1. 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.

  2. Do you need help getting to hospital?

    Advice and Information -

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

  3. 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.

  4. Healthwatch Briefing on Sexual Health - July 2019

    Report -

    Our latest briefing paper provides an overview of the pressures and challenges facing sexual health services both nationally and in Brighton and Hove, and draws attention to how funding and commissioning challenges may be affecting provision.

  5. Healthwatch Brighton and Hove - Annual Report 2019

    Report -

    This year's Annual Report, showcasing the views of the people of Brighton & Hove, and the hard work of our volunteers, staff and board throughout the year.

  6. Online Pharmacy Report

    Report -

    In response to concerns about marketing from online pharmacy services, we conducted a survey of people who had received marketing from one of these companies.

  7. "Let’s Get You Home" - Hospital Discharge Report

    Report -

    The experiences of older people being discharged from the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, from July to September 2018.

  8. John tells us what changes he would like made to support those living with hearing loss

    Blog -

    Our volunteer, John, has suffered from hearing loss since childhood. He tells us his story and what changes he would like to see to make them more accessible for people living with hearing loss.

  9. Let’s get you home, but let's make it real

    News -

    A Press Release on our latest report, looking at the experiences of old and frail people being discharged from the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

  10. Where to get support if you're living with hearing loss in Brighton & Hove

    Advice and Information -

    If you're living with hearing loss in, here are a few places in Brighton & Hove that can be of help.

  11. Two reports on Patient Experiences local NHS Trusts

    News -

    Our latest press release on the patient experience and physical environment at Brighton hospitals.

  12. Reports on Patient Experiences of local NHS Trusts

    Report -

    Two reports on the patient experience and physical environment at Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust and Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust.

  13. Healthwatch Brighton and Hove - Annual Report 2017

    Report -

    Our annual report for the period 2016/2017, highlighting the views of the people of Brighton & Hove, and the hard work of our volunteers, staff and board throughout the year.

  14. The New Sussex-wide Patient Transport Service

    Report -

    Our latest report on non-emergency Patient Transport Services services across Sussex, since South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust took over the contract in April 2017.

  15. Examining the Impact of PIP & ESA

    Report -

    Our report highlighting insensitive treatment of vulnerable people in PIP and ESA assessments.

  16. Users Perspectives on the Patient Transport Service

    Report -

    Perspectives of Renal Outpatient Department patients at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

  17. Sussex wide non-emergency Patient Transport Service

    Report -

    Our latest report indicates that patient satisfaction with Patient Transport Services has finally started to improve.

  18. Healthwatch Brighton and Hove - Annual Report 2018

    Report -

    Our Annual Report 2018, highlighting the views of the people of Brighton & Hove, and the hard work of our volunteers, staff and board throughout the year.

  19. We promote the NHS Long Term Plan

    News -

    Healthwatch England have been given £500,000 in relation to the NHS Long Term Plan, to promote engagement with the public, patients and NHS and Social Care staff.

  20. CQC Report on University of Sussex Health Centre

    News -

    The Care Quality Commission has just published a report from its inspection at the University of Sussex Health Centre.

  21. CQC Report on Integrated Care 24 Limited in Woodingdean

    News -

    The Care Quality Commission carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Integrated Care 24 Limited – Woodingdean on 12th and 13th July 2016.

  22. Get your FREE NHS health check

    News -

    A great way to take control of your health and wellbeing is to have a health check. They are FREE for people aged 40 to 74, and people are encouraged to get their health check done every five years.

  23. CQC Report on Hove Park Villas Surgery

    News -

    The Care Quality Commission carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this practice on 9 July 2015.

  24. Donate blood as a New Year's resolution

    News -

    The NHS Blood and Transplant is calling for people to step forward and make a New Years resolution that is worth keeping - give blood or platelets and help save lives!

  25. CQC Report on Vallance Residential Care Home

    News -

    The Care Quality Commission carried out an unannounced inspection at Vallance Residential Care Home on 13 December 2016.

  26. CQC Report on Arundel Park Lodge

    News -

    The Care Quality Commission carried out an unannounced inspection at Arundel Park Lodge on 29 November 2016.

  27. Brighton & Hove cervical screening rates lowest in south east

    News -

    Brighton and Hove has the lowest cervical screening rates in the south east and numbers attending for screening are falling year on year.

  28. Learning from voices of experience: Personal health records

    News -

    Ingrid Bridle, long-term patient and Chair of her GP Patient Participation Group in Tameside, talks about how online access to GP records benefits her:
    “Using my GP records gives me such a wonderful feeling of control over my stuff."

  29. Have you been told you are not eligible for treatment or that treatment is not available near you?

    News -

    Do you feel you have been personally affected by the current rationing of NHS services and treatments?

  30. Significant improvements in The Broadway Surgery

    News -

    Back in February 2016, The Broadway Surgery in Whitehawk Road was rated inadequate and was placed into special measures by the Care Quality Commission.

  31. How good are our HIV services?

    News -

    The complexity of the health system in England is holding back progress in meeting the needs of people with HIV, according to a new report from The King’s Fund.

  32. Worried about sexual health, drugs or alcohol?

    Advice and Information -

    Get free advice using these Brighton and Hove helplines.

  33. Think your teenager may have an eating disorder?

    News -

    Check out these useful tips from Beat for spotting the first signs.

  34. Don’t let embarrassment prevent you having your cervical screening

    News -

    Every day 9 women in the UK are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 3 women will lose their lives to the disease.

  35. Closure of Ridgeway Surgery, Woodingdean

    News -

    Healthwatch Brighton and Hove have been alerted to the planned closure of the Ridgeway Surgery in Woodingdean. This will become effective after 31 October 2017.

  36. Sneak preview on insights from our GP Patient survey

    News -

    Our full report is still to follow but we can share some initial insights.

  37. The future of the NHS and social care in Sussex & East Surrey

    News -

    The future of the NHS and social care services are being designed by Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships. There are 44 of these partnerships around the country and ours covers all of Sussex and East Surrey.

  38. Financial pressures in the NHS and how these will impact Brighton and Hove

    News -

    The financial pressure put upon the NHS can be broken down into an everyday scenario to reflect the realities of what the NHS faces:

  39. CQC finds significant improvement at Royal Sussex County Hospital

    News -

    Healthwatch Brighton and Hove welcomes the latest Care Quality Commission report on the Royal Sussex County Hospital and for their sister hospital, the Princess Royal Hospital at Haywards Heath.  Read more about the improvements that have been identified, and the challenges that still remain.

  40. GP Patient Survey – the story so far

    News -

    GP Patient Survey – 1000 local people speak out about GP services

  41. Healthwatch giving a voice to disadvantaged communities

    News -

    Healthwatch aims to help users of health and social care services have a voice on the quality of their care. In doing so, we are particularly committed to helping disadvantaged communities have a voice.

  42. Patient Transport Services - where are we now?

    News -

    Healthwatch has agreed with the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) that we will re-run the Patient Transport Services (PTS) survey in December 2017. This will certainly keep our Enter and View volunteers busy in the run up to Christmas.

  43. GP Patient Survey – now closed

    News -

    Over the summer Healthwatch Brighton and Hove sought patient’s views regarding their GP practice and the service the practice provides. An impressive 1,486 people had responded to the GP patient survey when it closed earlier this month.

  44. CQC Report: report into children and young people's experiences of hospital

    News -

    National survey shows most children and young people report good experiences of hospital care, but highlights some areas for improvement.

  45. MPs demand inquiry into Coperforma debacle

    News -

    Healthwatch has been at the forefront of efforts to monitor the quality of Sussex's Patient Transport Service and improve the standard of the service after problems experienced with Coperforma.

  46. Consultation on prescription changes ('over the counter' products)

    News -

    NHS England has launched a public consultation on proposals to rein in prescriptions for some ‘over the counter’ products such as dandruff shampoo and drops for tired eyes, in order to free-up funding to expand other treatments for major conditions such as cancer and mental health problems.

  47. Patient Transport Services 2018 update

    News -

    In our last newsletter we described the further work that Healthwatch would be undertaking to see how Patient Transport Services were performing. During November and December, our Enter and View representatives returned to the Royal Sussex County Hospital to speak to patients who were using the service.

  48. Debating the cost of missed appointments

    News -

    Would you be surprised to learn that there are no national figures on how many people miss GP or NHS appointments? 

  49. Survey about the future of Brighton General

    News -

    If you use services at Brighton General then we want to hear from you.

  50. Healthwatch Report on PIP/ESA covered by the local press and news

    News -

    Our recent report highlighting the insensitive treatment of vulnerable people in PIP and ESA assessments is covered in local news.