News and reports

After recent media coverage we wrote to James Blythe, Managing Director at St Helier Hospital. He told us that patients deserve a better hospital environment, and that while they do everything they can to ensure patients get safe and effective care, this relies on workarounds which aren't sustainable.

Recent media reports have highlighted serious problems with the ageing buildings at St Helier Hospital. We've raised our concerns with hospital management and will be taking further action.

We know from feedback through our website and at community events that many people in Sutton still aren’t able to see an NHS dentist. We have recently been told by a local NHS manager that there are no dentists in Sutton accepting new NHS patients.

Access to NHS dentists is one of the issues – second only to access to GP services – that most concerns people about local health services. People are also concerned about the cost of dental treatment. Healthwatch Sutton is working with other Healthwatches in South West London and with local NHS bodies to highlight these problems and improve services.

Find out what happened at our board meeting.

Recent research has revealed serious problems in care for children’s mental health.

Junior doctors - hospital doctors who are not consultants - are on strike this week until 7am on Saturday. Local NHS leaders have shared advice about what you should do if you need hospital care.

Our trustees meet every two months to discuss our work.

Our trustees meet every two months to discuss our work.

New research from Healthwatch England suggests it can be hard for some people to get a referral from their GP to another NHS service. One in five people they spoke to with a GP referral for specialist care had bounced back to general practice. Healthwatch England are calling for more to be done to understand people’s experience of getting a referral.

The NHS has changed its structures. Healthcare was planned by borough-level CCGs. Now these have merged into larger ICSs - SW London Healthwatches are coordinating our work to match.

New government figures show alarmingly high numbers of people are experiencing moderate to severe depression. The high cost of living is a particular issue.

The continuing cost of living crisis is adversely affecting people's physical and mental wellbeing, with vulnerable people and those on lower incomes hit the hardest. This article by Healthwatch England provides some tips.