1. 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.

  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. 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.

  4. We're giving evidence to the Education Committee

    News -

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

  5. 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.

  6. West & North Kent residents - your views are needed

    News -

    You may already have heard about some potential changes to health services in East Kent. The ideas include changes to hospital and community services such as GPs.

  7. Changes to bus services in Thanet

    News -

    The Thanet Over Fifties Forum recently attended a meeting about changes to bus services in Thanet. They shared with us a report from the meeting.

  8. Additional public meetings in Faversham & Tenterden

    News -

    It has just been announced that two additional public meetings are being arranged to discuss the potential changes to health services in East Kent.

  9. Final public meeting about East Kent services this week

    News -

    Seven public meetings have already taken place across East Kent for people to hear and discuss the potential changes for health services in East Kent.

  10. Dermatology services : have your say

    News -

    If you live in Medway or North Kent, your dermatology services may change.

  11. 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.

  12. What changes have we secured to the CAMHS service?

    Report -

    Back in 2016, we spoke with 302 people about their experience of children and adolescent mental health services.

  13. 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.

  14. 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.

  15. 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.

  16. The Healthwatch Guide to Public Consultations

    Report -

    This guide is intended to support commissioners and service providers to deliver genuine, meaningful public consultations.

  17. 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.


  18. What have we changed in A&E?

    Report -

    Our volunteers spoke to 138 patients during visits to every Accident & Emergency department in Kent.

    We made a number of recommendations based on their feedback.

  19. 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.

  20. 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.

  21. 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.

  22. 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.

  23. 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.

  24. 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.

  25. 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.

  26. 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.

  27. 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.

  28. 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.

  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. 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.

  31. 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.

  32. 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).

  33. 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.

  34. 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.

  35. Focus on Patient Experience

    Report -

    NHS Trusts all over Kent come to Healthwatch regularly seeking guidance on how to involve patients, carers and families more constructively in their services.  In this report, we discuss patient experience.

  36. Have you say on Kent County Councils draft 5 year plan

    News -

    Kent County Council have just launched a new consultation on their 5 year plan 'Your Future, Our Priority' and want to know your thoughts.

  37. Driving improvements to the wheelchair service

    News -

    You will know that we’ve been working with the Kent Physical Disability Forum for over a year now to help improve the wheelchair service for thousands of people in Kent.

  38. Driving improvements to wheelchair services

    Report -

    We’ve been working with the Kent Physical Disability Forum for over a year now to help improve the wheelchair service for thousands of people in Kent.

  39. Urgent Care Consultation listens to patients

    News -

    Residents in North Kent have recently been asked for their thoughts on plans to create an Urgent Treatment Centre. 16,500 people responded and it's brilliant to see plans change as a result of their views.

  40. Stroke patients & carers continue to design the new stroke service

    News -

    Stroke patients and their families were invited to Maidstone Hospital this week to chat with hospital staff about what the new Stroke Unit may look like in the future.

  41. Stroke patients & carers continue to design the new stroke service

    News -

    Stroke patients and their families were invited to Maidstone Hospital this week to chat with hospital staff about what the new Stroke Unit may look like in the future.

  42. A better 111 service for Kent, Medway and Sussex

    News -

    Last summer the NHS Commissioners in Kent, Medway and Sussex announced that South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) had been awarded a five year contract to provide the new NHS 111 service. The new service is due to start in April this year.

  43. Final decision on stroke services

    News -

    A decision has finally been made in the long running review of stroke services across Kent & Medway.
    The Court of Appeal refused an appeal against the judicial review which means plans to create three new hyper acute stroke services can go ahead.

  44. Did you know that we now have an enhanced NHS 111 service in Kent?

    News -

    When people in Kent, Medway & Sussex call NHS 111 they will now find more experienced clinicians on hand to answer their queries than ever before.

  45. The Healthwatch Kent Guide to Pre-consultation & Engagement

    Report -

    During our work to scrutinise consultations; poor pre-consultation engagement was the main area vulnerable to legal challenge via judicial review.

  46. Have you been a patient at Ruby Ward in Medway, or care for someone who has?

    News -

    Would you be willing to share your experience?

  47. Have you used the wheelchair service?

    News -

    We've been working for years to help improve wheelchair services and make sure they work well for everyone who uses them.

  48. Changes to inpatient mental health services

    News -

    Plans have been published to move inpatient mental health beds from Medway to a new, purpose built facility in Maidstone. Now is the time to share your thoughts on the proposals.

  49. Have you used community health services such as Live Well or Release the Pressure?

    News -

    Now is the chance to share your thoughts about these services. Your feedback will help to shape the future of these services.