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 2015/16

    Report -

    Read our annual report for 2015/16 to find out about the work we've done and our plans for the year ahead.

  21. New online appointment tool to improve patient experience at the Great Western Hospital

    News -

    Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is introducing local patients to a new online appointment service, aiming to improve patient experience and reduce the number of missed appointments.

  22. Healthwatch Swindon Quarter 3 Report - 2019/20

    Report -

    Find out about the work we've carried out from October 2019 to January 2020.

  23. Declare Your Care Campaign

    News -

    As part of the #DeclareYourCare campaign, this month people with a learning disability or autism, their family, carers and advocates are being encouraged to feedback on care. Find out more.

  24. Parents and carers urged not to put off seeking medical help amid anxieties about coronavirus

    News -

    Parents, carers and others looking after children across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire are being advised not to let worries about coronavirus delay them from seeking medical help this Easter. Read more.

  25. Community Pot 2020/21: Swindon SEND Families Voice Survey Report

    Report -

    Late in 2019 we invited bids from non-profit organisations in Swindon for a small amount of funding to undertake a survey with their contacts or members.Swindon SEND Families Voices was one of the recipients of this fund. Find out more.

  26. 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.

  27. Dementia charity launches Musical Tea month

    News -

    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.

  28. Local Offer calls for views and experiences of professionals and families

    News -

    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.

  29. Swindon Safeguarding Partnership News Sheet Issue 12 - 17.11.2020

    News -

    The twelfth edition of the Swindon Safeguarding Partnership news sheet is now available. Full of information and news updates on their work and partnership projects. Read on to download and find out more.

  30. Homecare workers to be tested weekly for COVID-19

    News -

    Care workers looking after people in their own homes will be offered weekly coronavirus tests from today (Monday 23 November), the government has announced.

  31. Extremely vulnerable offered free sunshine vitamin to help them through the Winter

    News -

    More than 2.5 million vulnerable people across England will be offered free vitamin D supplements for the winter, the government has announced.

  32. 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?

  33. CQC publishes report on Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust’s forensic inpatient and secure wards

    News -

    Following a recent inspection, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published a report today on the forensic inpatient and secure wards at Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust at its Fromeside site.

  34. New Online Youth Club launches to encourage young people to interact

    News -

    A new online youth club has launched to combat social isolation by encouraging young people of all ages to interact, have fun, and care for their mental wellbeing.

  35. Invitation for COVID vaccine extended to unpaid carers between 18-64 years old

    News -

    Across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire, unpaid carers aged between 18 and 64 are now being invited for a Covid-19 Vaccination.

  36. Abbey Meads Surgery and Moredon Medical Centre rated as Requires Improvement by Care Quality Commission

    News -

    An inspection of Abbey Meads Surgery, and Moredon Medical Centre by the Care Quality Commission in February 2021, has resulted in the rating of 'Requires Improvement' overall for both services after it found concerns over the quality of their care.

  37. Healthwatch Swindon News Bites January 2022

    News -

    All the latest information for the New Year.

  38. Local Offer

    Advice and Information -

    The Local Offer is the “go to” website for residents in Swindon with a support need, enabling adults, children, young people and families to access information and advice on education, health and care services to help empower them.

  39. Unpaid Carers Experience of Mental Health during the Pandemic

    Report -

    This report focuses on the findings of a survey and engagement looking at the experiences of unpaid carers across Swindon and Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES) localities.

  40. Your February News

    News -

    Please find this months Health & Care Digest. From Time To Talk to how you can help improve doctor - patient communication and where to meet us this month.

  41. What support can I get as a carer?

    Advice and Information -

    Many people who provide unpaid care are unaware of their rights. Find out more about the help and support you are entitled to.

  42. Your January News

    News -

    This month we share how to have your say along with details about Trauma Breakthrough and how they are supporting trauma survivors. All this and more in Your January News.

  43. What do the people of Swindon think about the future of community care?

    Report -

    Swindon Healthwatch and First City have worked together to understand what the people of Swindon think about the future of community care, now, next year and next decade.

  44. Annual Report 2017/18

    Report -

    Read our annual report for 2017/18 to find out about the work we've done and our plans for the year ahead.