1. What are people telling us about e-consult?

    News -

    For patients who are comfortable using computers e-consult can be a convenient and user-friendly method of getting in contact with the GP surgery. For patients who struggle with or cannot use computers, e-consult can be a serious barrier to access.

  2. Healthwatch hypertension information campaign kicks off in style

    News -

    Our staff and volunteers have been offering free blood pressure tests and raising awareness of the dangers of high blood pressure at Callyfest and on Chapel Market.

  3. Healthwatch volunteers visit pharmacies in Islington

    News -

    Our volunteers visited local pharmacies to see how accessible they were for people in wheelchairs or with limited mobility.

  4. Choose the right NHS service for you and your family

    News -

    The Royal College of Nursing has announced that members will take strike action from Sunday 30 April to Monday 1 May 2023.

  5. Residents rate pharmacy services highly and see them as the easiest health services to access

    News -

    Many of the people we spoke to wanted to see pharmacies offering more preventative and diagnostic services. Health checks, blood tests, and cholesterol tests were services people said they could access more easily at a pharmacy.

  6. Residents give feedback on support services for stopping smoking

    News -

    We spoke to 65 residents from communities experiencing health inequalities. All were smokers or ex-smokers. Few had taken up the offer of support to give up.

  7. Healthwatch tackles high blood pressure

    News -

    We helped over 1,300 people improve their understanding of hypertension and identified over 130 people with undiagnosed hypertension, whom we were able to point in the direction of their GP or community pharmacy for further tests.

  8. How do our GP practices make their services accessible?

    News -

    Our volunteers visited all the GP practices in the borough to get a sense of how easy it is for them to meet the Accessible Information Standard.

  9. Helping local residents from refugee and migrant communities use their smartphones to stay healthy

    News -

    An innovative partnership to improve wellbeing launched yesterday.

  10. Women at the Islington Bangladesh Association are using their smartphones to stay healthy

    News -

    Women who participated in the Log On project told us what they have learned.

  11. Community feedback on Personal Health Budgets

    News -

    A Personal Health Budget allows patients with long term health conditions to take greater control of their healthcare and support.

  12. Local organisations publish joint report showing how their communities experience health services

    News -

    Diverse Communities Health Voice gathers the views of black and minority ethnic communities that don't speak English as a first language.

  13. Women from the Islington Somali Community are using their phones to support their wellbeing

    News -

    Women who participated in the Log On project tell us how their smartphones are helping them to feel connected.

  14. Seven things Deaf patients told us about GP services

    News -

    We held a focus group with Deaf patients in December 2108. We discussed GP services broadly. We also gathered views on urgent and same day services in particular.

  15. NHS funded social prescribing and navigation services are not reaching migrant communities in Islington

    News -

    Residents that don't have English as a first language are not using NHS commissioned social prescribing and navigation services. Community organisations are having to bridge this gap.

  16. Social prescribing in action: how Islington Bangladesh Association supports clients who struggle to access health and care services

    News -

    Social prescribing is a means by which people can be referred to non-clinical activities designed to support health and wellbeing.

  17. Social prescribing in action: helping refugees from East Africa and other Arabic speakers

    News -

    Social prescribing is a means by which people can be referred to non-clinical activities designed to support health and wellbeing.

  18. Community organisations are supporting their clients to be 'social prescription ready'

    News -

    Social prescribing is a means by which people can be referred to non-clinical activities designed to support health and wellbeing. But sometimes clients' basic needs must be satisfied before social prescribing can be effective.

  19. More mother tongue counselling services are needed to support migrant communities in Islington

    News -

    The coronavirus pandemic means that many of us are isolated from friends and family. Mental health support has never been more important. Our latest report investigates how well these services meet the needs of migrant communities in Islington.

  20. Local residents share their views on mental health support services

    News -

    In stressful times services that support our mental health are even more important. We spoke to residents from Islington's migrant communities to better understand their experiences.

  21. Healthwatch supports community organisations to go digital in the fight against coronavirus

    News -

    Healthwatch has been providing digital training and support to local voluntary organisations to help them to better support their volunteers and the communities they serve whilst social distancing measures are in place.

  22. Why are so few people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds taking part in Covid vaccine trials?

    News -

    The biomedical research team from University College Hospital wants to better understand the reasons why BME people are underrepresented in vaccine trials.

  23. Wide-reaching phone campaign from local organisations helps residents stay informed about covid

    News -

    We supported 680 residents from migrant communities with a range of issues related to the pandemic, and gave over 1600 people access to reliable information about coronavirus in their first language.

  24. Healthwatch volunteer wins prestigious local award

    News -

    Our congratulations go to David Mallory, who has been recognised as a champion among Digital Champions

  25. Community organisations work together to help residents make informed choices about the COVID-19 vaccine

    News -

    Our Diverse Communities partnership has been helping residents with disabilities or those that don't have English as a first language to get the answers they need.

  26. Healthwatch helps to drive forward a new borough-wide strategy to promote digital inclusion

    News -

    Last month we launched a report examining the issue of digital exclusion in the borough. We're happy to say we'll now be working with Islington Council to help them co-produce a new digital inclusion strategy.

  27. Top tips for staying safe on the internet

    News -

    To celebrate Get Online Week our volunteer digital champions and digital partners share their favourite tips for staying safe online.

  28. Healthwatch Islington is recruiting new board members

    News -

    We're seeking participation from people from Black and Asian backgrounds. We are also looking for people who may have experience as a family carer, or who use health services regularly.

  29. Healthwatch Islington wins prestigious national award

    News -

    Local health champion wins ‘Celebrating our volunteer team’ category in major national awards scheme.

  30. Making a difference in the community

    News -

    Healthwatch is working in partnership with Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust to make local health services more accessible.

  31. Starting up conversations about physical and mental health

    News -

    We've been going out into the community to support residents' mental and physical wellbeing.

  32. Islington residents give mostly positive feedback on cancer screening services

    News -

    We've spoken to people about screening services at our engagement events and collected views via an online survey.

  33. Residents appreciate support offered at Cost of Living event in Holloway

    News -

    Attendees were able to access help on a range support services as well as lunch being available for all.

  34. Over 200 local people share feedback on GP appointments with Healthwatch Islington

    News -

    We spoke to 212 residents from communities that experience health inequalities. Over half found the booking process difficult. Many struggled to get through by phone and it was hard to get a face-to-face appointment.

  35. Visibility is important in making LGBTQI+ residents feel welcome across services

    News -

    We listened to feedback from LGBTQI+ residents on a wide range of services including healthcare, social care, mental health support, and housing.

  36. Improving the messaging on GP phone lines and websites

    News -

    GP websites can be hard to navigate and present many barriers to patients who are not confident online. We've been working with residents and commissioners to make things better.

  37. How Healthwatch is helping increase uptake of cancer screening services

    News -

    In Islington, participation in bowel, breast, and cervical cancer screening programmes is below the national and the London average.

  38. Building partnerships

    News -

    Celebrating ten years of Healthwatch Islington

  39. Healthwatch celebrates ten years of work to improve health and care services in Islington

    News -

    Our tenth birthday celebration gave us the chance to say thank you to all the volunteers, partner organisations, and residents who have been key to our success.

  40. The work of our digital champions is commended at awards ceremony

    News -

    Our team of volunteer digital champions have been recognised again for the fantastic job they do.

  41. What are your expectations for your annual health review?

    News -

    We asked over 500 residents with long-term health conditions what they wanted from their yearly check-ups

  42. Islington residents share feedback on how their health conditions affect their activity levels

    News -

    We asked over 500 residents with long-term conditions about their patterns of physical activity and exercise and how this was affected by their health.

  43. Conversations with GPs can give patients with health conditions confidence to increase physical exercise

    News -

    Residents with long-term health conditions tell us that the opportunity to speak directly to a health professional can give them the confidence they need to increase their levels of physical activity safely.

  44. Supporting the uptake of cervical screening within our Somali and Turkish speaking communities

    News -

    Somali and Turkish women have a higher refusal rate for cervical screening than the Islington average. Our project has enabled women to have one-to-one conversations about screening with cancer champions in their first language.