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

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    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.

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

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    An innovative partnership to improve wellbeing launched yesterday.

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

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

  4. Community feedback on Personal Health Budgets

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

  5. The walk in service at Ritchie Street gets good reviews from patients

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    We interviewed 48 patients using the walk in service at the Ritchie Street Health Centre.

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

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

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

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

  8. Seven things Deaf patients told us about GP services

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    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.

  9. Talking to even more patients at the walk in centre on Ritchie Street

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    The Health and Care Scrutiny Committee asked for more information on how changes to the way urgent appointments are accessed would affect patients currently using the walk in centre.

  10. People with learning disabilities give their views on emergency care

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    Whittington Health is planning how best to deliver services in the future. To help with this, they asked us to speak to local residents about a range of issues.

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

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    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.

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

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

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

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

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

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    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.

  15. Our new programme of smartphone and tablet training kicks off on 9 December

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    How long does it take to book a GP appointment on a smartphone? It's easier than you think.

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

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    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.

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

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    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.

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

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    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.

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

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

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

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    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.

  21. What will the 'new normal' look like for general practice in Islington?

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    Are the changes to services we’ve seen over the past nine months going to be here to stay?

  22. Healthwatch volunteer wins prestigious local award

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

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

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    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.

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

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    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.

  25. Is the NHS sharing your data? What you need to know

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    Find out more about how and why your NHS data is shared.

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

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    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. Share your experiences of seeing a GP

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    How easy have you found it to speak to a GP, or to access support from your practice?

  28. Top tips for staying safe on the internet

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

  29. Healthwatch Islington is recruiting new board members

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    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.

  30. Healthwatch Islington wins prestigious national award

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

  31. Healthwatch hears from care home managers about services supporting the health of their residents

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    As we come out of the pandemic, we asked care home managers how easy it was to get support for their residents from GPs, dentists, opticians, community health, and hospital transport services.

  32. Your questions about community physiotherapy answered

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    Speakers from Whittington Health Community Services and the Islington GP Federation answered questions about community-based physio services in Islington.

  33. Making a difference in the community

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

  34. Improving access to GP services

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    Thanks to people sharing their experiences of GP appointments with us, we’ve been able to help local commissioners draw up an action plan to make GP services easier to access for all our residents.

  35. Healthwatch hypertension information campaign kicks off in style

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    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.

  36. Your questions about cervical screening answered

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    At our information event in August, Islington GP Dr Jennifer Rea talked to us about the importance of cervical screening and answered your questions.

  37. Starting up conversations about physical and mental health

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

  38. The contract to deliver medical services at Hanley Primary Care Centre will not be renewed with the current provider

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    Healthwatch Islington's Chief Executive, Emma Whitby, observed the meeting at which the decision was taken and was impressed by the robustness of the process.

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

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

  40. Recorded information on GP phone lines

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    Our volunteers rang local GP practices as though they were booking an appointment. We wanted to find out how much recorded information they had to listen to and whether the content was up to date.

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

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

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

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    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.

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

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    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.

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

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