News and reports

Our Healthwatch Bristol Area Lead Julie Bird has signed up as an NHS Responder after being moved by her work with Healthwatch - where she heard "heartbreaking" stories from the public in need of help.

People are not seeking help for potentially life-threatening health conditions due to the Covid-19 outbreak, Healthwatch has learned.

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.

This week it has been reported that only a small fraction of “at risk” children are taking up the emergency school places kept open for them, prompting concerns that they are facing increased danger during the lockdown.

GP services are now starting to offer online consultations and have made other changes to the normal service at surgeries - read this latest update from the Bristol, North Somerset and South Glos Clinical Commissioning Group.

If you are at home self-isolating and need a support lifeline you can now call Healthwatch to get help from the new army of NHS Responders.

Use our new Healthwatch guides to help you get to grips with using health websites and apps. From Patient Access and NHS App to using Zoom, you can download and print our step-by-step guides.

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.

Share your stories of care with Healthwatch - we want to recognise all the wonderful work being done to help people in their homes and the wider community. A virtual hug from us to all the social care sector.

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.

A video message to stay safe at home to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in eight languages has been produced and you can click below to see it.

People who need emergency dental treatment are advised to contact their regular surgery - and their case will assessed on a priority basis. They will then be referred to one of two new dental hubs, in Bristol and Weston, for treatment.