Local Healthwatch continue to make a significant contribution to improving people’s access to health and care services. They reduce inequalities, strengthen community-based support and ensure that people’s experiences shape decisions about the services they use.
Each year, local Healthwatch organisations publish their annual reports. Together, they provide a unique insight into people’s experiences of health and care services, the issues affecting communities and the improvements local Healthwatch organisations help bring about.
This review highlights a network whose independently determined priorities often reflect many of the themes now shaping national health and care policy.
While local Healthwatch organisations prioritise work based on the experiences and concerns people share with them, annual reports demonstrate a strong focus on improving access to community-based support, supporting prevention and earlier intervention, and ensuring digital services work for everyone.