News and reports

An update from NHS Sussex on the ongoing investigation into children and young people (under 18 years of age) who were offered gender care at the WellBN General Practice, Brighton.

Healthwatch England's response to the latest NHS waiting times data.

Healthwatch Brighton and Hove regularly evaluates its projects and reviews of health and care services to assess how effectively we have engaged with the general population of the city and its diverse communities. This Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) provides detail on the extent to which this was achieved in the last year. We present equalities data captured from 15 projects, reports detailing our engagement activities, as well as helpline data. These comprise a total of 2,174 responses.

Across England, Healthwatch volunteers are making a difference to services in their local communities every day. Let's celebrate their commitment and achievements.

The NHS has reached a major milestone, with more than one million people across England now registered with a GP practice online. In Sussex, almost 100,000 patients have used this service since its launch.

Starting from 1st April 2025, individuals across Sussex can access free, round the clock mental health support by texting SUSSEX to 85258. This upgraded service connects you directly to a qualified mental health professional.

Our Spotlight is an opportunity to share local projects, organisations and events which benefit the community.

Healthwatch Brighton and Hove conducted visits to various sites run by the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust (UHSx). Eight of our trained volunteers conducted these visits in October 2024.

Our visits to the Royal Sussex County Hospital, the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital, the Eye Hospital and various wards across the estate were part of PLACE or ‘Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment’. This report provides a summary of our observations from the visits. PLACE is delivered as a national programme, and all data is collected and formally analysed by NHS Digital. They will publish detailed reports after the programme has ended.

Brighton & Hove Health and Wellbeing Board is carrying out a Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) for 2025 and requires input from healthcare professionals and members of the public.

'Millions' of patients can now track their prescriptions thanks to the rollout of a new feature in the NHS App, helping to reduce unnecessary calls and visits to pharmacies.

Everyone who uses the NHS in England could soon have a single patient record that collates information about your health care. So how and where are your records kept now, how can you view them, and what do you do if you find mistakes in them?

The Government has promised to put in place a 10-Year Health Plan to fix the NHS in England. Healthwatch England have outlined four things that matter most based on public feedback.