1. We take your views to Parliament

    News -

    Last week, we travelled to London to join forces with more than 100 fellow local Healthwatch organisations at our annual parliamentary reception.

  2. Dentists : The Tooth Be Told

    Report -

    In 2016 we spoke to 44 people about their experience of going to the dentist.

    In 2017 we wanted to find out what had changed as a result.

  3. Getting NHS Dental care

    Advice and Information -

    What is available on the NHS? What do you have to pay for? How much is it going to cost? These are some of the questions you have asked that our leaflet has the answers to. 

  4. New Emergency Dental Care now available

    News -

    New Urgent Dental Care Centres are being opened to provide emergency dental treatment during the Coronavirus pandemic.

  5. Do you use translation or interpreter services when you go to an NHS appointment?

    News -

    The NHS wants to hear about your experience of using translation or interpreter services when you visit the dentist, pharmacy or optician.

  6. How to get an NHS dentist appointment during COVID-19

    Advice and Information -

    We’ve heard from hundreds of people since the pandemic started with questions about how to get a dentist appointment or emergency dental care.

    Here are some of the answers.

  7. Spotlight on dental services

    Report -

    Since the start of the pandemic, we have had a constant stream of feedback about NHS dental services.

  8. Brushing our teeth – what’s it all about?

    Advice and Information -

    It’s all about stopping plaque and tartar build up on our teeth.

  9. Twin crisis of access and affordability calls for radical rethink of NHS dentistry

    News -

    Healthwatch England warns dental crisis shows no signs of slowing, with four in five people, 80%, struggling to access timely care during the last lockdown.

  10. Are you struggling to get an NHS dentist?

    News -

    You are not alone! More people than ever before have been in touch this month to share their story about finding an NHS dentist and ask for information.

  11. NHS dentistry: We're calling for the Government to invest

    News -

    We have co-signed an open letter addressed to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak calling for a recovery plan for NHS dentistry.

  12. We're helping people every day

    News -

    Every month, we give support, information and signposting to nearly 2,000 people.

    Every day, we help individual people. This month we helped someone who needed a dental check up before they could start medical treatment.

  13. £6.8million to help tackle the lack of dentist appointments

    News -

    The NHS has today announced emergency funding to help create hundreds of new dentist appointments.

  14. What difference have we made this month?

    News -

    A highlight this month has been helping a young pregnant woman, who was homeless, to get the dental care that she needed.

  15. How does the NHS dental system really work?

    Advice and Information -

    We get more calls about dentistry than anything else. The dental system is complicated so we've chatted to Tim Hogan, a dentist himself and Chair of the Kent & Medway Local Dental Committee to understand more.

  16. Helping people to get dental care

    Report -

    Read how we have helped people to get the dental care that they need

  17. Lack of NHS dental appointments widens health inequalities

    News -

    A new survey of public attitudes to NHS dentistry shows half of adults in the South East find dental charges unfair amid escalating costs of living. 45% of people in the South East told us they struggle to get an NHS dental appointment.

  18. NHS acts on your feedback to improve dental care

    News -

    Hundreds of you have been in touch to tell us your story about NHS dentists. We've been raising your concerns and now the NHS are making changes.

  19. What people have told us about dentistry

    Report -

    This report summarises the feedback received from people via Healthwatch Kent, Healthwatch Medway and Kent and Medway Voice about their experiences of primary care dentistry from November 2022 to April 2023. This includes 34 separate pieces of feedback.

  20. Primary care work

    News -

    In May, Healthwatch England shared their initial response to the Government's Primary Care recovery plan and what it would mean for you and your loved ones.

  21. Our impact in dentistry

    News -

    In June we released out Annual report, which you can download at the bottom of this page. It shows the various ways Healthwatch continues its efforts to ensure the public experience is heard.

  22. 10 top tips to get the most out of your dental appointment

    Advice and Information -

    Everyone should be able to access good quality NHS dental services. Take a look at our top tips to help you get the most out of your next dental appointment.

  23. Meet the people using their voice to make a difference to care of others

    News -

    Five people and groups have been shortlisted for a national award that celebrates local people who, through their dedication, have helped improve health and care for their community.

  24. Spotlight on Gypsy & Traveller communities

    Report -

    Kent has one of the highest populations of Travellers in the UK.

    At Healthwatch Kent we regularly visit Traveller sites to hear directly from the community about the issues they face about health and social care services.

  25. Older People's Forums to get involved in

    Advice and Information -

    Every District in Kent has an established Older Peoples’ Forum and together they have reached thousands of older people in the past year offering information, practical support, advice and friendship.

  26. Focus on Hidden Carers

    Report -

    What's it like being a carer and how much support are you getting? We wanted to make sure people knew what it was like to be a carer in Kent.

  27. We hosted Sir Robert Francis QC

    News -

    Sir Robert became a household name back on 2012 when he lead the independent review into the Mid Staffordshire Hospital scandal.

  28. Safeguarding: How to recognise abuse and neglect

    Advice and Information -

    There are different kinds of abuse and it can happen anywhere. Abuse occurs when someone exploits another person or treats them in a way that harms or hurts them. It can happen once or on multiple occasions.

  29. We are winners!!!

    News -

    We have been recognised as highly commended in the Championing Diversity & Inclusion category at the 2019 Healthwatch Network Awards last night.

  30. All adults with learning disabilities are now being offered the vaccine

    News -

    All adults with learning difficulties are to be offered the Covid vaccine as part of the priority groups.

  31. If you're D/deaf and use East Kent Hospitals, we can help you to get an interpreter

    News -

    D/deaf patients are now being offered a free card that clearly indicates that they need a British Sign Language interpreter when they have an appointment at East Kent hospitals. Get in touch if you want yours.

  32. “I can't ignore the feeling of pride that I enjoy volunteering within this excellent team.”

    News -

    This week we are celebrating!

  33. Help the Non Emergency Patient Transport Service to be better

    News -

    If you need help to attend an NHS appointment, you may have used the Non Emergency Patient Transport Service to help you get there.
    This is a free transport service that is available to some, but not all, patients based on their eligibility.

  34. Giving the Trans & Non-binary community in Kent a voice

    Report -

    For six months we have been working with the Trans & Non-binary community here in Kent listening to their experiences and exploring what could be changed to support them better.

  35. Spotlight on reducing digital exclusion

    Report -

    Many organisations in Kent are working hard to tackle the inequality caused by our increasing reliance on technology. We decided to review one of these projects to see what difference it is really making to people.

  36. Kent NHS trusts not consistently meeting the legal rights of deaf and blind patients to accessible information

    News -

    Local NHS trusts are only partially meeting their legal duty to help people with additional communication needs, new findings show.

  37. Making it easier for people with learning difficulties to attend hospital appointments in East Kent

    Report -

    We've been working with East Kent Hospitals for several years now helping them to make it easier for people with learning difficulties to attend a hospital appointment. Check out what's changed as a result.

  38. Needing the NHS while out at sea

    Report -

    Being a fisherman is a tough job. It's dangerous with long hours and in difficult conditions. They also work unsociable hours making it hard for fishermen to use public services.

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

    Advice and Information -

    When people arrive in the UK for the first time, it can be confusing to know where to go if you need medical help. Here we outline your rights as a refugee, where you can access emergency help and how to register for a GP.

  40. Changes to the way homeless people are supported in Kent

    News -

    Kent County Council has recently agreed its budget for 2022/23. It’s been well known that the Council needs to make significant savings this year and that they would have to make tough decisions and one of those is about the homeless service.

  41. We're going to Rise. Are you?

    News -

    We'll be celebrating inclusion for everyone at the Rise Expo on June 22nd. Come and join us!

  42. Helping people who are homeless to see a GP

    News -

    Every day people contact us because they are unable to register with a GP in Kent.

  43. Helping Jane to get a housing review

    News -

    When Jane contacted us, she didn't know what else to do. Her health was getting worse, and she needed a review of her housing.

  44. The needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities are not being met in Kent

    News -

    Inspectors from Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission have published a report which states that the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities are not being met.

  45. Listening to families of children with disabilities

    Report -

    It's estimated that 6% of people living in Kent are young people who have a disability. Most of them will have experience of using multiple health and social care services.

  46. Evidencing the impact of reducing health inequalities

    Report -

    We know that many many people aren't aware that they may have high blood pressure which could cause a heart attack or a stroke. Read our analysis about a new idea that has been helping people in Medway to mange their own blood pressure.

  47. Supporting joined up and equal social and health care provision and access

    News -

    Healthwatch Kent works to improve the experience of being a Kent resident regarding social needs, health and wellbeing. To do this we support the Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) which are the NHS organisation form that replaced Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in 2022.

  48. What have we heard at "Big day out event"?

    Report -

    Healthwatch Kent were honoured to be a part of BeYou’s ‘Big Day Out’ event in Maidstone last year.

  49. The Accessible Information Standard - What you can expect from services

    Advice and Information -

    A year ago the Accessible Information Standard came into force. It requires any organisation providing NHS or social care to communicate in a way that everybody can understand. Here's a reminder of what you should expect.