1. What should happen when GP surgeries close or merge?

    Report -

    Healthwatches across the South East have heard from people who are concerned about their GP surgery either closing or merging.

  2. Have you heard about improvements to hospital discharge in West Kent?

    Report -

    In 2018 we spoke to 89 people about their experience of being discharged from both Maidstone Hospital and Tunbridge Wells Hospital.

  3. We take your views to Parliament

    News -

    Last week, we travelled to London to join forces with more than 100 fellow local Healthwatch organisations at our annual parliamentary reception.

  4. Stroke services : a decision is made

    News -

    For many months now, stroke services across Kent & Medway have been reviewed. The decision has now been made.

  5. Your vote determines our priorities

    News -

    All this week we are asking people to get involved in our campaign #YourChoiceOurPriority where we give you the power to choose our priorities for the year.
    Over the 7 days we will be asking you to vote for what you think we should prioritise.

  6. We're giving evidence to the Education Committee

    News -

    Next week we are giving evidence to the Education Committee about SEND.

  7. Help shape Urgent Treatment Centres in North Kent

    News -

    Plans are being developed for Urgent Treatment Centres across the UK. The Centres would treat all minor illnesses and injuries for all age groups in one place.

  8. Do you use a wheelchair?

    News -

    We've heard from lots of people about wheelchair services in Kent. Do you have a story to share with us?

  9. Calling all young people : make your voice heard

    News -

    We want to hear what's good, or not so good, about children's and young people's services in Kent & Medway.

  10. Commissioners respond to our GP report

    News -

    In March we published a report detailing all the feedback we had heard from Kent residents about GP services.

  11. Have your say about Outpatients in Dartford, Gravesham & Swanley

    News -

    Outpatients services in Dartford, Gravesham & Swanley are set to change as part of a new transformation programme launched by NHS.


  12. Get involved with the changes to health and social care in East Kent

    News -

    Those of you who live in East Kent will be well aware that plans are being developed to transform and improve services for local residents.
    The public are now being invited to evaluate the options before the public consultation later in the year.

  13. Making your voice heard: Wheelchair services

    News -

    Earlier this year, we started to hear a number of serious stories from patients and professionals about wheelchair services.

  14. Healthwatch Kent scruitinises the North Kent Urgent Care Review

    News -

    Urgent Care services in Dartford, Gravesham & Swanley are being reviewed with a view to making changes.

    Healthwatch has a statutory responsibility to scruitinise the process of change to ensure the voice of residents has been heard.

  15. Patient feedback drives improvements for partially sighted patients in Maidstone

    Report -

    Partially sighted patients will now find it easier to attend an appointment at Maidstone Hospital thanks to feedback from patients.

  16. Urgent care in Dartford, Gravesham & Swanley is going to change. Get involved

    News -

    A formal public consultation has been launched this month to decide the location of a new Urgent Treatment Centre in Dartford, Gravesham & Swanley area.

  17. Healthwatch Kent comments on the CQC rating of South East Coast Ambulance Service

    News -

    The Care Quality Commission has announced today that the ambulance service, which serves Kent, has been rated as ‘Good’ and the Trust will now exit Special Measures.

  18. Healthwatch Kent shortlisted for national award

    News -

    We've been nominated for a national award in recognition of the work we've done to ensure the challenges that people with additional communication needs face when attending a hospital appointment is heard and understood by decision makers.

  19. Feedback from people with Asthma

    News -

    Today we chatted with people about what it is like to have Asthma and how things could be improved

  20. Help turn the national NHS plan into a Kent & Medway vision

    News -

    You’ve probably heard about the NHS Long Term Plan in the news.

    The Long Term Plan is a national vision for our health services over the next 10 years.

  21. We take pride at Pride

    News -

    Thanks to everyone who stopped by to chat to us at Dover Pride today!

  22. Working with PPG groups

    News -

    This week, we took part in a conference to bring together all the Patient Participation Groups across Kent.

  23. Update on the East Kent Transformation

    News -

    This week we joined the first of three sessions to discuss the options for the transformation of services in East Kent.

  24. Healthwatch Kent met with senior NHS leaders this week to discuss their concerns about how NHS contracts will happen in the future.

    News -

    This week we gathered senior commissioners to discuss how health services could be commissioned in the future.

  25. Healthwatch and Dartford Gravesham, Swanley CCG hit the highstreet

    News -

    To make sure you have your voice heard on the plans to create a new Urgent Treatment Centre in Gravesend or Dartford, we headed out with Dartford, Gravesham & Swanley Clinical Commissioning Group.

  26. Tips to keep your little ones healthy (and at school)

    News -

    With the schools opening up again for the new academic years the NHS have released a toolkit for parents to help keep your little snappers healthy, and in school.

  27. You Said, We Did April 2019 - March 2020

    Report -

    What have we done with your voice between April 2019 and March 2020?

  28. M20 closures!.... There’s no stopping us

    News -

    There was no chance our Helpline team weren't getting to the busy Boughton Monchelsea’s village Community Coffee Morning last Saturday.

  29. Working with HOSC

    News -

    We attend HOSC every month. HOSC stands for the Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee and is a meeting of KCC Elected Members who scrutinise health services.

  30. Improvements to hospital discharge in North Kent

    Report -

    Thanks to you, we have been able to improve people's experience of being discharged from hospital in North Kent.

  31. We are winners!!!

    News -

    We have been recognised as highly commended in the Championing Diversity & Inclusion category at the 2019 Healthwatch Network Awards last night.

  32. Kent County Council Peoples' Panel

    News -

    A new Peoples' Panel met for the first time today. Its purpose is to bring a range of people together to input their ideas and thoughts at an early stage in discussions about social care services.

  33. State of the Nation by the Care Quality Commission

    News -

    Today the Care Quality Commission have published their State of the Nation report which is their annual assessment of health and social care services across the country.

  34. Have you heard that the Clinical Commissioning Groups are going to merge?

    News -

    Currently in Kent & Medway, we have eight Clinical Commissioning Groups who are responsible for commissioning our health services.
    From April 1st 2020, GPs have voted for all the CCGs to merge into one single Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

  35. Last chance to have your say about Urgent Care in North Kent

    News -

    Time is running out if you want to get your voice heard about changes to Urgent Care services in North Kent.

  36. Stroke patients being heard loud and clear

    News -

    Together with the Stroke Association and Healthwatch Medway, we have set up the Stroke Co-Design Group to ensure the voice of patients and carers is clearly heard during the design of our new stroke services in Kent & Medway.

  37. Special Educational Needs : a new pathway

    News -

    We've been helping decision makers to develop a new pathway for children and young people who have special educational needs.

  38. How easy is it to attend a hospital appointment if you use a communication aid?

    Report -

    That's the question we asked ourselves when we visited Tunbridge Wells Hospital recently.

  39. My life as a carer – one of seven million stories

    Blog -

    Three in five of us will become an unpaid carer at some point in our lives. Kate* tells us about what it was like becoming a carer for her husband and the difficulties they faced.