Healthwatch East Sussex Quarter 1 Report – April to June 2026

This report summarises the activity, publications and impact delivered by Healthwatch East Sussex last quarter.
 

Highlights from quarter 1

• 999 weekend 
  At the end of May, we spoke to 174 individuals as part of the Eastbourne 999 weekend. We heard from a range of people about their experiences of health and care services including GPs, dentistry, pharmacy, audiology, adult social care and mental health services, amongst others.
• Prescription Pre-payment Certificate mystery shopping 
  In early June, we visited 19 pharmacies across Eastbourne to ask about the sale of prescription prepayment certificates. Most pharmacies advised patients about how to purchase certificates online, but two pharmacies supported people to buy certificates with cash. We shared this with relevant partners.
• Funding awarded for work with armed forces veterans 
  In June we were successful in our application to the Community Knowledge Fund for work engaging with local veterans. We will use conversational and participatory approaches to explore veterans’ experiences of accessing primary care and identifying how services can better meet their needs.
• Volunteers’ Week 
  During June we celebrated Volunteers’ Week – an opportunity to recognise and thank our volunteers for their support and contributions to the work of Healthwatch East Sussex. As part of this, we visited Herstmonceux Castle with some of our volunteers for tea, cake and a walk around the gardens.
• Stakeholder survey 
  In April, we heard from colleagues in other organisations about their experiences of working with us. We were pleased to receive positive feedback across the health sector, local authority, and voluntary and community sector. Colleagues highlighted our professionalism and integrity in representing community voices, and fed back that our team is collaborative, knowledgeable and reliable.
  
  

Who we share our report with

Our quarterly report will be shared with Healthwatch England, East Sussex County Council as the commissioners of the local Healthwatch service, and with a range of our statutory and voluntary sector partners across East Sussex.

Electronic copies of the report are available via the link below.