News and reports

East Sussex County Council have launched ‘What Matters To You: care, support and independence for adults in East Sussex’ is the brand new adult social care strategy for the county.

Our colleagues at Sussex Health and Care have shared the following advice for the public during upcoming industrial action. People are being urged to continue to support the NHS during the junior doctor strike by using the right health service to meet their needs, and help to ensure emergency care is available for those in most need.

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (ESHT) commissioned Young Healthwatch East Sussex (YHWES) to engage with young people (aged 11 to 19), living in foster care in East Sussex, to understand how ESHT could improve young people’s experiences of having a Review Health Assessment.

Our 2023 Annual Event ‘Your Voice Counts: Celebrating 10 years of Healthwatch’ was held at The View Hotel, Eastbourne in July 2023. It was great to see so many people in attendance, we were joined by members of the public and our colleagues from statutory and voluntary organisations.

NHS Sussex are currently running a survey for adults living with heart failure and those who care for them. They want to improve their heart failure services so that people can access high-quality care across the whole of Sussex.

In our June newsletter we ran a poll asking people to share their experiences of using NHS Digital Platforms, including NHS 111 Online, the NHS App, My Health and Care Record and eConsult. We heard from people who were not aware of these platforms, some who were aware but not used them and others that wanted further information about them.

The Brighton and Sussex Health Research Partnership (HRP), established in 2022 by Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), is an exciting initiative bringing together academic and National Health Service (NHS) partners across Sussex.

In May/June 2023, Healthwatch volunteers and staff reviewed a draft website for one of the three practices that make up Bexhill Primary Care Network [PCN].

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.

From Friday 29th September 2023, patients will no longer be able to order repeat prescriptions using the NHS Sussex Prescription Ordering (POD) telephone and text messaging service. NHS Sussex identified this follows a review of the availability of these services across the whole of Sussex and aims to ensure that this level of care is provided by the most appropriate service and to address duplication with many other prescription services.

Each year, IPSOS MORI the independent polling specialists, undertake a survey to find out how people feel about their GP practice, and the results of the GP Patient Survey for the last 12 months have recently been released.

A new report published today by MPs into dental care has called for urgent reform so more people can access an NHS dentist. The Health and Social Care Committee describes evidence of pain and distress due to being unable to see an NHS dentist as ‘totally unacceptable in the 21st century’.