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. Dentists : The Tooth Be Told

    Report -

    In 2016 we spoke to 44 people about their experience of going to the dentist.

    In 2017 we wanted to find out what had changed as a result.

  3. Getting NHS Dental care

    Advice and Information -

    What is available on the NHS? What do you have to pay for? How much is it going to cost? These are some of the questions you have asked that our leaflet has the answers to. 

  4. New Emergency Dental Care now available

    News -

    New Urgent Dental Care Centres are being opened to provide emergency dental treatment during the Coronavirus pandemic.

  5. Do you use translation or interpreter services when you go to an NHS appointment?

    News -

    The NHS wants to hear about your experience of using translation or interpreter services when you visit the dentist, pharmacy or optician.

  6. How to get an NHS dentist appointment during COVID-19

    Advice and Information -

    We’ve heard from hundreds of people since the pandemic started with questions about how to get a dentist appointment or emergency dental care.

    Here are some of the answers.

  7. Spotlight on dental services

    Report -

    Since the start of the pandemic, we have had a constant stream of feedback about NHS dental services.

  8. Brushing our teeth – what’s it all about?

    Advice and Information -

    It’s all about stopping plaque and tartar build up on our teeth.

  9. Twin crisis of access and affordability calls for radical rethink of NHS dentistry

    News -

    Healthwatch England warns dental crisis shows no signs of slowing, with four in five people, 80%, struggling to access timely care during the last lockdown.

  10. Are you struggling to get an NHS dentist?

    News -

    You are not alone! More people than ever before have been in touch this month to share their story about finding an NHS dentist and ask for information.

  11. NHS dentistry: We're calling for the Government to invest

    News -

    We have co-signed an open letter addressed to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak calling for a recovery plan for NHS dentistry.

  12. We're helping people every day

    News -

    Every month, we give support, information and signposting to nearly 2,000 people.

    Every day, we help individual people. This month we helped someone who needed a dental check up before they could start medical treatment.

  13. £6.8million to help tackle the lack of dentist appointments

    News -

    The NHS has today announced emergency funding to help create hundreds of new dentist appointments.

  14. What difference have we made this month?

    News -

    A highlight this month has been helping a young pregnant woman, who was homeless, to get the dental care that she needed.

  15. How does the NHS dental system really work?

    Advice and Information -

    We get more calls about dentistry than anything else. The dental system is complicated so we've chatted to Tim Hogan, a dentist himself and Chair of the Kent & Medway Local Dental Committee to understand more.

  16. Helping people to get dental care

    Report -

    Read how we have helped people to get the dental care that they need

  17. Lack of NHS dental appointments widens health inequalities

    News -

    A new survey of public attitudes to NHS dentistry shows half of adults in the South East find dental charges unfair amid escalating costs of living. 45% of people in the South East told us they struggle to get an NHS dental appointment.

  18. NHS acts on your feedback to improve dental care

    News -

    Hundreds of you have been in touch to tell us your story about NHS dentists. We've been raising your concerns and now the NHS are making changes.

  19. What people have told us about dentistry

    Report -

    This report summarises the feedback received from people via Healthwatch Kent, Healthwatch Medway and Kent and Medway Voice about their experiences of primary care dentistry from November 2022 to April 2023. This includes 34 separate pieces of feedback.

  20. Primary care work

    News -

    In May, Healthwatch England shared their initial response to the Government's Primary Care recovery plan and what it would mean for you and your loved ones.

  21. Our impact in dentistry

    News -

    In June we released out Annual report, which you can download at the bottom of this page. It shows the various ways Healthwatch continues its efforts to ensure the public experience is heard.

  22. 10 top tips to get the most out of your dental appointment

    Advice and Information -

    Everyone should be able to access good quality NHS dental services. Take a look at our top tips to help you get the most out of your next dental appointment.

  23. 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.

  24. 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.

  25. We're giving evidence to the Education Committee

    News -

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

  26. 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.

  27. 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.

  28. 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.

  29. 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.

  30. 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.

  31. Dermatology services : have your say

    News -

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

  32. 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.

  33. 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.

  34. 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.

  35. 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.

  36. 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.

  37. The Healthwatch Guide to Public Consultations

    Report -

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

  38. 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.


  39. 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.

  40. 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.

  41. 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.

  42. 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.

  43. 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.

  44. 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.

  45. 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.

  46. 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.

  47. 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.

  48. 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.

  49. 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.