News and reports

Healthwatch East Sussex (HWES) has today published a report summarising the experiences we heard and the common issues and barriers affecting access to health and care services for asylum seekers in Eastbourne.

Each quarter we draw together public and patient experiences of health and care shared with us via enquiries to our Information & Signposting service, reviews on our Feedback Centre, public events and through our community and professional networks.

This document is a summary of the things we have heard about health and care, the issues we are monitoring and the actions we are taking.

We are delighted to share ‘Together we’re making health and social care better’, our Annual Report for 2022-23.

It highlights how we have listened to the voices of the public, patients and partners and used people’s feedback, experiences and preferences to help shape health and social care in East Sussex, and across Sussex.

In 2022-23, our Information and Signposting service responded to 467 enquiries and supported the public, patients and others to access, navigate and feedback on services.

Our Feedback Centre received 145 reviews from people sharing their experiences of health and care.

NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board (ICB) commissioned Healthwatch East Sussex (HWES) to carry out a pilot project to obtain feedback from residents in care homes about their access to healthcare and support services, with a particular emphasis on the Enhanced Health in Care Home scheme. This summary report identifies the key findings, recommendations and next steps.

Healthwatch East Sussex (HWES) has published the findings from its research into Putting a Face to Unmet Need, a new report on the unmet health and care needs of East Sussex residents. The report calls for better communication between local health and care services to provide a more integrated and holistic experience for service users.

Each quarter we collate and analyse what we have heard from the public and patients about health and care services.

Our quarterly report provides an overview of the enquiries that we have received via our Information & Signposting service, as well as the reviews that have been left on our Feedback Centre.

In January 2023, the three Sussex Healthwatch undertook a short poll to gather people's recent experiences of accessing NHS dentistry.

60% of patients we heard from told Healthwatch they are not confident about their ability to access NHS dental services over the next 12 months

The Healthwatch East Sussex Information and Signposting (I&S) Service helps people to access the right health or social care service or organisation for their needs.

Each month we feedback on the themes and issues people have contacted us about.

Healthwatch East Sussex (HWES) today publishes a new report on the experiences of homeless people living in Emergency and Temporary Accommodation (ETA) in Eastbourne.

We engaged with individuals and families living at an ETA site in Eastbourne for homeless people deemed eligible for housing by local authorities. We asked about their experiences of the accommodation, the support they received and accessed, and their access to health and care services.

Healthwatch East Sussex (HWES) today publishes a new report on the experiences of homeless people living in Emergency and Temporary Accommodation (ETA) in Eastbourne.

We engaged with individuals and families living at an ETA site in Eastbourne for homeless people deemed eligible for housing by local authorities. We asked about their experiences of the accommodation, the support they received and accessed, and their access to health and care services.

Long COVID is a legacy of the COVID virus for many people in Sussex, impacting on their day-to-day lives, as well as their physical and mental wellbeing.

To raise awareness of long COVID and the services available to support residents, as well as people’s preferences for assistance, the three local Healthwatch undertook a public survey during August and September 2022.