1. Healthwatch signs up to Time to Change mental health campaign

    News -

    We are supporting mental health in the workplace. At our annual general meeting (AGM) n Sawtry last week, we gave our backing to the Time to Change campaign to end mental health stigma and discrimination.

  2. Keeping mental health on the agenda

    News -

    Mental health came under the spotlight at our annual general meeting (AGM) last week when an expert panel was invited to discuss service provision and support.

  3. Healthwatch Cambridgeshire launch

    News -

    Healthwatch Cambridgeshire welcomed more than 140 people to its launch event in the St Ives Corn Exchange on Wednesday 10 July 2013.

  4. Making care better in Addenbrooke's Outpatients' Department

    News -

    "What's the point in telling you about my experience? It won't make any difference."

    We hear this a lot and can understand people's cynicism; But we believe that most of the time, most people providing care want to do the best job they can.

  5. Patient voices help improve care in Hinchingbrooke Emergency Department

    News -

    Privacy for patients and continuous staffing of the reception desk are two of the things that have improved for patients in Hinchingbrooke Hospital Emergency Department, since Healthwatch visited them last October.

  6. Healthwatch raises concerns about proposed fertility service cuts

    News -

    The proposed IVF funding cuts are against national guidance, will affect poor people the most and may not save the planned £700,000 per annum from local NHS budgets.

  7. Thank you to retiring board member Mike

    News -

    We said a big thank you and a sad goodbye to Director Mike Hewins at our AGM this month.

  8. Extra money for local NHS dentists

    News -

    NHS England has put extra money into Dental Access Centres in Peterborough and Wisbech after our report into dentist availability earlier this year.

  9. Local NHS-funded IVF treatment suspended indefinitely

    News -

    Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has decided not to re-instate IVF on the NHS whilst they are still in debt.

  10. Improving wheelchair services for people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

    News -

    We are helping to get wheelchair users and carers involved in making wheelchair services work better for them.

  11. Healthwatch delighted as County Council scraps proposed increase to social care charges

    News -

    Cambridgeshire County Council’s Adults Committee yesterday rejected proposals to increase contributions for people receiving social care.

  12. Packed room for launch of new Healthwatch Accessible Information report

    News -

    A successful launch event shows there is still much to do to achieve Accessible Information as Standard

  13. Local people influence future of Minor Injuries Units

    News -

    Health commissioners listen to local people in plans to develop Local Urgent Care hubs in the Fens and East Cambridgeshire.

  14. Healthwatch helps to improve accessible information for disabled people

    News -

    Local NHS Trusts and care organisations are improving the information they give to disabled people.

  15. New autism service for young people to be introduced locally

    News -

    A new autism service for young people is due to start in the autumn thanks to the lobbying of Pinpoint, our Healthwatch and the National Autistic Society.

  16. A long-term plan for your NHS

    News -

    NHS England has launched its long term plan to help make the NHS fit for the future.

  17. "Requires improvement" CQC rating for Hinchingbrooke Hospital and NWAFT

    News -

    North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (NWAFT) has been given a "requires improvement" overall rating following an inspection from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

  18. Fertility service suspension to be reviewed

    News -

    Healthwatch wants Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group to reverse its 2017 suspension of fertility services.

  19. Helping to tackle health inequalities

    News -

    Information from our 2016 'Our Health Matters' project to listen to the health experiences of local Gypsies, Roma and Travellers, has fed into a new House of Commons Committee report, published last week.

  20. Playing the part in improving older people's care

    News -

    More than 70 people came to an emotional performance of Phyllis, a play about an older woman’s experiences following a fall.

  21. Making choices about the end of life

    News -

    Most people want to die at home, but the reality is that the majority of us are spending our last days in hospital.

  22. Wanted: health services closer to home

    News -

    Poor travel and transport connections in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are affecting people's access to effective healthcare, according to our new report published last month.

  23. Teething problems affect Trust IT change

    News -

    Some patients have had problems with appointment bookings at Hinchingbrooke and Peterborough City Hospitals following a recent update to their IT systems.

  24. Mental health and parenthood

    News -

    New mums and dads in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have contributed their personal stories to a new Healthwatch England report 'Mental health and the journey to parenthood'.

  25. Consultation over plans to raise social care contributions

    News -

    Cambridgeshire people receiving adult social care from the county council, including people on disability benefits, may have to pay a bigger contribution for their care.

  26. Wisbech gets new GP out of hours and NHS 111 service provider

    News -

    A three-year-push to change NHS 111 service provider in Wisbech comes good today.

  27. New patient group gets policy change at hospital trust

    News -

    A new patient group - recruited with help from Healthwatch - is up and running, aiming to help shape policy and services at local hospitals.

  28. Why mental health at work matters

    News -

    What happens at work has a big impact on people’s mental health – and vice versa.

  29. Thank you to the dedicated team who saved my life

    News -

    Today – October 10 – is World Mental Health Day. And we are telling the story of Bex Ward-Turner from Cambridgeshire.

  30. Responses to our What Would You Do? report

    News -

    Responses to our What Would You Do? report from the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership and the Health and Wellbeing Partnership.

  31. Report on the state of health and care in England

    News -

    A ‘perfect storm’ could be brewing for people using mental health, learning disability and autism services, warns the Care Quality Commission.

  32. Improving the NHS for people with autism and learning disabilities

    News -

    People with autism and learning disabilities say they need much more support and help to live full, healthy and productive lives, says our new report.

  33. New Directors join our Board

    News -

    Two new directors have joined our Healthwatch Board. Nadia Emmony and Paul Jobling were endorsed at our Board meeting in Cambridge yesterday.

  34. Community Values Panel helps NHS

    News -

    A unique approach to tackling funding issues in our local NHS has been highlighted in our newly-published Community Values Panel reports.

  35. Tracking patient experience in new A & E target trial at Addenbrooke's

    News -

    Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge have taken part in a review of new Accident & Emergency targets.

  36. Report from our End of Life event

    News -

    Today Healthwatch has published a new report Empowering people at the end of life.

  37. Local health and care commissioners face extreme financial pressures

    News -

    Val Moore, Chair of our local Healthwatch, heard about the significant challenges our local health commissioners are facing, when she attended their Governing Body meeting last night.

  38. More than 900 waiting for NHS continuing health care

    News -

    At their Governing Body meeting last night, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group said how they were going to tackle the huge backlog of people waiting for Continuing Health Care Assessments.

  39. What we are doing to help tackle coronavirus

    News -

    We are closing down all face to face activities for the next 12 weeks, whilst we work to support the local NHS and care organisations manage the coronavirus crisis in our area.

  40. Non-essential appointments and procedures to be postponed

    News -

    The local NHS is postponing all non-essential appointments from 20 March to help it deal with the pressures caused by COVID-19 coronavirus.

  41. Virus forces changes to way hospital patients discharged

    News -

    The coronavirus crisis has put huge pressure on our local hospitals.

    To make sure they can look after people with acute needs, hospitals are changing the way patients no longer needing a bed are discharged.

  42. Will’s story

    News -

    South Cambridgeshire resident Will lost too much weight and became unwell with untreated Crohn’s disease after struggling to communicate with health professionals. Will is Deaf and uses British Sign Language.

  43. Wisbech and Doddington MIUs to close temporarily

    News -

    Doddington and Wisbech minor injury units are to close - temporarily - on Monday, 6 April.

  44. Covid-19: county council ups adult social care payments

    News -

    People receiving direct payments for adult social care are to get a 10% rise from Cambridgeshire County Council.

  45. Helping to talk about death and bereavement

    News -

    Next week is Dying Matters Awareness Week - helping people to raise the conversation about dying, death and bereavement.

  46. Coronavirus - government update May 11

    News -

    A "conditional plan" to begin easing England's coronavirus lockdown was announced yesterday by the Government.