Recent Projects

Healthwatch Rutland’s work over the past year has focused on ensuring that the public and patient voice is championed in the development of health and social care services to meet the needs of the Rutland community.

An important part of their work this year has been helping people who approached them for advice and guidance or to give feedback on services. They have listened to people’s concerns and shared them with decision makers.

Their Annual Report highlights the key actions and projects they completed throughout the last financial year and how they’ve made a difference. It is a showcase of their impacts on the community and how they have continued to collaborate with partners in health and social care to ensure they listen to your views as they shape services for the future.

To read the report

Volunteers from Healthwatch North and West Northamptonshire visited Northampton and Kettering General Hospital’s A&E departments unannounced, using their statutory power to conduct Enter and View visits on 31st January 2023.

The hospital’s were informed prior to the visits that it would be taking place and by whom but did not know the date or time of the visit before it happened.

The volunteers spoke to patients at about their experiences of the service, from the parking and waiting times, to the care they were provided.

These reports, written by our volunteers, are a snapshot of the hospital’s A&E departments on the day, along with the teams’ recommendations to improve the patient experience locally. It is not a comment on the situation nationally, Government policy or the need for additional resources in Emergency Departments across the country.

Read the reports:

Healthwatch North and West Northamptonshire created a short survey to ask the public their views on what was working and what could be improved to enhance the accessibility of GP services in the county.

Over recent months the pressure on the NHS, including General Practice, has been unprecedented as services continue to manage the constraints of the pandemic and the high demand from patients requiring health interventions.

There are frequently times where the demand for appointments has been more than the capacity available, and this can be frustrating for patients, carers and staff. Patients often struggle to contact their GP due to the demand for appointments.

In response to the issues raised, we created a short survey to grasp the views of the public.

This survey was completed by 266 people in Northamptonshire who told us about their experiences, from accessing appointments, to the care they were provided. Along with the issues raised there were also some very positive comments about the patient experience.

To read the report:

Thanks to young people speaking to Healthwatch North and West Northamptonshire and letting their voices be heard, Young Healthwatch Northamptonshire have a better understanding of young people’s views and experiences of health and social care services over the last year.

The group of 11-24 year old volunteers made sure that healthcare services in Northamptonshire hear the voice of other young people to influence better health and wellbeing and improve the quality of services. They have now published a report showing their findings to decision makers to make improvements in services.

[Read more…] about Young Healthwatch Northamptonshire publishes report on Young People’s views and experiences of COVID-19 and Lockdowns