1. Healthwatch wants equal access to shaping maternity services for all new and potential parents

    Report -

    Healthwatch Cambridgeshire has found that local people don’t all have the same chance to feedback on their experience of maternity care due to inequalities in funding local Maternity Service Liaison Committees (MSLCs).

  2. Making tongue tie services better for babies and breast feeding mums

    Report -

    Local health commissioners confirm that tongue tie services are available on the NHS in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Plans to improve them are to be included in the local Better Births Plan for maternity services.

  3. How Rachel is helping to improve maternity care

    Blog -

    Rachel James, Chair of Rosie Maternity Voices, talks to us about improving services for new and potential parents at the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge.

  4. Fertility service suspension to be reviewed

    News -

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

  5. 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'.

  6. Sorting out a problem with healthcare

    Advice and Information -

    NHS care is usually very good and most people don’t have any problems. But occasionally things can go wrong. Find out how to complain about healthcare services.

  7. Healthwatch challenges decision to suspend fertility services

    Report -

    The decision to suspend IVFservices in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is against national guidance and will have a huge impact on those affected, particularly poorer people.

  8. First findings published from our Covid-19 survey

    News -

    Communications with patients and service users must be a priority as health and care services restart following the peak of the pandemic.

  9. Final survey briefing flags lonely motherhood journeys for some new mums

    News -

    Our third and final briefing from our three-month Covid-19 survey is published today.

  10. Tell us your story of maternal mental health care

    News -

    Pregnancy is a major life event for any family. It can be joyful and fulfilling but also challenging. We’re supporting a national survey to understand how well care works for new mothers and birthing parents. Share your story

  11. Six-week postnatal checks are failing many new mothers

    News -

    Deep-dive analysis of experiences of 2,693 new mothers and birthing parents shows that six-week postnatal checks – required of GPs in England - are failing many new mothers.

  12. The Integrated Care System – One year on

    News -

    In this article, we explain the role of Integrated Care Boards and Integrated Care Systems, identify their different roles, and look at how Healthwatch works with them.

  13. 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.

  14. Support available when you have a terminal illness - planning end of life care

    Advice and Information -

    Palliative care is support for people who are in the last months or years of their life. We have pulled together some guidance to help you know what to expect, how to plan ahead and make decisions about your future care.

  15. Do you need help travelling to NHS services?

    Advice and Information -

    Find out what support is available to help you when travelling to your GP, hospital or other NHS services.

  16. First Steps to Health report published

    Report -

    Over 1,000 people told us what their First Steps to Health would be in an innovative survey to find out about local people's attitudes to using primary care services.

  17. Helping Addenbrooke's improve outpatients' care

    Report -

    We are helping Addenbrooke's improve people’s experiences of outpatients. This was an area of concern for the Care Quality Commission when they visited last year.

  18. New Healthwatch report on Hinchingbrooke Emergency Department

    Report -

    Staff are friendly but the Emergency Department (ED) can be very busy and patients aren’t always getting the privacy they need, says new Healthwatch report published today.

  19. Healthwatch report finds caring staff at Addenbrooke’s A&E

    Report -

    ‘Staff are helpful and caring’. That's the main message people had for us when we visited Addenbrooke's Hospital in early December.

  20. 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.

  21. 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.

  22. Changes made in Addenbrooke's Emergency Department following Healthwatch visit

    Report -

    Patient voices help improve care in Addenbrooke’s Emergency Department after the hospital makes a number of changes following a visit from Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

  23. "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).

  24. Healthwatch Board meeting in public - Weds 17 January 2018

    Report -

    At this meeting we will be hearing from Paul Marshall, Cambridgeshire Sector Lead for the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST).

  25. 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.

  26. 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.

  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. 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.

  29. Is it OK to redirect people from A&E if they don't need emergency care?

    Report -

    The number of people using urgent and emergency care services is increasing. And people are often arriving at A&E when they don't need to be there.

  30. 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.

  31. 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.

  32. 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.

  33. Wisbech and Doddington MIUs to close temporarily

    News -

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

  34. We're here ... and we're listening

    Blog -

    It's business as usual for Healthwatch says CEO Sandie Smith. And it's more important than ever for local people to tell us how their health and care has been affected during the coronavirus crisis.

  35. How are people with sensory impairments coping in the pandemic?

    Blog -

    Imagine trying to socially distance or navigate a new supermarket layout if you can't see. Or how about trying to communicate with a health professional wearing a mask if you rely on lip-reading?

  36. Using health services in lockdown - Rob's experience

    Blog -

    Rob is one of the 19,000+ people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough who have been shielding for the last four months. As shielding is due to be paused tomorrow, he reflects on his experience of care.

  37. Minor injury unit opening - August update

    News -

    Wisbech Minor Injury Unit (MIU) is to reopen next week and there are new opening hours for Ely MIU now that other local services have restarted.

  38. Delays and cancellations: people need information says our Chair

    News -

    Coronavirus has had a big impact on the health system – resulting in delayed or cancelled operations, treatment, screenings and referrals for local people.

  39. Have your say on plans to redevelop the Princess of Wales Hospital

    News -

    The NHS is submitting plans to improve facilities at the hospital so it can continue to meet the needs of a growing and ageing population. And they want to hear your views about the proposed changes.

  40. Leaving hospital during Covid-19 - our new report

    News -

    The way people are discharged from hospital across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough should work better for patients says our new report published today.

  41. Leaving hospital during Covid 19

    Report -

    Hospital discharge is a complicated process. And the way people leave hospital across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough should work better for patients says our new report out today.

  42. Call out to South Asian community for diabetes care experiences

    News -

    South Asian people living in Cambridgeshire are being asked to share their diabetes experiences.

  43. Temporary closure for Wisbech MIU

    News -

    Wisbech Minor Injury Unit is to close temporarily on Monday - 18 January 2021 - so that staff can take on new vital roles in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

  44. NHS under pressure

    News -

    Many NHS staff are about to start their second year on the frontline of the Covid-19 pandemic. And lots of local people have told us how hard they are finding the current lockdown.