News and reports

People living in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire can find out more about what’s happening with the health and care in their area by attending an upcoming virtual meeting of the local CCG’s Governing Body on Thursday 19 November.

The importance of suitable homes for older and disabled people has been recognised by the launch of a government consultation to raise accessibility standards for new homes.

The consultation will run until 11:45 pm on 1 December 2020.

A survey to explore the views and experiences of professionals and families who support children and young people with SEND in the local area has launched for the second year running.

In April we launched out COVID-19 insight survey inviting Swindon residents to tell us their experiences of accessing health and social care during the pandemic. Find out what people told us.

The process the NHS follow to discharge people from hospital changed during the coronavirus pandemic. We launched a one-month-long hospital discharge survey in July to find out your experiences during the height of the pandemic, below is our report.

In March this year, Age UK launched a pre-planned start-up social enterprise called Meals + with just a single customer, oven, freezer, and delivery vehicle. This week they will deliver their 12,000th hot meal.

People living in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire are being advised to stay on top of their health and wellbeing by continuing to use the NHS throughout the next period of national lockdown.

Read October's edition of Healthwatch news bites and find out the latest on musical tea, self-care, and the impact of COVID on cancer patients.

Our Volunteer Support Officer, Alex Parker, was delighted to be able to organise a Volunteer Thank You event last week at The Olive Tree Café.

It will come as no surprise that COVID-19 has changed the way that people are accessing NHS services. A recent survey of 2,178 people found that almost half (48%) of the public would delay or not seek medical help at all.

Playlist for Life, a Music and Dementia charity, has launched a Musical Tea Campaign to help people stay connected while social distancing continues. The charity is asking people to hold various virtual musical tea events throughout October.

A new quiet room has opened at the Great Western Hospital to provide a calming space for families to receive and understand potentially upsetting news about their pregnancy journeys and baby’s.