Healthwatch in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

05/11/2025

💙 Today is National Stress Awareness Day 💙

Stress affects us all — but support and understanding can make a real difference.

Take a moment today to pause, breathe, and check in with yourself and those around you. 🌿

✅ Talk about how you’re feeling
✅ Take regular breaks and rest when you can
✅ Stay connected with friends, family, or colleagues
✅ Ask for help if things feel too much

It’s okay not to be okay.
If you’re finding things hard, help is out there — and talking is a great first step.

👉 Visit https://www.healthwatchcambridgeshire.co.uk/advice-and-information/2025-06-17/what-mental-health-support-available-children-and-young-people
to find information about local mental health support and share your experiences of getting help.
Your voice helps shape better care for everyone. 💬

05/11/2025

🌱 Free Wallet-Friendly Cookery Course!

Want to learn how to cook quick, healthy, and budget-friendly meals? 🍲🥦

Join the 5-week course at the Ferry Project Cookery School, Wisbech starting Thursday 6th November.

🕙 10am – 11:30am
📍 Ferry Project Cookery School, 10a–14 South Brink, Wisbech, PE13 1JQ

It’s completely FREE to take part!

👉 Sign up today by emailing alison.crouch@ferryproject.org.uk
or calling 01945 754080.

Let’s get cooking together! 👩‍🍳👨‍🍳

05/11/2025

💬 Join the Healthwatch Older People’s Partnership Board!

We’re looking for Independent Members who want to make a difference to health and social care for older people across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Are you passionate about improving services and making sure older people’s voices are heard? 👂

Here’s what you’ll do:
✅ Represent the experiences of older people in your community
✅ Work alongside the NHS, councils, and local organisations
✅ Help review services and suggest improvements

We welcome people who:
👵 Are aged 65+ or have experience supporting older people
💬 Can share ideas and listen to others
💪 Want to make a positive local impact

🕓 You’ll just need a few hours to spare every 3 months — no formal qualifications needed, just enthusiasm and commitment!

📧 To apply or find out more:
emma.leach@healthwatchcambspboro.co.uk

🌐 healthwatchcambridgeshire.co.uk/our-partnership-boards

📞 0330 355 1285

Help us shape better, fairer services for older people across our community 💚

04/11/2025

💜 Government to refresh the Women’s Health Strategy

In a welcome move, the government has announced that the Women’s Health Strategy will be refreshed and relaunched next year, drawing on public feedback from the
NHS consultation for the new 10 Year Plan.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

“Whether it’s being passed from one specialist to another for conditions like endometriosis or PCOS, the lack of proper pain relief during procedures, or unacceptable gynaecology waiting lists — it’s clear the system is failing women, and it shouldn’t be happening. Our renewed strategy will set out our longer-term vision so every woman gets the healthcare she deserves, when she needs it.”

At Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, we welcome this renewed focus. Healthwatch England research team has been analysing local Healthwatch evidence on women’s health since the original strategy launched in 2022 , and the findings show there is still much more to do.

Healthwatch England publish their insights in the New Year and share them with the government to ensure local women’s voices are heard.

📢 The government also announced that menopause questions will be added to the NHS Health Check, a positive step towards improving midlife health and awareness.

💬 Tell us: what changes would make women’s health care better in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough?
➡️ Share your experience:
https://www.healthwatchpeterborough.co.uk/tell-us-about-your-experiences-nhs-and-social-care-services
https://www.healthwatchcambridgeshire.co.uk/tell-us-about-your-experiences-nhs-and-social-care-services

04/11/2025

🏥 Continuing Healthcare: vital NHS-funded care, but still too hard to access

Continuing Healthcare (CHC) should provide free, NHS-funded support outside hospital for people with the highest health-related care needs.

But for too many people, the process to access it is complicated, inconsistent, and emotionally draining.

📊 The Nuffield Trust’s new report — and what Healthwatch heard locally — shows:
🔹 People often don’t know CHC exists until it’s too late
🔹 Where you live can affect whether you’re approved — a “postcode lottery”
🔹 The assessment process is complex, lengthy, and inconsistent
🔹 Appeals can be confusing, stressful, and slow
🔹 Families face huge emotional and financial strain

💬 “We won funding... but over a year later, we’ve not seen a penny.” — Story shared with Healthwatch Wirral

CHC should be simple: if your care needs are primarily health-related, the NHS should fund your support — just as it funds hospital care.

We’re calling for:
✅ Clearer national guidance and consistent decisions
✅ Better communication and compassion throughout the process
✅ Free, accessible support to help people understand and apply for CHC

No one should have to fight for care they are entitled to.

📄 Read the report here: https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/research/all-or-nothing-access-and-variation-in-nhs-continuing-health-care

03/11/2025

👨‍⚕️ Most men would attend testing if the NHS introduced a national prostate cancer screening programme, new Healthwatch research finds.

With one man diagnosed with prostate cancer every 15 minutes, it’s now the most common cancer in England, affecting 1 in 8 men, and 1 in 4 Black men.

Despite assumptions that men are reluctant to visit their GP, our new research shows the majority (79%) of men would attend screening if invited as part of a national programme.

💬 Our findings highlight:
🔹 81% of Black men said they’d take part – a vital insight for tackling health inequalities.
🔹 89% of men aged 65–74 said they’d attend, compared with 65% aged 18–24.
🔹 Men on lower incomes were less likely to attend, showing how financial barriers affect access to care.

Currently, there is no national screening programme for prostate cancer. Men without symptoms must request a PSA blood test from their GP – and experiences of being refused or discouraged vary widely.

Healthwatch England calling for:
1️⃣ Policymakers to consider men’s views alongside clinical evidence in decisions on a national screening programme.
2️⃣ Clear, consistent national guidance on PSA testing for men aged 50+.
3️⃣ Increased awareness of prostate cancer symptoms and risk factors.

Early diagnosis saves lives, and men have told us they want to be tested if given the chance.

03/11/2025

🎗️ Someone in the UK is diagnosed with cancer every 90 seconds.

Cancer remains one of the UK’s biggest health challenges , but people’s experiences can help improve how services work.

Prevention, early diagnosis, and timely treatment save lives. Yet many people face barriers to screening, long waits, or communication that isn’t accessible.

Speaking up about your care — good or bad — helps the NHS understand what’s working and where change is needed.

💬 Every story has the power to spark change.

🩺 Your voice can make the same difference.

Whether you’ve had quick, compassionate care or faced long waits and barriers to diagnosis, your feedback helps services learn and improve.

👉 Share your experience of cancer care:
https://www.healthwatchpeterborough.co.uk/tell-us-about-your-experiences-nhs-and-social-care-services
https://www.healthwatchcambridgeshire.co.uk/tell-us-about-your-experiences-nhs-and-social-care-services

Together, we can make sure everyone gets the support, access and compassion they deserve.

01/11/2025

📢 NHS England publishes new planning framework: “Delivering Change Together”

NHS England has today set out its new Medium Term Planning Framework (MTPF) , a three-year roadmap for how the NHS will plan, fund, and deliver services between 2026/27 and 2028/29.

The framework introduces new and ambitious targets, including:
✅ 90% of clinically urgent patients to be seen by a GP on the same day by March 2026 (subject to BMA agreement)
✅ 915,000 courses of NHS Talking Therapies and support for 73,500 people with mental health needs into employment
✅ Diagnostic waits over 6 weeks cut to 1% by 2028/29
✅ 95% of NHS appointments bookable through the NHS App by April 2026
✅ A 2% annual productivity improvement for Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and providers

It also confirms commitments already in progress, such as:
🔹 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments a year
🔹 92% of elective patients starting treatment within 18 weeks
🔹 Faster ambulance response times for serious incidents

For Healthwatch, this framework sets the direction for how services will be planned and delivered locally, including across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s ICB.

It’s vital that people’s voices, experiences and ideas shape how these priorities are delivered. We’ll be working closely with partners to make sure that happens.

💬 Share your experience of accessing NHS care:
https://www.healthwatchcambridgeshire.co.uk/tell-us-about-your-experiences-nhs-and-social-care-services
https://www.healthwatchpeterborough.co.uk/tell-us-about-your-experiences-nhs-and-social-care-services

Giving feedback, both good and bad, can help improve services.

31/10/2025

🎀 October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month 🎀

Every year, thousands of people are affected by breast cancer – but early detection saves lives.

✔️ Check your breasts regularly
✔️ Know the signs and symptoms
✔️ Book your screenings when invited

Let’s stand together to raise awareness, support those affected, and keep the conversation going. 💗

31/10/2025

🍷 Share your views on a new alcohol support tool!

Are you a mid-life woman (40–65)?
👉 Do you currently drink alcohol and have thought about cutting back?
👉 Or have you reduced your alcohol intake in the last 2 years?

Researchers at Oxford Brookes University are inviting women to take part in a confidential one-to-one session to share their thoughts on a new alcohol support tool – developed for, by, and with mid-life women.

✅ Open to women aged 40–65
✅ Confidential sessions
✅ No prior experience needed

📩 To take part, email: spacesproject@brookes.ac.uk

🔗 More info: https://sites.google.com/brookes.ac.uk/spaces/home

Your voice can help shape better support for women’s health and wellbeing 💜

30/10/2025

🧠 Faster dementia diagnosis through science and innovation

The Government has announced new plans to help more people receive a timely diagnosis of dementia, setting an ambitious goal that by 2029, over 92% of patients will be diagnosed within 18 weeks of referral, up from less than half today.

Backed by £5 million in new funding, researchers and innovators are exploring technologies such as:
🔹 Blood or saliva tests to detect early signs of dementia
🔹 AI-powered daily assistants to support memory and independence
🔹 Smartphone and digital tools for earlier, more accurate assessments

With over 1 million people in the UK currently living with dementia, this work could transform how people are diagnosed and supported, improving quality of life and reducing pressure on the NHS.

The announcement was made by Science Minister Lord Vallance and Health Minister Dr Zubir Ahmed during a visit to the UK Dementia Research Institute in Cambridge.

“Early diagnosis means people and families can plan, access the right care sooner, and live well for longer,” said Jess Slater, Chief Executive of Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
“We know how distressing long waits for assessment can be. Innovation in testing and diagnosis must go hand-in-hand with clear information, local support and person-centred care.”

📄 Read more: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-science-innovation-and-technology
💬 Tell us about your experience of dementia diagnosis or support:
https://www.healthwatchpeterborough.co.uk/tell-us-about-your-experiences-nhs-and-social-care-services
https://www.healthwatchcambridgeshire.co.uk/tell-us-about-your-experiences-nhs-and-social-care-services