and impetigo.

  47. What do I do if I’m unwell or need help over the festive period?

    News -

    It can be difficult to know who to contact and what to do if you are unwell or struggling at this time of year. Here you’ll find a list of services and when best to contact them.

  48. We want to hear from people with learning disabilities

    News -

    If you are an adult with a learning disability, we want to hear from you.

  49. Views of parents of children and young people accessing local GP services heard in new survey

    Report -

    Local NHS leaders have reiterated their commitment to supporting patients and working to improve access to services with the publication of a Healthwatch report into access to general practice services for parents of children and young people.

  50. Parents and carers voice their concerns about accessing GP Practices

    News -

    Many parents and carers have faced serious problems trying to make GP appointments for their child, sometimes waiting more than an hour to speak to a receptionist, only to be told there are no appointments available.