1. Healthwatch celebrates the return of face-to-face digital support sessions

    Blog -

    It's been a big week for our digital support programme and our wider work to promote digital inclusion. Philippa Russell, our Community Link Worker, shares her thoughts.

  2. 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.

  3. We respond to the NHS England consultation on the eligibility criteria for non-emergency patient transport

    Response -

    We continue to hear reports from residents that the Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service doesn’t work well for them. Lack of clarity in the wording of eligibility criteria creates ambiguity, confusion, and unfairness.

  4. Healthwatch Islington response to NHS England consultation on non-emergency patient transport

    Report -

    We respond to the NHS England and NHS Improvement survey on the updated eligibility criteria for non-emergency patient transport.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. Healthwatch Islington wins prestigious national award

    News -

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

  8. Arachne Greek Cypriot Women's Group

    Report -

    Healthwatch carried out an independent evaluation of 'Building and sustaining bridges of inclusion', Arachne's Lottery-funded advice and information project

  9. Manor Gardens Welfare Trust

    Report -

    Healthwatch was commissioned by Manor Gardens Welfare Trust to provide an independent evaluation of the 'Bright Beginnings' Project.

  10. Centre 404

    Report -

    Local funder Cloudesley recommended Healthwatch Islington to Centre 404 as an independent evaluator for their Supporting Families Service.

  11. Maya Centre

    Report -

    We evaluated the experience of offering and accessing counselling support remotely, from the perspective of Maya Centre staff, and service users.

  12. North Central London Fertility Services Review

    Response -

    Healthwatch Islington is pleased that the new fertility policy for North Central London will follow the guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

  13. Let's Talk Inequality

    Response -

    Islington is a borough of stark inequalities. We want to see services and support designed around the needs of those residents experiencing this inequality.

  14. Let's Talk Inequality - Healthwatch response

    Report -

    Healthwatch responds to the Islington Council's call for evidence, sharing examples of inequality that we have come across in our recent work.

  15. What medical support are you entitled to if you’re new to the UK?

    Advice and Information -

    For new arrivals to the UK it can be confusing where to go if you need medical assistance. Here we outline your rights as a refugee, where you can access emergency help and how to register for a GP.

  16. Hearing conditions and hearing loss

    Advice and Information -

    12 million people in the UK have hearing loss, around 4.4million are of working age.

  17. Experiences of accessing a GP since the pandemic

    Report -

    Our online survey explored how local people's experiences of accessing a GP have changed since the pandemic

  18. 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.

  19. Our annual report 2021-2022

    Report -

    We engaged with over 2,200 residents, providing information, digital support, and gathering views on accessing health and care services, experiences of Long Covid, and the wider impact of the pandemic.

  20. Nafsiyat: Intercultural Therapeutic Support: An Evaluation

    Report -

    Nafsiyat is a charity offering intercultural therapy in over 20 languages to people from diverse cultural communities. They asked us to evaluate their Intercultural Therapy Service for Bengali and Sylheti speakers.

  21. Mystery shopping the accessibility of Islington pharmacies

    Report -

    Healthwatch Islington volunteers and staff visited 40 Islington pharmacies. The aim of these visits was to observe the physical space of the pharmacy and comment on its accessibility.

  22. Challenging Inequalities Self-Assessment Toolkit

    Report -

    Progressing Equality Through Mental Health Commissioning and Mental Health Service Delivery

  23. Starting up conversations about physical and mental health

    News -

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

  24. 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.

  25. Our advice and information service will go the extra mile for more vulnerable residents

    Blog -

    Our advice and information worker wrote nearly 30 emails and made over 40 phone calls to get Paul the support to which he was entitled.

  26. 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.

  27. Residents from communities experiencing health inequalities share feedback on health services

    Report -

    We asked people about their experiences of seeing a GP, using pharmacy services and getting treatment for Long Covid.

  28. 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.

  29. 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.

  30. Learn about the new commissioning structures in health and care

    Advice and Information -

    Following several years of locally-led development, Integrated Care Systems were established across England on a statutory basis on 1 July 2022

  31. The experiences of LGBTQI+ residents when accessing Islington services including health, care and housing

    Report -

    LGBTQI+ residents shared their experiences of accessing health, mental health, social care, and housing services.

  32. 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.

  33. Residents from communities experiencing health inequalities share feedback on cancer screening services

    Report -

    We asked people about their experiences of cervical screening, bowel cancer screening, and breast screening services.

  34. Feedback on smoking cessation and pulmonary rehabilitation services in Islington

    Report -

    We spoke to 98 smokers and ex-smokers from communities experiencing health inequalities.

  35. 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.

  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. Summary of analysis of Islington General Practice websites

    Report -

    Our analysis of GP websites in January 2023

  38. 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.

  39. Celebrating the work of Healthwatch with diverse communities.

    Blog -

    Yussuf Ahmed is the Coordinator at Islington Somali Community, an organisation belonging to our Diverse Communities Health Voice partnership. In this guest blog, Yussuf talks about the benefits of the collaboration.

  40. Our annual report 2022-2023

    Report -

    It's been a great year of growth for Healthwatch Islington. We are the independent champion for people who use health and social care services in the borough.

  41. How to access mental health support if you have gender, sexuality or relationship diversity

    Advice and Information -

    Mental health problems are more common among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA+) people. If you are struggling, feel alone or need a little help, then check out our guide on how you can get the support you need.

  42. Building partnerships

    News -

    Celebrating ten years of Healthwatch Islington

  43. 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.

  44. Questions and Answers on Cervical Screening

    Advice and Information -

    We hosted an information session led by Nyamka Marsh, Islington Lead Nurse & Nurse Hub Manager, Islington GP Federation.

  45. 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.

  46. Our one-to-one digital support programme is coming to an end

    Response -

    A challenging funding environment means we are no longer able to offer one-to-one support for digital beginners.