News and reports

Our latest report examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on community mental health services in North Somerset and makes recommendations for change to improve access to services.

Radio presenter and Asperger's champion Alex Manners spoke to Healthwatch ahead of his talk organised by Bristol Autism Support tomorrow (April 7th). His tips for coping with the pressures of Covid-19? "Find a project and focus on the next few days."

The pandemic has shown the importance of collaboration to help everyone get the care they need. This is the principle behind the new regional Integrated Care System, which began operating from today, April 1.

Sayd Ahmed from North Somerset Bangladeshi Association has been on a mission to speak to all Asian households in the area to encourage them the Covid vaccine is safe. He told HW he spoke to 2,200 people and they all were in favour of having it.

"Staff at Brockway Medical Centre made me feel what I was doing was important, not just for me but for everyone else," Julie tells us having her vaccine was a very uplifting experience and one she will cherish.

NHS dental care has been massively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it's been almost impossible to find an NHS dentist that's accepting new patients or doing emergency treatment.

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.

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.

Are you an unpaid parent carer in North Somerset? Take part in our Forum on Thursday (February 25th) morning or next Thursday (March 4th) evening over Zoom. We need your views so we know about the support and help you might need in the future.

People who have learning disabilities or a mental health condition can have their vaccination experience made easier for them. Healthwatch and the local clinical commissioning group put on a webinar to explain extra support or help that's available.

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.

59.5% of all the coronavirus deaths between the 24th January and the 20th November 2020 were disabled people, the latest data from the Office for National Statistics has revealed.