News and reports

The Department of Health and Social Care invited Healthwatch Kent to participate in a consultation on the creation of the NHS Online Trust. The Online Trust will be a digital only service available nationwide, with the first patients receiving care in 2027. As part of this consultation we reviewed all the feedback we have received on digital systems in health and social care since 2023.

From September 2024, we started to receive more feedback on people’s experiences of mental health crisis support. This emerged from what people told us through Mental Health Voice, Healthwatch Kent and Healthwatch Medway without any targeted prompts for mental health crisis. To understand what people were telling us, we identified and analysed 489 related experiences from January 2024 to February 2025.

Healthwatch Kent worked with Healthwatch Medway, Medway and Swale HaCP, Medway Council and Involving Medway and Swale to seek the views of young people and professionals that work with young people. In this spotlight report we have gathered data around the rising issue of self-harm.

We have published our report on Kent and Medway veteran's experience of health and social care since their discharge from the Armed Forces.

Healthwatch Kent is proud to share our annual report for the year 2024-2025.

When you think of Health and Social Care, and your wellbeing, your initial thoughts probably don’t go towards housing.

In this article we have compiled a list of wellbeing and mental health support services for children and young people. If you are struggling, looking for support or just wanting to find what is available in your local area for health and wellbeing support, you're in the right place.

Mental health is really important.
It is vital that we are all looking after our minds as well as our bodies to keep us fit and healthy.
Christmas can be a difficult time for some of us, so we have complied a list of services that are open throughout the festive period if you want to reach out for mental health support.

Please note this information is accurate for the 2025/26 Christmas Period

We have published a case study led report together with Healthwatch Medway on the experiences of those with substance misuse issues on accessing mental health services.

As many of you are aware we work closely with Mental Health Voice (MHV) and the 4 Local Mental Health Networks (LMHNs) based around each Health and Care Partnership area.

In February 2023, Kent and Medway ICB and Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) launched a public consultation on Health Based Places of Safety. These are the facilities KMPT provides for adults needing emergency care and assessment under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act.

A new NHS service called Mental Health Together will soon be available to patients in East Kent in the latest phase of its roll-out across Kent and Medway.