Healthwatch Hertfordshire

Healthwatch Hertfordshire We are Hertfordshire's independent health and social care champion. We’re Hertfordshire's independent health and social care champion.

We make sure NHS leaders and other decision-makers hear your voice and use your feedback to improve care. If you use GPs and hospitals, dentists, pharmacies, care homes or other support services, we want to hear from you. We listen to your needs, experiences and concerns about local health and social care services, so we can speak out on your behalf. We gather your feedback through high-quality research and engagement and by inviting you to share your experiences. Our aim is to get services right for the future and ensure your worries and concerns about current services are addressed. We want to make sure those in charge put you at the heart of care and, if local needs are not being met, we have statutory powers to hold the system to account. We can also help if you have a question about health or social care services, but aren’t sure where to go to find the answer. Our experienced signposting team can help – whether you need to know how to make a complaint, how to access a service, or would like to give feedback. You can be confident that we are entirely independent and impartial and anything you share with us is confidential. We can only do our job with your help.

Adults with autism in Hertfordshire told us it was difficult finding help or support after their diagnosis."I had to fin...
19/01/2026

Adults with autism in Hertfordshire told us it was difficult finding help or support after their diagnosis.
"I had to find almost everything myself through online research, social media, or word of mouth. There was no joined-up pathway, no follow-up after diagnosis, and no one to guide me through what support was available.”
Find out more in our latest Report: https://buff.ly/OxBrzdG

Hertfordshire County Council
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Carers in Hertfordshire
Autism Bedfordshire
National Autistic Society
SPACE Hertfordshire
Healthwatch England

19/01/2026

It's Cervical Cancer Prevention Week! All week we will be sharing information on HPV and the role of the HPV vaccination and cervical screening in cancer prevention.

Every day in the UK, two women and people with a cervix lose their lives to cervical cancer and nine more receive a life-changing diagnosis. We have a real opportunity to change this.

Cervical cancer is almost wholly preventable, and the government and NHS England have launched their plan to eliminate it by 2024. To get us to our goal of cervical cancer elimination, three key things are needed:
-9 in 10 girls vaccinated as part of the schools’ HPV vaccination programme or catch-up programme
-7 in 10 women and people with a cervix screened as part of the cervical screening programme
-9 in 10 women and people with a cervix who have precancerous cell changes, or cancer, identified and treated.

Yet, HPV vaccination and cervical screening uptake is still well below what is needed to reach our goal of eliminating cervical cancer.

Our survey (YouGov) found that around 3 in 4 people said they would be willing to get a vaccination to help reduce the risk of six types of cancer if they were eligible. Yet only 1 in 2 said they would get the HPV vaccination, which does help to reduce the risk of six types of cancer.

Out of the people we surveyed between 18-24 year olds, many of which will be eligible for the HPV vaccination as part of the catch-up programme, 4 in 5 said they would be willing to get a vaccination if it helped reduce the risk of six cancers.

Only 1 in 2 people we surveyed were aware that cervical cancer can be caused by HPV.

Awareness was even lower for the other five cancers – around 1 in 3 were aware HPV could cause vulval and vaginal cancers. Around 1 in 5 people were aware HPV could cause a**l and pe**le cancers. Just 8 in 100 people are aware HPV could cause head and neck cancers.

Keep an eye on our socials through the week for more information.

Find out more on our blog: https://bit.ly/49Elhbj

You can also find information on HPV, HPV vaccination and cervical screening on our website: eveappeal.org.uk/ccpw

You can also speak to our Ask Eve nurses for free and confidential information and support on nurse@eveappeal.org.uk or 0808 802 0019.

We have asked those who help autistic adults to prioritise diagnosis, referrals and improve post-diagnostic support.Peo...
18/01/2026

We have asked those who help autistic adults to prioritise diagnosis, referrals and improve post-diagnostic support.
People told us that a single point of contact for any questions or concerns following their diagnosis would be really helpful.
Find out what else we have suggested in our latest Report: https://buff.ly/OxBrzdG

Hertfordshire County Council
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Carers in Hertfordshire
Autism Bedfordshire
National Autistic Society
SPACE Hertfordshire
Healthwatch England

🔗 Take part in our community pharmacy survey here: https://buff.ly/wv1s6ILWe’re exploring what local people think about ...
17/01/2026

🔗 Take part in our community pharmacy survey here: https://buff.ly/wv1s6IL

We’re exploring what local people think about community pharmacies in Hertfordshire — and we want to hear from you! 🗣️

Tell us about your experiences:
💊 How do you use your pharmacy?
💬 Do you know about services like Pharmacy First?
🙋♀️ How confident do you feel using pharmacy services?
🚪 What barriers make it harder to access them?

Your views will help shape the future of community pharmacy across our county.
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and share this post to help us reach more people.

Some autistic adults have carers or loved ones who help them manage and coordinate support between different services. T...
16/01/2026

Some autistic adults have carers or loved ones who help them manage and coordinate support between different services.
These carers told us they were worried about the future if they were unable to continue helping.
You can read more in our latest Report here: https://buff.ly/MtpWVcJ

Hertfordshire County Council
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Carers in Hertfordshire
Autism Bedfordshire
National Autistic Society
SPACE Hertfordshire
Healthwatch England

We asked people in Hertfordshire about being diagnosed with Autism in adulthood. Many told us they had waited years for ...
15/01/2026

We asked people in Hertfordshire about being diagnosed with Autism in adulthood.
Many told us they had waited years for their diagnosis, but then didn't receive any information, resources or referrals when they asked for support afterwards.
You can read more in our latest Report here: https://buff.ly/MtpWVcJ

Hertfordshire County Council
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Carers in Hertfordshire
Autism Bedfordshire
National Autistic Society
SPACE Hertfordshire
Healthwatch England

We talked to people about receiving an autism diagnosis in adulthood. They told us that while getting a diagnosis was va...
14/01/2026

We talked to people about receiving an autism diagnosis in adulthood.
They told us that while getting a diagnosis was validating, finding support afterwards was a whole new struggle.
You can read our latest Report here: https://buff.ly/PU1ZC93

Hertfordshire County Council
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Carers in Hertfordshire
Autism Bedfordshire
National Autistic Society
SPACE Hertfordshire
Healthwatch England

Children and young people's health is being affected by poor living conditions in temporary care. Yet their lived experi...
14/01/2026

Children and young people's health is being affected by poor living conditions in temporary care.

Yet their lived experience is little understood. This needs to change.

At Healthwatch Hertfordshire, we have listened to families and young people to understand how poor living conditions are affecting their lives.

One of the case studies we’ve gathered highlights the experience of a refugee family living in temporary accommodation, where poor housing conditions and inadequate food provision are contributing to worsening health for a young child, aggravating their asthma and leading to repeated illness.

👉 This case study builds on our 'lost in the system' report which we published in 2025: https://buff.ly/rvv95k1.

No child should experience worsening health because of where they are forced to live.
Children’s voices must be heard — and acted on.

A public consultation to discuss the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre has been announced. Full details of the consultation, in...
12/01/2026

A public consultation to discuss the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre has been announced. Full details of the consultation, including documents and events, will be available from 19 January 2026 at: www.mvccreview.nhs.uk

The future for cancer care in the East of England has taken a step forward – with proposals to relocate Mount Vernon Cancer Centre to a new world class facility at Watford General Hospital set for public consultation.

The public consultation will run from 19 January to 29 March 2026 - inviting patients, staff, key stakeholders and the public to share views on proposals to relocate the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre to a new, purpose-built facility next to Watford General.

Find out more here: bit.ly/4aNjjrv

🔗 Have your say on community pharmacies: https://buff.ly/yzv7qo1Do you use your local pharmacy for advice or support? Do...
10/01/2026

🔗 Have your say on community pharmacies: https://buff.ly/yzv7qo1

Do you use your local pharmacy for advice or support? Do you know about the extra services they offer? We’d love to hear from you! 💬

We’re exploring public perceptions of community pharmacies — what’s working well, and what could be better.
💊 How do you use your pharmacy?
💬 Are you aware of Pharmacy First?
🙋♀️ How confident are you using pharmacy services?
🚪 Are there any barriers that stop you from visiting?

Your feedback will help shape the future of pharmacy services in Hertfordshire.
Please complete our short survey and share this post to help spread the word!

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Who We Are

Helping service users and communities Healthwatch helps people to find information about local health and social care services. We promote patient involvement and choice, and point people in the right direction when something goes wrong. We also have a role to promote the involvement of Hertfordshire’s communities in improving and developing services. Helping those who commission and deliver services We help commissioners to plan and design services making sure that the views, experiences and needs of patients, carers and users are taken into account. We also highlight where services are doing well and also where they can be improved. We carry out visits to services to see how well they are working. We can also take concerns to the inspectors and regulators if necessary. We are YOUR voice If you have had any problems with health or social services, have any comments or observations, then please get in touch. We can only do our job with your help.