1. Healthwatch Network Health and Care Priorities for 2019

    News -

    To mark the start of 2019, Healthwatch England is today publishing our annual network priorities list – setting out the key health and care topics our local teams will be working on over the year ahead.

  2. Healthwatch Bristol nominee Dr Knut Schroeder is “Highly Commended” at the Healthwatch England Conference 2018

    News -

    Dr Knut Schroeder, a Bristol-based GP, was nominated by Healthwatch Bristol for this year’s #NHS70 award at the Healthwatch England Conference.

  3. Riverside Adolescent Unit July 2018

    Report -

    The Riverside Adolescent Unit was chosen for enter and view as AWP was rated as
    “Requires Improvement” by the CQC in 2017. Enter and view visits to AWP
    wards also tie in with Healthwatch Bristol’s current work plan around mental health.

  4. Mental Health in Bristol - a year long project

    Report -

    The aim of this year-long project was to find out which mental health services in Bristol people
    had used in the 12 months, how beneficial they were to them, what works well, and what could
    be improved.

  5. Junction 3 Mental Health Engagement

    Report -

    Junction 3 Mental Health Engagement

  6. Strong link between childhood trauma and self-harming in teenagers is found in new University of Bristol study

    News -

    The University of Bristol is for the first time using a large family study to look at links between childhood trauma and self-harming in teenagers.

  7. World Mental Health Day - we share young people's experiences of getting support

    News -

    Insight into what it's really like for young people trying to access advice and support services in our region to mark World Mental Health Day.

  8. Every Mind Matters - campaign to help people think about mental health

    News -

    Patients are being encouraged to give a thought to their mental health, with a new campaign launched by Public Health England (PHE) and the NHS.

  9. New autism training programme to be rolled out following death of Bristol teenager

    News -

    New autism training is to be given to NHS staff after the death of a Bristol teenager who was given drugs against his parents’ wishes.

  10. New bench to raise awareness of mental health is a conversation starter

    News -

    A bench called Clevedon’s Talking Point has been living up to is name and has been attracting a lot of interest from seafront walkers. It was erected to coincide with Mental Health Day on October 10th.

  11. New suicide prevention campaign Shine On launches in Bristol area

    News -

    An awareness campaign to help tackle the higher than average suicide rates in the Bristol area launched this month. Healthwatch is supporting the project after carrying out our own work on young people's difficulties getting mental health support.

  12. A healthy outlook - a glimpse of how we've helped patients in 2019

    News -

    We're spreading some Christmas cheer with our round-up of how we've made a difference to health services from the information YOU provided.

  13. Healthwatch joins the City Gathering to help make Bristol a better place to live

    News -

    Our Area Manager, Vicky Marriott, very much enjoyed being part of the biggest ever City Gathering held in Bristol.

  14. Healthwatch wants to give a platform to veterans' voices

    Advice and Information -

    Julie attended an introduction meeting with Debbie Rogers the advice and information officer at the local Royal British Legion office in Broadmead.

  15. Healthwatch to gather feedback on how mental health services are working

    News -

    Julie met Margaret Price, the carers support lead at Rethink Mental Illness in Bristol, to discuss how HW Bristol could give voice to those in the city with mental health issues and to those who support them at home.

  16. Tackling mental health across the city

    News -

    Deputy Mayor Asher Craig updated people who visited our recent launch in Bristol about the Thriving Bristol mission to improve mental health for all. Healthwatch is also focusing on mental health to find out how services are working.

  17. Coronavirus support from your HW team

    News -

    We can help you find the latest advice on what to do to protect yourself and your loved ones as well as a friendly ear if you are self-isolating and feel cut off and confused.

  18. Coronavirus - tips on boosting your mental wellbeing

    Advice and Information -

    Feeling anxious about all the coronavirus information you are being exposed to on social media? Healthwatch is here to point you in the right direction of what to do and where to go for help and support if you are at currently at home.

  19. A round-up of our work to offer reliable and sound support to those in need

    News -

    Here is our latest newsletter with all the most up-to-date information on support, advice and services available in the coronavirus outbreak.

  20. Coronavirus and mental health services

    Advice and Information -

    In the light of Coronavirus, there have been some changes to the ways that mental health and wellbeing services in Bristol are running.

  21. Help restore treasured community playground hit by fire

    News -

    A young teenager is leading a fundraising drive to help rebuild an adventure playground in St Paul's which has been devastated by fire. HW has seen the valuable work carried out by the APE Project first hand is supporting the fundraising drive.

  22. How Bristol's SEND service is adapting and improving through health crisis

    News -

    Children, young people and families have helped develop a blueprint to address failings identified in Bristol City Council’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities provision.

  23. Mental health service 'gaps' - tell us your views

    News -

    The health pandemic has resulted in many mental health support services either being suspended or becoming ‘self-service’ over the internet due to social distancing.

  24. Share Your Care - ABC charity's 'compassionate' advice

    Advice and Information -

    We are highlighting the work of Bristol-based Anorexia and Bulimia Care Charity (ABC) who have been nominated in our ‘Share Your Care’ hunt to raise awareness of amazing carers or services.

  25. Bristol Sanctuary

    Advice and Information -

    Bristol Sanctuary are a mental health service that have adapted to ensure they are still providing a useful service throughout the Coronavirus pandemic. If you are struggling or need someone to talk to then The Bristol Sanctuary can help you.

  26. New report finds excess deaths among adults receiving social care

    News -

    The COVID-19 pandemic has been felt hardest among those who rely on social care, and those working to care for them, a new report has found.

  27. Videos in 10 languages to help more people understand key advice

    News -

    Videos providing important Covid-19 tips and advice are now available in more than 10 languages to reach people in the region who do not speak English as a first language.

  28. New 24-hour helpline launches for those struggling with affects of pandemic

    News -

    A new 24/7 phoneline to help people cope with the pressures of Covid-19 and beyond has been launched for people in the Bristol, North Somerset and South Glos region.

  29. Jump in coronavirus cases puts Bristol above national average

    News -

    People are being warned to take more care following Covid-19 guidelines after 79 reported cases in the last week in Bristol. This is a jump of 88 from the previous week and a rate of 17 per 100,000 people - above the England average of 15.

  30. Test and Trace - how can it be improved?

    News -

    Contact tracing is working well in the South West with an 83.3 per cent success rate compared to a national average of 77 per cent.

  31. New report shows Somalis in Bristol hit hard by pandemic

    News -

    More than a third of Bristol Somalis who took part in a Covid-19 study were hospitalised or had family or friends needing admission. New recommendations from the report says Covid information needs to be accessible and in different languages.

  32. Changes Bristol introduce a support group for women of colour

    News -

    Changes Bristol have announced they are introducing a mental health support group for women of colour, offering the support of trained staff and volunteers.

  33. Overcoming concerns about the Covid-19 vaccine if you have a learning disability

    Advice and Information -

    One of our volunteers, Jemma Ballinger, says while it is great news that people on the learning disability register will be prioritised to have the vaccine, they will still often need a lot of reassurance and understanding to receive it.

  34. How to cope with lockdown if you have autism

    Advice and Information -

    Radio presenter and Asperger's champion Alex Manners spoke to Healthwatch ahead of his talk organised by Bristol Autism Support tomorrow (April 7th). His tips for coping with the pressures of Covid-19? "Find a project and focus on the next few days."

  35. Our survey to help improve bladder and bowel care features in national showcase

    News -

    Healthwatch Bristol is delighted that our work with Bristol Health Partners on how easy it was for people to get help from bladder and bowel services during Covid-19 has been included in a national research portfolio.

  36. Mental health services for children, young people, and older people must improve, says independent regulator

    News -

    The Care Quality Commission has published its latest report on community mental health services for children and young people, and hospital wards for older adults, provided by Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust.

  37. Provider of NHS 111 services in Bristol rated 'Outstanding' by independent regulator

    News -

    Practice Plus Group - NHS 111 South West, who have a contact centre in Bristol and answer NHS 111 calls from people across the South West, were found to be safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well-led by the Care Quality Commission.

  38. Share your experience: maternal mental health

    News -

    Have you given birth since April 2020? Did you experience any mental health issues or emotional challenges such as low mood before getting pregnant? We'd like to hear your story and find out if you got the support you needed from the NHS.

  39. 'The barriers to accessing timely care can put people’s lives at risk' - Healthwatch England's response to the Care Quality Commission's 'State of Care' report

    News -

    The Care Quality Commission is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. Their latest report sets out the challenges the NHS and social care sector face: 'the health and care system is gridlocked, unable to operate effectively.'

  40. People are increasingly avoiding NHS appointments and prescriptions due to cost of living, Healthwatch warns

    News -

    The number of people avoiding an NHS appointment because they can’t afford travel almost doubled between October and December as the cost of living crisis is forcing many to change how they use health and care services.

  41. Long stay and rehabilitation mental health wards rated 'good' by independent regulator

    News -

    Three of the four wards for working age adults managed by Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust were inspected by the Care Quality Commission in January 2023.

  42. New report from Bristol Somali Youth Voice: "The impact of the increasing cost of living on the minority ethnic community in Bristol"

    News -

    The research, conducted alongside Bristol Somali Forum, looks at the effects of the cost of living crisis, the uncertainty and insecurity generated, and explores how people are coping with the challenges of the crisis.

  43. Six-week postnatal checks are failing many new mothers, Healthwatch England warns

    News -

    Many women are struggling to access the support they need for their mental health during and after pregnancy. Only 1 in 5 were satisfied with the time their GP spent talking to them about their mental health at their six-week postnatal check.

  44. Safety concerns raised after inspection of acute psychiatric wards and psychiatric intensive care units

    News -

    Sexual safety incidents on mixed wards and environmental risks were among the issues identified by the Care Quality Commission, independent regulator for health and social care services in England.

  45. Mental health support for children aged 5 to 11

    Advice and Information -

    More than 10,000 children and young people are likely to be struggling with their mental health at any one time in Bristol, but it can be difficult to know where you can get help. We've put together the different organisations that can offer support.

  46. Mental health support during pregnancy or after birth

    Advice and Information -

    If you're pregnant or have recently given birth, it can be difficult to know where to turn if you're struggling with your mental health. We've compiled a list of organisations that offer support for people living in Bristol and the surrounding areas.

  47. Rethink Mental Illness: supporting Bristol residents with their mental health

    Advice and Information -

    Rethink Mental Illness work to improve the lives of people severely affected by mental illness through their network of local groups and services, expert information and successful campaigning.

  48. Stories from new mothers: accessing maternal mental health services

    Blog -

    Mental health issues are widespread and of significant concern to new parents, but many face substantial difficulties accessing mental health services. Mothers from across the local area told us about their experiences.