News and reports

Healthwatch Redbridge conducted an Enter and View at Beech Frailty Unit to speak with patients, relatives and carers to understand what works well within the ward and what could improve patient experience.

Healthwatch Redbridge’s latest report explores the impact of Long Covid on NHS staff, building on our previous collaboration with Healthwatch Barking & Dagenham and Havering. Many people with Post-COVID-19 syndrome feel isolated, anxious, and distressed, this research set out to understand the impact of Long Covid and the support that is available.

This report summarises the outcomes of 'Celebrating You', a four part series of Teashop sessions supported by Healthwatch Redbridge.

These sessions aimed to create a safe space to explore how identity and background shape mental wellbeing, using practices from various cultures to guide session activities.

This report reveals some of the key challenges ethnic minorities face in accessing mental wellbeing support, and demonstrates the value of rooting support services in community practices.

The Better Me, Better Life campaign from Black Woman's Kindness Initiative (BWKI), supported by our Community Cash Fund was created to empower Black Women to have a voice in our local community in order to develop more equitable outcomes and community support provision.

Supported by the Healthwatch Redbridge Community Cash Fund, Redbridge Rainbow Community have explored the local perspectives of LGBTQ+ individuals in accessing health and social care.

Their report reflects on the insight gained from participants and identifies actions for LGBTQ+ inclusion.

The Healthwatch 2023-2024 Annual Report is live!

This year, we have focused on developing networks within those communities where we know there are higher health inequalities. Partnering with local community organisations has delivered key insights that we have fed back to service providers and colleagues across the statutory sector.

Following phase one of the Care Homes Direct Enhanced Service (DES) Report, Healthwatch devised further questions designed to extract data from those Homes where the DES was deemed to be working well.

Barking, Havering, and Redbridge University NHS Trust (BHRUT) are keen to improve the quality of care and patient experience across the hospital trust which covers Queen’s Hospital in Romford and King George Hospital in Goodmayes.

The government published a Women’s Health Strategy in 2022. One of the strategies commitments is to examine the effectiveness of a national campaign to encourage more women to take up cervical screening tests. Some national women’s health charities have found that uptake can be lower in minority ethnic women, or there can be specific barriers for women with disabilities.

Healthwatch England, the national body who oversee local Healthwatch, developed a survey to understand how the rising cost-of-living is having an impact on people’s physical and mental health and whether it is affecting their ability to access health and social care and maintain a healthy life.

We used an amended version of this survey to find out people’s experiences in Redbridge.

Healthwatch Redbridge was asked to support north east London Integrated Care System (NHS NEL) to listen to and involve diverse communities in responding to their ‘Big Conversation’.

Our 2022- 23 Annual Report is now available for download.