1. Where can I go for support for my mental health as a parent?

    Advice and Information -

    We've pulled together a number of services for parents in need of support for their mental health. Read more to find out where you can go to get the help you need.

  2. Smoking during pregnancy - Action plan

    News -

    Our smoking in pregnancy action plan ‘accelerates’ the move to appoint new stop-smoking advisor

  3. Report on Maternity services in North Somerset

    Report -

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

  4. The Care Forum - Action plan to reduce smoking in pregnancy

    Report -

    The Care Forum was commissioned to deliver an engagement project by the BNSSG Clinical Commissioning Group. The brief was to recruit and engage with women who did not stop smoking during pregnancy, in order to discuss why this was

  5. Health problems more common in babies with older fathers

    News -

    A study of more than 40 million births in the US found babies born to men aged 45 or older were more likely to be born prematurely, have a low birth weight and need intensive care after birth than babies with younger fathers.

  6. Study shows a gap between pregnancies is beneficial

    News -

    The NHS say that women should leave at least year between pregnancies

  7. Having a baby and the effect on your mental health

    News -

    We want to hear about your experiences - whether having a baby had any effect on your mental health.

  8. Temporary closure of Cossham Birth Cenre

    News -

    Cossham Birth Centre temporary closure – letter from North Bristol Trust

  9. Discussion event on preventing cerebral palsy

    News -

    The Academic Health Science Network invite you to the following event: Wednesday 9th May 2018 from 11am - 2pm.

  10. 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.

  11. "This is another scandal where it’s clear that lessons from past tragedies haven’t been learnt" - Healthwatch England's response to the Ockenden review

    News -

    Healthwatch England has responded to the Independent Review of Maternity Services at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, led by Donna Ockenden. The review examined almost 1,600 clinical incidents and found repeated failures in care.

  12. 'The barriers to accessing timely care can put people’s lives at risk' - Healthwatch England's response to the Care Quality Commission's 'State of Care' report

    News -

    The Care Quality Commission is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. Their latest report sets out the challenges the NHS and social care sector face: 'the health and care system is gridlocked, unable to operate effectively.'

  13. Share your experience: maternal mental health

    News -

    Have you given birth since April 2020? Did you experience any mental health issues or emotional challenges such as low mood before getting pregnant? We'd like to hear your story and find out if you got the support you needed from the NHS.

  14. Six-week postnatal checks are failing many new mothers, Healthwatch England warns

    News -

    Many women are struggling to access the support they need for their mental health during and after pregnancy. Only 1 in 5 were satisfied with the time their GP spent talking to them about their mental health at their six-week postnatal check.

  15. Continuity of care is crucial to addressing perinatal mental health

    News -

    Research shows that continuity of care - receiving care from the same midwife or team of midwives - is best practice in maternity care. But we spoke to new mothers whose experiences show that services don’t always implement it.

  16. Stories from new mothers: accessing maternal mental health services

    Blog -

    Mental health issues are widespread and of significant concern to new parents, but many face substantial difficulties accessing mental health services. Mothers from across the local area told us about their experiences.

  17. Annual Report 2022/2023

    Report -

    Last year, 793 people shared their experiences of health and social care services with us. Our annual report sets out how your comments and concerns have had a real impact on local health and social care services.

  18. Stories from new mothers: the importance of good communication

    Blog -

    The commitment to personalised care has been a cornerstone of NHS policy on maternity care for many years. A crucial part of personalised care is good communication, listening and agreeing on actions together.

  19. Our statement following the conviction of Lucy Letby

    News -

    Lucy Letby was found guilty on the 21st August 2023 of murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016, while working as a nurse. She was also convicted of trying to kill six other infants.

  20. CQC again rates maternity services at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust as good

    News -

    The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published a report following an inspection of the maternity services at both Weston General Hospital and UHBW Bristol Main Site (St Michael’s Hospital), both run by University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, in December.

  21. Report: Investigating local health inequalities using the Core20PLUS5 approach

    Report -

    102 people in Knowle West, Hartcliffe and Weston-super-Mare spoke to us about their experiences of health and social care. They shared the barriers and failures that prevented them from accessing local services, and what improvements are needed.

  22. Healthwatch England publishes Annual Report

    Report -

    People's real life experiences of NHS and social care set out in new report to MPs

  23. Where can I go to get help for my health out of hours?

    Advice and Information -

    Health issues unfortunately don't leave us alone at the weekend and people are often in need of medical assistance out of hours. Using NHS guidelines, we have provided some advice and information on where you can go for help when your GP is closed.

  24. Do you need help getting to hospital?

    Advice and Information -

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

  25. Thinking about end of life care for you and your family

    Advice and Information -

    End of life care is support for people who are in the last months or years of their life. The guidance on the NHS website helps you know what to expect, how to plan ahead and how to manage your day to day decisions.

  26. Accessibility checklist for GP surgeries

    Advice and Information -

    Help make sure that your practice meets people’s accessibility requirements using this checklist from Healthwatch Slough.

  27. Independent report demands action on care of people with learning disabilities

    News -

    NHS England have published an independent report into the future care of people with learning disabilities.

  28. Castlewood Phone lines

    News -

    The phone lines at Castlewood are currently down.

  29. Speak up on what matters to you

    News -

    Speak up on what matters to you about health services

  30. Community Approach to health and well being

    News -

    A community led approach to health and wellbeing being explored in Weston-super-Mare

  31. New mentoring scheme for Diabetes patients in Nailsea

    News -

    The community hub in Nailsea, Number 65, has set up a new project to help people with diabetes stay active and well.

  32. Helping children get enough to eat in Clevedon

    News -

    Making sure a child has enough to eat during the day is the focus of a special project which could be introduced in Clevedon next year.

  33. Next step in Healthy Weston consultation

    News -

    There have been more than 2,300 responses to the Healthy Weston consultation which ended last month.

  34. Feedback on your experiences wanted

    News -

    Feedback on your experiences of IBD care is wanted.

  35. Spaces on a training day about medical dilemmas

    News -

    Few spaces left for teenagers to learn about true-to-life medical situations

  36. Provider needed for Weston crisis centre

    News -

    The new crisis centre planned for Weston-super-Mare has taken a step forward with a provider now being sought for the scheme.

  37. Citizens advice in North Somerset is moving

    News -

    The Citizens Advice team will be holding their very last advice session in The Badger Community Resource Centre next Friday, July 5.

  38. Hand held device to zp headaches could soon be available in North Somerset

    News -

    Pioneering technology to zap away excruciating headaches is to receive NHS England funding and could be prescribed to North Somerset patients soon.

  39. NHS survey

    News -

    We enjoyed meeting two groups, The North Somerset Black Minority Ethnic (BME) Network and The Speaking Up Group run by Weston College and North Somerset People First.

  40. Are more people diagnosed with Cancer?

    News -

    Are more people diagnosed - statistics taken from the Office for National Statistics blog April 2019

  41. Powerful film event at the Curzon cinema

    News -

    A powerful film about a family dealing with an unexpected and devastating death will be shown in Clevedon in a partnership between the Curzon and Second Step mental health charity.

  42. What would you do to make the NHS better?

    News -

    What Would You Do To Make The NHS Better?
    HAVE YOUR SAY

  43. BBC News - Coroners could investigate still births

    News -

    Coroners in England and Wales may be given new powers to investigate stillbirths, so that each baby death is independently assessed.

  44. Healthy Weston - Frequently Asked Questions

    News -

    Did you know that BNSG has produced a list of frequently asked questions regarding the Healthy Weston Consultation?

  45. Consultation on service model for people with learning disabilities

    News -

    Consultation on service Model for people with Learning Disabilities and behaviour that challenges

  46. BBC - Young people told "Become a care worker"

    News -

    BBC reports young people in England are being targeted by the government in a bid to recruit thousands of more care workers.

  47. Healthwatch brings peoples voices to Westminster

    News -

    Over 100 Healthwatch representatives from across the country came together to meet their MPs at an event in parliament last week.

  48. NHS launches new Apps Library

    News -

    The NHS has recently launched the NHS Apps Library.

  49. NHS long term plans

    News -

    NHS England leaders say that the Long Term Plan could save up to 500,000 lives over the next ten years by focusing on prevention and early detection.

  50. Invitation to join NSCP's Involvement Group

    News -

    Invitation to Join NSCP’s Patient and Public Involvement Group