1. What should you expect when it comes to care for your teeth?

    Advice and Information -

    Four questions staff should ask you or a loved one about your oral health if you’re a care home resident, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence quick guide.

  2. 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.

  3. A Message from the Hertfordshire Local Dental Committee

    Advice and Information -

    As dental practices reopen you will encounter changes such as dentists and nurses dressed head to toe in full PPE. There is an even greater emphasis now on ensuring safe and effective measures to stop the spread of infections including Covid-19.

  4. Visits to dental practices in the Welwyn and Hatfield District

    Report -

    The reports from 7 dental practices we visited using our legal power to Enter and View.

  5. Visits to dental practices in the St Albans and Harpenden District

    Report -

    The reports from 7 dental practices we visited using our legal power to Enter and View.

  6. Temporary changes to dental care

    Advice and Information -

    Due to the coronavirus outbreak NHS England have made changes to the way they deliver dental care. To help prevent the spread of coronavirus routine dental care is not currently available and routine appointments will not take place.

  7. Visits to dental practices in the East Hertfordshire District

    Report -

    The reports from 6 dental practices we visited using our legal power to Enter and View.

  8. Visits to dental practices in the Stevenage District

    Report -

    The reports from 4 dental practices we visited using our legal power to Enter and View.

  9. Visits to dental practices in the Watford District

    Report -

    The reports from 4 dental practices we visited using our legal power to Enter and View.

  10. Dental Project: What Our Volunteers Did

    News -

    Healthwatch Volunteers involved in reviewing access to NHS Dental Health Services in Hertfordshire.

  11. Dental Report valued by NHS England

    News -

    Our report, “Access to NHS Dental Services in Hertfordshire 2016”, has been welcomed by the NHS England dental team after recently being passed on by the Hertfordshire County Council Health Scrutiny Board.

  12. Getting Local Dentistry Back on Track

    News -

    Healthwatch Hertfordshire has been rallying to help people struggling to access urgent dental care services during the pandemic, ensuring they get the treatment they desperately need.

  13. 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.

  14. Involving the Public in the Long Term Plan

    Report -

    When the NHS launched its ambitious long-term plan in 2019, we asked you what you thought local priorities should be. Thanks to your feedback, the NHS should now have a stronger focus on involving the public in changes to community & health services.

  15. 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.

  16. 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.

  17. Access to NHS Dental Services in Hertfordshire. Summary of Enter and View Programme 2017-2019: Findings and Self Audit Checklist

    Report -

    What do dental practices need to do to make them accessible for their patients?

  18. Have your say about dental services in Hertfordshire

    News -

    We want to hear about your experiences of accessing dental services over the past few months, to learn what worked well and what could be better.

  19. Dentistry During Covid-19

    News -

    Healthwatch England warns the dental care crisis shows no signs of slowing, with four in five people (80%) struggling to access timely care between January and March 2021.

  20. 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.

  21. Improving Dental Information Online

    Report -

    During the past 18 months, patients have found it very difficult to find up-to-date information about NHS dental practices. Read our report to find out why and how patients could be better supported to find the information they need.

  22. Improving Dental Information Online

    News -

    During the past 18 months, patients have found it very difficult to find up to date information about NHS dental practices. Read our report to find out why and how patients could be better supported to find the information they need.

  23. What's the point? Nothing ever changes

    News -

    You might think your feedback doesn’t make a difference to how health and social care services are run. We want to show you that it does.

  24. NHS dentistry: Healthwatch England has co-signed an open letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer

    News -

    Healthwatch England has co-signed an open letter addressed to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak calling for a recovery plan for NHS dentistry.

  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. Concerns about dental care at a record high

    News -

    Healthwatch England research has provided a stark reminder that decision-makers must act quickly to improve dentistry.

  27. 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.

  28. Struggling to find a dentist and not sure what to do? We have the answers

    Advice and Information -

    We have heard from a huge number of patients who can’t access NHS dentistry. Here is some advice to help.

  29. Do you need support with the Cost of Living or help keeping warm this winter?

    News -

    Across Hertfordshire, there are a range of services that can help with financial pressures, paying bills, providing food, family concerns, care of older people and more.

  30. The rising Cost of Living is hitting Hertfordshire residents hard - here’s what you’ve told us.

    News -

    Hertfordshire residents say they are using less heating, eating fewer meals and becoming increasingly worried, according to early findings from our Cost of Living survey.

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

    News -

    Access to GPs and dentists, along with issues relating to hospitals and mental health care, are the top concerns you've been sharing with us over the past six months through our Signposting service.

  32. Listening to you helped us improve local health and care - our Annual Report 2022/23

    News -

    In our Annual Report 2022/23, read how we made care fairer, tackled the big issues facing local patients and involved communities in our work to ensure the best outcomes for everyone.

  33. 9 in 10 Herts residents have been affected by Cost of Living

    News -

    Our latest report - Cost of Living Crisis: The Impact on Hertfordshire Residents - reveals 6500 residents who responded to our survey have felt the impact of rising costs.

  34. Specific groups in Hertfordshire have been disproportionately affected by the Cost of Living Crisis

    News -

    Our report - Cost of Living Crisis: The Impact on Hertfordshire Residents - found that certain sectors of society have been disproportionately impacted by rising costs.

  35. Cost of Living Crisis: Impact on Hertfordshire Residents

    Report -

    In our latest report - Cost of Living Crisis: Impact on Hertfordshire Residents - more than 7000 local people shared many difficult stories of how they were being impacted by rising costs.

  36. Annual Report 2022/23 - Listening to you helped us improve local health and care

    Report -

    In our Annual Report 2022/23, read how we made care fairer, tackled the big issues facing local patients and involved communities in our work to ensure the best outcomes for everyone.

  37. Does your child receive NHS orthodontic care? We want to hear from you.

    News -

    We are working with the NHS to ensure children and young people receive the orthodontic care and treatment they need. If you have a child using NHS orthodontic services, we want to hear from you.

  38. 10 top tips to get the most out of your dental appointment

    Advice and Information -

    Everyone should be able to access good quality NHS dental services. Take a look at our top tips to help you get the most out of your next dental appointment.

  39. Where can I go for support for my mental health as a parent?

    Advice and Information -

    We've pulled together a number of services for parents in need of support for their mental health. Read more to find out where you can go to get the help you need.

  40. Patient Led Assessment of the Care Environment (PLACE) 2014

    Report -

    Read about Healthwatch Hertfordshire’s experience of participating in PLACE audits with 5 NHS Trusts and their recommendations to the Trusts to improve the process for patient assessors.

  41. Patient Led Assessment of the Care Environment (PLACE) 2015

    Report -

    Read about Healthwatch Hertfordshire’s experience of participating in PLACE audits with 6 NHS Trusts and their recommendations to the Trusts to improve the process for patient assessors.

  42. Patient Led Assessment of the Care Environment (PLACE) 2016

    Report -

    Read about Healthwatch Hertfordshire’s experience of participating in PLACE audits with 6 NHS Trusts and their recommendations to the Trusts to improve the process for patient assessors.

  43. Pregnant women encouraged to get the Covid-19 vaccine

    Advice and Information -

    In a recent letter to midwives, obstetricians and GPs, Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, Chief Midwife, reminds all healthcare professionals that ‘they have a responsibility to proactively encourage pregnant women to get vaccinated.’

  44. Healthwatch Hertfordshire has begun work to help end race and ethnic inequalities in local healthcare

    News -

    We have just launched a new project working with local communities and NHS services to improve equality and inclusiveness within the NHS.

  45. Local people are telling us that they feel their race or ethnicity sometimes affects the quality of healthcare they receive. Do you feel the same?

    News -

    Ethnic inequalities in healthcare mean not everyone receives equal treatment from the NHS. See what people are telling us below, and whether good or bad, share your experience to help make a difference.

  46. Working with Local Councillors and Community Groups to Tackle Ethnic Health Inequalities

    News -

    Find out how we helped local councillors shine a light on ethnic health inequalities and how services plan to improve health outcomes for ethnically diverse communities living in Hertfordshire.

  47. Local healthcare needs to tackle discrimination, say Black and Asian communities

    News -

    Our ground-breaking Hertfordshire research has found that up to 45 per cent of Black and Asian respondents felt they had been discriminated against in a healthcare setting, with many believing this was because of their ethnicity.

  48. 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.

  49. Healthwatch Hertfordshire Supports Black History Month

    News -

    October is Black History Month and at Healthwatch Hertfordshire we are committed to this year's theme - Time for Change: Actions Not Words.

  50. Local Health and Care Providers respond to our questions following the Lucy Letby Verdict

    Report -

    Following the tragic events at the Countess of Chester hospital, people using health services across Hertfordshire needed to know how similar incidents would be prevented, identified and dealt with.