1. Prescriptions unavailable

    News -

    Why can’t I get a prescription for an over-the-counter medicine?

  2. Lloyds pharmacies in the South West to close

    News -

    Please see the attached letter from Lloyds advising of the pharmacies that are due to close in the South West.

  3. NHS England launches first leadership training programme

    News -

    Hundreds of community pharmacists and technicians working across the NHS are being offered the opportunity to develop leadership and management skills on a training programme.

  4. Guidance on low value prescription items

    News -

    NHS England will be leading a review of low value prescription items from April 2017 and introducing new guidance for Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), with a view to substantially saving NHS expenditure in this area.

  5. Cost of wasted medications

    News -

    Healthcare leaders in the district are urging people to reduce medication waste. Repeat prescriptions which are no longer needed and people taking their medication incorrectly contribute to the hefty £1.2million annual spend on medication waste

  6. Stop medicine waste in North Somerset

    News -

    It’s predicted that wasting medicines costs £1.2 million a year in North Somerset, that’s equivalent to 75,000 GP appointments every year.

  7. Community pharmacy flu vaccines

    News -

    NHS England announced it will recommission the Community Pharmacy Seasonal Influenza Vaccination programme in 2016, after nearly a quarter of a million more people benefited from vaccinations in a community pharmacy setting during the previous year

  8. Healthwatch North Somerset pop up shop

    News -

    Our pop up shop opens on Monday 23rd February at 10am. We will be in Unit 17 Collier’s Walk, Nailsea (opposite Burchill’s fruit and shop)

  9. Open letter shows progress in reopening health services ahead of winter

    News -

    An open letter outlining plans to get services back to their pre-pandemic levels but still ensure everyone’s safety has been released.

  10. A third of people in England lack confidence they can access critical NHS services

    News -

    Healthwatch England has warned that people need more confidence that the NHS can provide timely care as the winter period approaches. A third of adults in England lack confidence that they can access timely care, including GP services, mental health support and hospital care.

  11. Think Pharmacy First for common health conditions

    News -

    People can now get treatment for seven common health conditions directly from their local pharmacist, without needing a GP appointment.

  12. Your feedback can make a difference

    News -

    See our new video of how we can use your feedback to make a difference

  13. We need your views

    News -

    We welcomed the public to our AGM on October 29th with two speakers from Sirona and North Somerset Council’s Public Health department.

  14. Speak up on what matters to you

    News -

    Speak up on what matters to you about health services

  15. Our next digital event

    News -

    Grab your chance to Go Digital when Healthwatch runs its next free session with Portishead GP surgery, Harbourside.

  16. Surprise Award for our Chair

    News -

    Healthwatch North Somerset board chair, Georgie Bigg, wins surprise award for supporting NSCP’s community work

  17. New Healthwatch contract is announced

    News -

    New Healthwatch contract is announced to cover three areas

  18. Join Helen and tell us how NHS money should be spent.

    News -

    Nailsea cancer survivor Helen Hamblin has said more money should be spent on helping people cope with the aftermath of traumatic illness.

  19. Today's public meeting agenda

    News -

    Anna Hayes from North Somerset People First will be giving insight into the experiences faced by people with learning disabilities at our Public Board meeting this afternoon (April 9th).

  20. Healthwatch North Somerset Strategic Priorities

    News -

    View are strategic priorities below

  21. Using technology to build a stronger Healthwatch community

    News -

    From Healthwatch England:

    With 152 Healthwatch organisations across the country, we need to make good use of technology to help our teams connect and learn from each other.

  22. Healhwatch network reveals top priorities for 2019

    News -

    HEALTHWATCH NETWORK REVEALS TOP PRIORITIES FOR 2019

  23. Healthwatch North Somerset organises PPG meeting

    News -

    Healthwatch North Somerset organises Patient Participation Group (PPG) Chair’s quarterly meeting

  24. Consultation on the future of Healthwatch North Somerset

    News -

    North Somerset Council wants to hear your views to make sure the best possible decisions are being made for local people.

  25. Healthwatch workforce numbers fall

    News -

    Healthwatch workforce numbers fall by a fifth as report warns of ‘perilous’ state of funding

  26. Healthwatch England - A review of the last three months

    News -

    What people have told Healthwatch England: A review of the last three months

  27. Healthwatch North Somerset AGM 2018

    News -

    If it isn’t already in your diary, don’t forget to keep 9th October from 2-4pm free to attend our AGM.

  28. New video from Healthwatch England

    News -

    Most of us need to access the NHS or social care services at some point in our lives. Healthwatch is here to help you find the right service and support.

  29. Public Board Meeting 10/7/18

    News -

    You are warmly invited to you public board meeting

  30. Views on Drinking in Adolescence

    News -

    We are inviting parents / primary caregivers with a child aged 13-18 years to take part.

  31. Golden times for Golden Wedding Anniversary

    News -

    Our North Somerset volunteer Patricia and husband Garry celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary lockdown style with dinner for two – delivered to the front door.

  32. Speak up and make healthcare better

    News -

    #ItStartsWithYou is Healthwatch's new campaign encouraging the public to come forward and have their say on health and social care services.

  33. Make Every Contact Count

    News -

    We attended the Make Every Contact Count and Gordano Valley Social Care Networking event in Portishead today. It was great to meet local health care professionals and providers

  34. Happy birthday Healthwatch

    News -

    On Sunday 1st April Healthwatch North Somerset celebrated our 5th Birthday. We want to send a big thank you to the people of North Somerset for 5 years of helpful comments and feedback

  35. Invite to our public meeting

    News -

    You are warmly invited to our next ‘Public Meeting’ which is taking place on Tuesday 10th April 2018 in the ‘Community Hall’ at the For All Healthy Living Centre, 68 Lonsdale Ave, Weston-super-Mare BS23 3SJ.

  36. Meals on wheels engagement November 2017

    News -

    Healthwatch North Somerset Volunteers and staff joined ‘Meals on Wheels‘ for an hour as they visited people in their homes delivering meals in Weston-super-Mare and Clevedon.

  37. Round up of our first board meeting in 2018

    News -

    Our first public board meeting of 2018 was an absolute success, attended by members of the public and representatives from North Somerset Council, we definitely started the year as we mean to go on!

  38. #SpeakUp

    News -

    No matter how big or small the issue, you can #SpeakUp. We are urging patients and service users to get in touch and share your views and help improve services for all. No matter how big or small the issue we WANT to hear about it.

  39. Celebrating our volunteers

    News -

    We wouldn't be able to do the work we do without our wonderful volunteers. Thank you!

  40. Nailsea School pupils takeover Healthwatch North Somerset

    News -

    Healthwatch North Somerset invited students from Nailsea Secondary School for a ‘takeover’ on November 21st 2017.

  41. Healthwatch England publishes 2016/17 report

    News -

    Healthwatch Engand Publishes Annual Report to Parliament. Over 300,000 people share experiences of hospitals, GPs and care homes with Healthwatch in 2016/17.

  42. We join Meals on Wheels volunteers

    News -

    On Monday November 6th 2017 we take part in the ‘National Meals on Wheels Week’. Our volunteers and two staff members will be joining drivers from Castlewood and Worle to deliver our leaflets to gather feedback on services.

  43. North Somerset representation requested

    News -

    We have been approached by the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) to ask us to make our Volunteers and our Members aware of an opportunity to get involved in the local commissioning process

  44. Sovereign Centre Outreach

    News -

    Our fab staff and wonderful volunteers had a great day at the Sovereign Shopping Centre yesterday.

  45. Your story has the power to make change happen

    News -

    Today sees the launch of #ItStartsWithYou. This campaign is an opportunity to celebrate the people who help make health and social care services better by speaking up about their experiences.

  46. Healthwatch AGM

    News -

    Join us for our AGM - Tuesday 11th October 2pm til 4 pm

  47. All aboard the Healthwatch bus

    News -

    The Healthwatch North Somerset Team have been out and about on the Community MAVIS Bus again.

  48. Patient Group Event

    News -

    Would you like to support your Local GP Practice?

  49. Volunteering vacancy

    News -

    Healthwatch North Somerset Prioritisation Panel has vacancies for new volunteers

  50. Your voice really does count

    News -

    NHS England’s recent report and guidance on improving orthotics services came about as a result of a formal escalation from Healthwatch England.