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

    News -

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

    News -

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

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

    News -

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

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

    News -

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

  5. Seven things Deaf patients told us about GP services

    News -

    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.

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

    News -

    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.

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

    News -

    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.

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

    News -

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

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

    News -

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

  10. 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.

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

    News -

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

  12. Share your experiences of seeing a GP

    News -

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

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

    News -

    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.

  14. Your questions about community physiotherapy answered

    News -

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

  15. 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.

  16. Improving access to GP services

    News -

    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.

  17. 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.

  18. Your questions about cervical screening answered

    News -

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

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

    News -

    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.

  20. 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.

  21. Recorded information on GP phone lines

    News -

    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.

  22. 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.

  23. 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.

  24. 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.

  25. 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.

  26. 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.

  27. If I could change just one thing about health and care, this is what it would be

    News -

    Local people share their key concerns about health and care services today

  28. 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.

  29. What are your expectations for your annual health review?

    News -

    We asked over 500 residents with long-term health conditions what they wanted from their yearly check-ups