1. Help shape the future of primary care

    News -

    There are just a few days left to have your say on the future of primary care in the region.

  2. NHS to roll out lung cancer scanners

    News -

    The NHS are going to roll out lung cancer scanning trucks across the country

  3. The Kings Fund

    News -

    The Kings Fund: Home care in England: views from commissioners and providers

  4. Community Stroke Services - Report

    Report -

    We collect information from the public about their experiences of local health and social care services. This information is shared with health and social care service providers, local commissioners and all other relevant bodies.

  5. Public meeting report - Personalisation

    Report -

    Personalisation is relatively new, is not fully understood and is of interest to the public. It is a social care approach in which every person who receives support, whether provided by statutory services or self-funded, has choice and control.

  6. Special Enquiry - Community Stroke Services

    Report -

    Services to stroke patients after discharge is an issue highlighted to Healthwatch North Somerset by local people and on which we have received a large amount of feedback.

  7. Call Healthwatch to get support from NHS Responders

    News -

    If you are at home self-isolating and need a support lifeline you can now call our team to find the right type of help from the new army of NHS Responders.

  8. If you have a learning disability you need to be on your GP's learning disability register to have the vaccine

    News -

    Find out more about how to get on your GPs learning disability register to ensure you have the Covid-19 vaccine. Being on the register also means you should be invited to have an important health check-up to pick up any symptoms of illness.

  9. Free virtual monthly drop-in sessions for people who have had strokes, their families, and carers

    News -

    If you or a loved one has suffered a stroke, register for a free, monthly drop-in session to learn more about how to manage life after a stroke.

  10. Risk of a "tsunami of unmet need" facing the health and care system, the Care Quality Commission reports

    News -

    In their annual 'State of Care' report - the first to cover a full year of the pandemic - the independent regulator has called for increased stability and collaboration across services, plus investment in 'new ways of working'.

  11. Pulse oximeter rollout to help people recover from COVID-19 at home

    Advice and Information -

    Many people are able to recover from COVID-19 at home. If you are at a higher risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19, you may be eligible for a free pulse oximeter to monitor your health and ensure you can get medical care if you need it.

  12. Hundreds more people to benefit from NHS care in the comfort of their own homes this winter

    News -

    The NHS@Home service offers hospital-level care and remote monitoring in an individual’s home, providing an alternative to hospital admission, or helping them to return home promptly following an inpatient stay.

  13. How can NHS@Home support you this winter?

    Advice and Information -

    NHS@Home offers healthcare in your home or normal place of residence, rather than in hospital. It can offer an alternative to going into hospital when you are unwell, and it can help you return home from hospital more quickly.

  14. CONfidence app for people with bladder and bowel leakage

    Advice and Information -

    The free CONfidence app provides self-help advice and information for people with bladder and bowel leakage, and carers and parents of children with symptoms.

  15. How will we make a difference in 2024-25?

    Report -

    Our workplan sets out the areas of health and social care we will be looking at over the coming financial year. It also outlines the research we plan to carry out in order to help improve local services.

  16. What should you expect from home care services?

    Advice and Information -

    The number of people being cared for in their own homes is increasing but what should you expect from home care services?

  17. Do you need help getting to hospital?

    Advice and Information -

    Find out what support is available to help you travel to your hospital appointments.

  18. Raising awareness of diversity

    News -

    A trans health survey carried out by The Diversity Trust and supported by HWNS found that 51 per cent of trans and non-binary patients had self-harmed or injured themselves and 40 per cent had attempted to take their own life.

  19. Healthy Weston - Easy read documents

    News -

    Please click below for an easy read version of the Healthy Weston Documentation.

  20. University hospitals Southampton offer leadership development opportunity

    News -

    University Hospitals Southampton offer leadership development opportunity for aspiring leaders with disabilities.

  21. North Bristol NHS Trust

    News -

    North Bristol NHS Trust Equality Newsletter

  22. Workforce Race Equality Standard data report

    News -

    We are pleased to attach a copy of the 2018 WRES data report, which provides an overview of the data on all nine WRES indicators and makes comparisons to previous years’ data.

  23. Trans health, care and wellbeing report

    Report -

    This report aims to identify the health, care and wellbeing needs of *Trans and **Non-Binary people. This report summarises the evidence, feedback, and experiences, from the Trans and Non-Binary people who took part in the research.

  24. Pride 2019

    News -

    We enjoyed entering a wonderful rainbow world of fun and fiesta at Weston Pride and thanks to everyone who posed with our fluffy photo frame and told us their thoughts on health and social care - it WILL make a difference.

  25. North Somerset statement of action for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

    News -

    It was asked that the Clinical Commissioning Group and the Local Authority jointly submit a written statement to Ofsted following the Ofsted and CQC Inspection in North Somerset.

  26. NHS leaders commit to specialist help support for Veterans in every part of the NHS

    News -

    NHS leaders have confirmed today that specialist health support for veterans will be available in every part of the health service, across the country.

  27. University Hospitals Bristol Statement

    News -

    University Hospital Bristol response to The Diversity Trust and local Healthwatch report, Trans health, care and wellbeing report April 2018

  28. Black History Month Celebration

    News -

    University Hospitals Bristol Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Workers’ (BAMEW) Forum supported by RCN South West invite you to celebrate with them on 17th October 2018.

  29. "My voice - my choice" - Leonard Cheshire

    News -

    A series of workshops are being held in Weston-super-Mare to allow disabled adults to share stories and suggest ways of making it easier to be part of the community.

  30. "The struggle for healthcare when you are deaf" - Terry's story

    Blog -

    While most hearing people take daily communication for granted, there are barriers everywhere for Terry, who is profoundly deaf.

  31. Special Educational Needs and Disability Review

    News -

    Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have published their findings following their joint review of services for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in North Somerset, which took place 14-18 May 2018.

  32. Black and Ethnic Minority cancer patients encouraged to give feedback

    News -

    NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens today issued an appeal for more black and ethnic minority (BME) patients to help improve cancer care by sharing their experiences.

  33. Healthcare communication cards

    News -

    Action on Hearing Loss have a Health and Care Communication Card to support anyone with hearing loss in communicating their needs to health care professionals.

  34. Growing up with hearing loss

    Blog -

    The Reality of Growing Up with Hearing Loss – Action On Hearing Loss: RNID
    Kim’s Blog

  35. Taking pride in equality, diversity and inclusion

    News -

    NHS England will be represented at a series of Pride events this summer. This is first time that members of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender plus staff network will march representing the organisation.

  36. Better care in my hands

    News -

    CQC’s national reports and thematic reviews from the last five years consistently show that some groups of people are less involved in their care than others.

  37. BME Communities are heard

    News -

    A new joint venture will ensure the voice of black and other minority ethnic (BME) communities in North Somerset continues to be heard.

  38. Avon and Wiltshire Partnership

    News -

    Avon and Wiltshire Partnership (AWP) were anonymously nominated for ‘Excellence in Diversity Awards’ earlier this year, and then later shortlisted for the ‘Diverse Company – Public Sector’ category.

  39. British Sign Language Service

    News -

    British Sign Language (BSL) users are now able to get in touch with NHS England’s Customer Contact Centre using a video call supported by a BSL interpreter.

  40. Have your say

    News -

    On Thursday 27th August between 1.00-2.00pm the @NHSEngland twitter channel will dedicate this hour to Learning Disabilities, exploring the latest service model, discussing learning disability services and welcoming feedback via #TransformingCare.

  41. When to call 111

    News -

    A helpful video describing when to call 111 for advice compared to when to call 999 for an ambulance

  42. Women's only support group

    News -

    A women's only support group has been launched for people who need help with addiction and their friends and family.

  43. New review says BAME groups at higher risk of dying from Covid-19

    Report -

    A new review has shown the risk of dying from Covid-19 is higher among Black and Asian Minority Ethnic Groups compared to white groups. Healthwatch awaits recommendations from these findings which will really benefit BAME staff and patients.

  44. Action needed after review shows BAME adversely affected by pandemic

    News -

    Large scale research and data collection is needed to tackle “humbling inequalities" in Covid-19 death rates, according to the new Public Health England report. We want our feedback to build an understanding of health experiences of BAME groups.

  45. NHS Race and Health Observatory

    News -

    A new NHS centre to investigate the effects of race and ethnicity on people’s health has got the go ahead after Covid 19 helped to focus minds on the continuing problem of racism in medicine.

  46. Sir Michael Marmot says Healthwatch can energise and give power to communities

    News -

    Sir Michael Marmot author of the landmark report Marmot Review: Fair Society, Healthy Lives spoke to Healthwatch about how the Covid-19 pandemic has “amplified” health inequalities even further.

  47. Historic turning point - Covid vaccines rolled out to first patients at Southmead Hospital

    News -

    The new Covid-19 vaccine has been rolled out in Bristol today (December 8) – with the over 80s and care home staff first on the list to receive it.

  48. Zoom in for our next Prioritisation Panel meeting on February 23

    News -

    At our Prioritisation Panel you can hear first hand how Healthwatch uses your feedback to understand the city's key health issues and works to bring about resolutions to help everyone have better health and care.

  49. Overcoming concerns about the Covid-19 vaccine if you have a learning disability

    Advice and Information -

    One of our volunteers, Jemma Ballinger, says while it is great news that people on the learning disability register will be prioritised to have the vaccine, they will still often need a lot of reassurance and understanding to receive it.