News and reports

As a Healthwatch, we listen to the voices of people to learn about their healthcare experiences and champion for change.

In this report, we heard from refugees and asylum seekers, who face significant health inequalities – for example, they are five times more likely to have mental health support needs. They arrive here with significant trauma, which exacerbates their difficulties in accessing health and care services, in addition to the challenges faced by all Hertfordshire residents.

A statement from our Chair and CEO to the recent announcement regarding Healthwatch.

You may have heard the news this week that the Government intends to transfer the statutory functions of local Healthwatch to the NHS and councils.
We are waiting to find out more about what this means for us as an organisation, but for now our focus is on highlighting and celebrating the considerable positive impact we have had on local health and social care.

Information in easy-read format is being created to help people with learning disabilities better understand how their health data is used for NHS research.

Read more about our June 2025 Board meeting in public. This time our Board considered our role and approach during systems change, as well as our latest contract monitoring return.

A pilot scheme has been set up to allow selected dentists and opticians to offer patients a blood pressure check during their routine appointment. Thanks to our research, local NHS organisations were able to identify barriers and ways to encourage participation.

We asked prison leavers about their experiences of accessing drug and alcohol support services and what could be improved.

Read more about our March 2025 Board meeting in public. This time our Board members looked at our new Annual Business Plan, the organisation's budget for 2025/26, and more.

Healthwatch Hertfordshire spoke with 33 young people aged 14-24, who had firsthand experience of using drug and alcohol support services.

We want to hear from people who smoke, ex-smokers, and friends and family of those who smoke, to understand how Stop Smoking Services in Hertfordshire could be improved.

Using findings and recommendations from our Cervical Screening Report, a Toolkit has been created for GP practices in Hertfordshire and West Essex.

Just over half of those who responded to our Online GP Services Report said they would not recommend using online GP services as a first point of contact due to problems with the systems, technological challenges or poor communication with their Practice.