Healthwatch England

Our Chief Executive, Louise Ansari, and Head of Network Development, Gavin MacGregor, attend @Healthwatchingm Conference for Listening for Change in Greater Manchester! Today has been filled with inspiring keynotes, workshops, and networking to shape the future of healthcare.

Just three minutes of your time can make a huge difference to improving services in your area. Let us know what is or isn’t working in our short, confidential survey. https://lnkd.in/dX4E5x7X

According to a report from the National Audit Office (NAO), the dental recovery plan, launched in February, is failing in both the number of dentists doing NHS work and people receiving help from them. NAO’s analysis confirms what we hear from many people as they continue to struggle to see an NHS dentist. "These findings underline the deplorable state of NHS dentistry," - our chief executive Louise Ansari said in the Guardian today. “The difficulty of getting NHS dental treatment is one of the public’s biggest concerns about the healthcare system generally and is a crisis that dental leaders have estimated is denying 13 million people access to NHS appointments.” #fixNHSdentistry https://lnkd.in/eStqfVT5

⏰ Last chance to join our committee meeting! ⏰ Email Committee@healthwatch.co.uk to ask a question or for details on how to join at 12noon. https://lnkd.in/euRM78Ar

Our next committee meeting is Tuesday 26 November - Join us from 12noon to learn what we have been up to and our plans for the months ahead. To ask a question or book a space online to join us, visit - https://lnkd.in/euRM78Ar

Carers Rights Day is about raising awareness of the rights the UK's 5.7 million unpaid carers are entitled to, and to help them get the support they need and the recognition they deserve. If you're an unpaid care - make sure you know your rights. https://lnkd.in/euvQwSXb

As the government develops its dental rescue plan, we have today published the first ever polling which tests public’s understanding of how NHS dentistry works and what people want from it. More than two-thirds of respondents, 68 per cent, believed they had a “right” to register with an NHS dentist, just as they do with an NHS GP. When they were told this wasn’t the case, more than half, 54 per cent, said they would prefer a GP-style system in the future. People lost their right to register permanently with an NHS dentist in 2006. This has affected their access to NHS dentistry, with NHS dental appointments falling rapidly. Our chief executive Louise Ansari wrote in the HSJ: "People being unable to book new NHS appointments is a frequently occurring issue, as the dentist treating them has given up NHS work, resulting in loss of continuity of care." As people continue to struggle to access NHS dentistry, we have called on the government to base their dental plans on the principle of giving patients a permanent link to a practice throughout their life. #fixNHSdentistry https://lnkd.in/ePP8PJiK

Across England, patients need to attend millions of GP, hospital and other medical appointments every year. But the rising cost of living can make it hard to get there. We discovered the five issues facing patients as they try to get to their appointments included: - Trouble accessing help to travel to appointments - Inconvenient times and locations - Unreliable or limited transport - Availability and cost of parking - Accessibility Read our steps that would help improve the situation for patients - https://lnkd.in/eC9jqUZd

Today we held our annual national Healthwatch conference. We heard from a range of brilliant health and care speakers and got to see lots of familiar local Healthwatch faces and some new ones too! One of our speakers, Baroness Merron, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care spoke out about the importance of healthcare services changing for the better, and how local Healthwatch play a pivotal role in ensuring this happens. #Healthwatch #HealthwatchConference

Looking forward to welcoming all our staff and volunteers for #healthwatch 2024