1. What is Healthwatch Enter and View?

    News -

    We have the power to 'Enter and View' providers of health and social care, such as hospitals, care homes and dentists, and to observe and report on how those services are being run.

  2. Healthwatch calls on health professionals in Swindon to make more space for new parents to talk about their mental health

    News -

    Independent health and social care champion Swindon is calling on local services to make more space for new parents in Swindon to talk about their mental health.

  3. Proposal to transform local maternity services reaches final decision stage

    News -

    The decision on a proposal to transform maternity services across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire will be made at the joint Governing Bodies meeting in common for the three Clinical Commissioning Groups on 16 January 2020.

  4. Proposal to transform local maternity services is approved

    News -

    The joint Governing Bodies of Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Groups (BSW CCGs) today approved a proposal to improve and modernise maternity services across the region.

  5. SpeakUp2020: Share your views and help make the NHS better

    News -

    New campaign calls on Swindon residents to share to their experiences of NHS services to help make care better for all.

  6. Changes to community maternity services agreed as CCG continues to respond to current coronavirus challenge

    News -

    Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group has today agreed a set of recommendations that will maintain the health and wellbeing of mums-to-be during the current coronavirus outbreak. Read more.

  7. Key messages about maternity services during COVID-19

    News -

    We appreciate this is a worrying time for pregnant women and mums who have recently had their baby. We want to ensure we give you the latest information about how we have had to change our services to keep everyone safe. Find out more.

  8. Maternity Voices Partnership Plus Survey - B&NES, Swindon & Wiltshire

    News -

    B&NES, Swindon and Wiltshire Maternity Voices Partnership want to gather the views of pregnant women and those who have had their babies with a survey they are running. They will share the findings with local maternity services. Find out more.

  9. New quiet room at Great Western Hospital to provide space for families to think and reflect

    News -

    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.

  10. Maternity support during COVID-19

    Advice and Information -

    Read about how coronavirus could affect you, your baby and your pregnancy care.

  11. Opening Doors - a Conversation About Covid-19 Vaccination in Pregnancy

    News -

    Save the date in your diary!

  12. Healthwatch Swindon News Bites December 2021

    News -

    In this month's news you can hear what we have been up to and find out about some of the great resources currently available.

  13. Good News

    News -

    Help us spread a little Joy and share your Good News Story.

  14. Tell us your story of maternal mental health care

    News -

    Pregnancy is a major life event for any family. It can be joyful and fulfilling but also challenging. We’re launching a national survey to understand if care works for new mothers and birthing parents. Share your story.

  15. Six-week postnatal check for new mums – Q&A

    Advice and Information -

    What is the six-week postnatal check for new mothers and why it’s important that you attend it? In this advice piece, we cover all the basic questions you may have about it.

  16. Six-week postnatal checks are failing many new mothers

    News -

    Deep-dive analysis of experiences of 2,693 new mothers and birthing parents shows that six-week postnatal checks – required of GPs in England - are failing many new mothers. We call for action.

  17. Maternal mental health: The changes your feedback made possible

    News -

    Your experiences of maternal mental health care continue to shape NHS services, with NHS England recently announcing improvements to maternity and neo-natal services.

  18. Stories from new mothers: the importance of good communication

    Blog -

    The commitment to personalised care has been a cornerstone of NHS policy on maternity care for many years. A crucial part of personalised care is good communication, listening and agreeing on actions together. In this blog, we share new mothers' stories highlighting the role of communication and choice.

  19. Enter and View - Maternity Services at Great Western Hospital

    Report -

    We visited the Maternity Services at Great Western Hospital on 19th February 2024.

    Our Enter and View visits are a way that we can gather information about services and collect views of service users, staff and volunteers.

    Following on from our visit we have made some recommendations to the service provider based on the feedback we have received and what we observed.

  20. Annual Report 2014/15

    Report -

    Read our annual report for 2014/15 to find out about the work we've done and our plans for the year ahead.

  21. Annual Report 2013/14

    Report -

    Read our annual report for 2013/14 to find out about the work we've done and our plans for the year ahead.

  22. Primary Care Networks

    News -

    Primary Care Networks are a key part of the NHS Long Term Plan. They bring together general practices so that they can work together at scale so that they can share costs, provide more services to patients and integrate health and care.

  23. More Clinical Pharmacists set to boost GP services for patients and practices

    News -

    Nearly 34 million patients will benefit from improved GP services as NHS England boosts the number of surgery-based clinical pharmacists that can offer expert medication and treatment.

  24. Wrap up warm, stay well and enjoy winter

    News -

    We want to make sure that people in Swindon know the best ways to get the most appropriate healthcare quickly and without an appointment over the winter months. Find out more.

  25. Swindon Christmas and New Year Opening Times: Dentists, Opticians & Pharmacy

    News -

    Make sure you know the 2019 Christmas and New Year opening times for your pharmacy, optician or dentist in Swindon. Read more.

  26. Where can I go for help when I’m ill in winter?

    Advice and Information -

    Feeling unwell? Read on for advice about where you can go for help with your health during the winter months.

  27. Changes to services at Swindon NHS Health Centre

    News -

    From Wednesday 1 April 2020, the Walk-in Centre, based within Swindon NHS Health Centre, will no longer be available. Find out more about the changes.

  28. You, your pharmacy and Coronavirus

    News -

    Responding to people's concerns about medication, Swindon and Wiltshire's Chief Officer of Community Pharmacy has created a list of frequently asked questions and the answers to these. Find out more.

  29. Covid-19 and Pharmacies

    News -

    Pharmacies are experiencing a lot of demand during the Coronavirus outbreak. There are things that we can do to help ease the pressure. Find out more.

  30. Local ‘backline’ healthcare staff volunteer to deliver urgent and end-of-life prescriptions during lockdown

    News -

    Non-clinical staff at Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Group are offering a helping hand to community nursing teams in Swindon and Wiltshire by delivering urgent and end-of-life medicines direct to people’s homes.

  31. The NHS is still open this bank holiday, even if your nearest GP practice isn’t

    News -

    With many GP practices across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire reducing their opening hours this bank holiday weekend, doctors are offering reassurances that help will still be available for those who need it. Read more.

  32. GPs spell out the best way to get NHS help over the Spring bank holiday weekend

    News -

    GP practices across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire will be reducing their opening hours this bank holiday weekend, but local people are being reassured that the NHS is still on hand to provide help where it’s needed. Read more.

  33. GP video appointments help thousands of patients in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire

    News -

    Thousands of patients in B&NES Swindon and Wiltshire are now benefiting from video-based appointments, as well as patient care delivered remotely by GPs and other primary care staff, thanks to the combined efforts of NHS organisations in the region.

  34. Healthwatch Swindon Quarter 4 Report - 2019/20

    Report -

    Find out about the work we have carried out from January 2020 to March 2020.

  35. Healthwatch Swindon Quarter 1 Report - 2020/21

    Report -

    Find out about the work we have carried out from April 2020 to July 2020 in our Quarter 1 report . Read more.

  36. COVID-19 Insight Report

    Report -

    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.

  37. Free Flu vaccines to be offered to people aged 50 - 64 years of age 

    News -

    People over the age of 50 will be able to get their free flu vaccine from 1 December in the next phase of this year’s expanded flu vaccination programme, the government has confirmed.

  38. Local health and care organisations to partner up to improve patient experience

    News -

    NHS England and Improvement (NHSEI) has announced that Health and care organisations in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW) are to join up as they meet the criteria to become an integrated care system.

  39. Swindon and Wiltshire winter opening hours - Dentists and Pharmacies

    News -

    Service times will change for primary care services over the bank holiday and Winter period. Below are the arrangements for Swindon and Wiltshire.

  40. Public told to know their options as Pharmacies and GP practices close for long Christmas weekend

    News -

    Many pharmacies and GP practices across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire will be closed for four consecutive days over the Christmas period.

  41. PPG Chairs meeting October 2020

    Report -

    This report contains notes of a virtual meeting of the Healthwatch Swindon PPG chairs/acting chairs and others and with CQC held by Zoom on 2 October 2020.

  42. Your questions answered on COVID vaccines

    Advice and Information -

    To date, over 30 million people in the UK have received their first dose of the vaccine. But as this is a phased rollout - what does that mean for you and your loved ones in light of new variants of COVID?

  43. "Don't call us, we will call you," plea health leaders as COVID vaccination rollout ramps up

    News -

    Health leaders call for patience as all GP-led, community-based coronavirus vaccination sites in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire open meaning everyone in the area aged 80 or over will be invited to for their Covid-19 vaccine.

  44. COVID-19 vaccination - rollout of letters to Clinically Extremely Vulnerable people

    News -

    From Wednesday 3 February, people aged 18 and over in the clinically extremely vulnerable group will start receiving letters inviting them to book their COVID-19 vaccine.

  45. Swindon Easter period opening hours - Pharmacies, Dentists and Opticians

    News -

    Some pharmacies and GP practices across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire will be closed over the Easter period.

  46. Healthwatch Swindon - Quarter 4 Performance Report 2020/21

    Report -

    The Healthwatch Advisory Board set our priorities in April 2020. Part of our focus has been on providing up-to-date information on health and social care services. In this report, we explore what we have heard from people and how we responded.