1. Meet Ibrahim

    Blog -

    Ibrahim is a student mental health nurse. He volunteers for Healthwatch as a Digital Champion.

  2. What is the future of adult social care?

    News -

    The social care system is under huge pressure. What does the future hold?

  3. GP services for Islington residents in residential care

    Report -

    We spoke to care home residents, next of kin, and staff about their experiences of GP services that are delivered in the care home setting.

  4. Care home visits

    Report -

    We visited Bridgeside Lodge Care Centre, Cheverton Lodge Care Home, The Highgate Nursing Home, and Muriel Street Resource Centre.

  5. Experiences of the Integrated Care Ageing Team Service

    Report -

    We carried out interviews with residents, relatives and staff in local care homes.

  6. Meaningful activities in care homes and nursing homes in Islington

    Report -

    Our Enter and View volunteers have visited six care homes and nursing homes across the borough. They spoke to residents, their carers and relatives, and to staff.

  7. We asked residents, relatives and staff what they thought about the activities offered in local care homes

    News -

    Our volunteers have visited six care homes and nursing homes across the borough. They spoke to residents, their carers and relatives, and to staff.

  8. Care homes: understanding your rights

    Advice and Information -

    Choosing a care home can be daunting and it's important to have the right information. Find out more about your rights and how to complain if you are not happy.

  9. What should you expect when it comes to care for your teeth?

    Advice and Information -

    Four questions staff should ask you or a loved one about your oral health if you’re a care home resident, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence quick guide.

  10. Local care home residents are well supported with their oral health

    News -

    Our volunteers visited six local care homes, speaking to residents, relatives and staff. We also met with the Oral Health Promotion Team from Whittington Health.

  11. Oral health in Islington care homes

    Report -

    We visited six homes, speaking to 46 residents, 24 relatives and 31 staff. We wanted to see how residents were supported with their oral health and whether there was any room for improvement.

  12. Our annual report 2019/20

    Report -

    Last year, we engaged with over 2300 residents. 650 people shared their stories about health and social care, and we made 25 recommendations to services about the improvements that people would like to see.

  13. COVID-19: What you need to know when visiting a care home

    Advice and Information -

    Take a look at what the latest guidance around visiting your loved ones in care homes means in practice.

  14. Islington care homes: experiences of accessing health services for residents

    Report -

    We asked care home managers about access to health services for their residents.

  15. Pharmacy services in Islington

    Report -

    We surveyed 117 local residents to see if they were aware of additional services available from local pharmacies

  16. Black and minority ethnic groups accessing services in Islington 2016/17

    Report -

    207 local residents gave us their views on pharmacy, lifestyle and well-being, A&E, interpreting services, and GP referrals.

  17. Emergency department, general practice, or pharmacy services?

    Report -

    A number of people use hospital emergency departments when they could be seen by a GP or in their local pharmacy. What factors influence how we decide where we need to be seen?

  18. Black and minority ethnic groups accessing services in Islington 2015/16

    Report -

    Local residents gave us their views on hospital appointments and patient choice, GP services, and keeping fit and healthy.

  19. Islington Patient Group November 2019 supporting materials

    Report -

    Find materials for this meeting of the Islington Patient Group.

  20. Should I see a pharmacist instead of a doctor?

    Advice and Information -

    Avoid the wait at the GP and know when to visit your pharmacist instead. Look at how your pharmacist can help you.

  21. 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.

  22. Winter Wellness fact sheet

    Report -

    Correct as of 26 January 2022

  23. 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.

  24. Find out about high blood pressure

    Advice and Information -

    One in five people in Islington have high blood pressure but only half know that they do. Left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to heart attack and stroke. The only way to find out whether you have high blood pressure is to get it measured.

  25. Spotlight on volunteering

    Blog -

    Jenni volunteers as a Health Champion. As Covid restrictions ease we are looking forward to getting back out into the community and speaking to local residents again.

  26. 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.

  27. 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.

  28. 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.

  29. Support for stopping smoking

    Advice and Information -

    Stop smoking services are free, friendly, and can massively boost your chances of quitting for good.

  30. Pharmacy services: discovering what's on offer in Islington

    Advice and Information -

    You might be surprised by the range of support that's available from your local pharmacy. Residents on low incomes who are classed as socially vulnerable can access free medicines for minor ailments.

  31. 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.

  32. 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.

  33. 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.

  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. How can you save money on your Hormone Replacement Therapy?

    Advice and Information -

    A new scheme could see women across England save hundreds of pounds yearly on their Hormone Replacement Therapy with a prepayment certificate.

  36. 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.

  37. 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.

  38. 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.

  39. 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.

  40. Raising awareness of hypertension in Islington

    Report -

    We helped over 1,300 people improve their understanding of hypertension.