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.

⭐ We are recruiting! ⭐ Link: https://buff.ly/8yCzgOI Do you want to help improve health and care for people in Hertfords...
17/04/2026

⭐ We are recruiting! ⭐

Link: https://buff.ly/8yCzgOI

Do you want to help improve health and care for people in Hertfordshire? Are you passionate about making a difference by ensuring people’s voices are heard? Would you like to work with a motivated and dynamic team, who embody our values of equality and compassion? If so, we might have an opportunity for you.

We have an exciting new position in the team, who will play a crucial role in enabling the day-to-day running of the organisation. You will provide support across the team relating to both administrative and project-related tasks, as well as within our distinguished signposting and information service, helping us make a difference to the people of Hertfordshire.

CVs not accepted: please fill out the application form.

💬 Having issues with your GP practice and not sure where to turn? You're not alone — and we're here to help.Since the pa...
16/04/2026

💬 Having issues with your GP practice and not sure where to turn? You're not alone — and we're here to help.

Since the pandemic, the way GP surgeries communicate with patients has changed, and it can be confusing to know who to speak to or what steps to take.

🧭 Our advice page can guide you through what to do next:

👉 https://buff.ly/mzgALzs

⭐ We are recruiting! ⭐ Link: https://buff.ly/6Rmtar5 Do you want to help improve health and care for people in Hertfords...
14/04/2026

⭐ We are recruiting! ⭐

Link: https://buff.ly/6Rmtar5

Do you want to help improve health and care for people in Hertfordshire? Are you passionate about making a difference by ensuring people’s voices are heard? Would you like to work with a motivated and dynamic team, who embody our values of equality and compassion? If so, we might have an opportunity for you.

We have an exciting new position in the team, who will play a crucial role in enabling the day-to-day running of the organisation. You will provide support across the team relating to both administrative and project-related tasks, as well as within our distinguished signposting and information service, helping us make a difference to the people of Hertfordshire.

CVs not accepted: please fill out the application form.

⭐ We are recruiting! ⭐ Link: https://www.healthwatchhertfordshire.co.uk/work-us Do you want to help improve health and c...
14/04/2026

⭐ We are recruiting! ⭐

Link: https://www.healthwatchhertfordshire.co.uk/work-us

Do you want to help improve health and care for people in Hertfordshire? Are you passionate about making a difference by ensuring people’s voices are heard? Would you like to work with a motivated and dynamic team, who embody our values of equality and compassion? If so, we might have an opportunity for you.

We have an exciting new position in the team, who will play a crucial role in enabling the day-to-day running of the organisation. You will provide support across the team relating to both administrative and project-related tasks, as well as within our distinguished signposting and information service, helping us make a difference to the people of Hertfordshire.

CVs not accepted: please fill out the application form.

Imperial College London is currently collaborating on an SBRI-funded project aimed at improving lung cancer screening up...
09/04/2026

Imperial College London is currently collaborating on an SBRI-funded project aimed at improving lung cancer screening uptake among underserved communities, in partnership with Appt Health and with support from NHS Cancer Alliances.

They are looking to work closely with groups that historically have lower screening uptake to better understand barriers to participation and to co-design messaging that makes screening more accessible and acceptable.

As part of this work, they are seeking participants for four in-person and online workshops. These sessions will explore why people may not attend screening and gather preferences on how invitation messages should be delivered and worded.

Each workshop will last approximately 2 hours and include 8–12 participants who meet the eligibility criteria (aged 55–74, and either a current or former smoker living in more deprived areas). Ideally, participants will be based in areas where Lung Cancer Screening is being offered.

Participants will receive £50 as a thank you for their time, and travel expenses can be covered where needed.

If you’re interested or would like to learn more, please get in touch: J.huang1@imperial.ac.uk.

🧭 Need Help Finding the Right Health or Social Care Support?We know the health and social care system can be confusing. ...
02/04/2026

🧭 Need Help Finding the Right Health or Social Care Support?

We know the health and social care system can be confusing. That’s why Healthwatch Hertfordshire offers a free signposting service – helping you find the right person, place, or organisation to get the support you need.
Whether you're wondering:

✔️ Can I choose where my GP refers me?
✔️ How do I arrange care for a family member at home?
✔️ How do I make a complaint about poor treatment or care?

We're here to guide you.

📋 Just fill in our quick Signposting Feedback Form and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can:

👉 https://buff.ly/vPAuRxZ

April is World Autism Acceptance Month: https://buff.ly/Czip8vk. This is an opportunity to help create a society that wo...
01/04/2026

April is World Autism Acceptance Month: https://buff.ly/Czip8vk. This is an opportunity to help create a society that works for autistic people.

We at Healthwatch Hertfordshire know very well that autistic people face discrimination and barriers across all sectors of society – the health and social care systems, education, employment and many other core measures of life outcomes.

It is crucial that autistic people, and their families and carers, can access tailored information, guidance and support to overcome those barriers, along with opportunities to explore their interests, develop skills and build friendships to lead fulfilling lives.

This needs to be addressed both (inter)nationally, and locally.

That's why we are especially proud of our research into local support for people with autism, such as these two studies:

https://buff.ly/thDZ4KG

https://buff.ly/rrK2mCr

Designing services with young people — not just for them — ensures care is empowering, responsive and right for those wh...
23/03/2026

Designing services with young people — not just for them — ensures care is empowering, responsive and right for those who use it most.

Yet children and young people are often talked about, but too rarely truly listened to. At Healthwatch Hertfordshire, we’re working to change that through our “From conversations to change: Young people on health and social care” series — putting real experiences at the heart of improvement.

CASE STUDY: Liam*

Liam is 18 and accessing a local drug and alcohol support service. He told us the support he received has saved his life.

After a su***de attempt, Liam contacted his keyworker to cancel an appointment. From his voice alone, they recognised something was wrong and acted immediately — staying on the phone, keeping him calm, and calling an ambulance. Liam credits this relationship, built on trust and understanding, as the reason he is still here today.

Now nearly 3 months clean from drugs and alcohol, Liam describes feeling like he’s finally becoming the person he was meant to be, with a more hopeful future ahead. Reflecting on his journey, he shared that he didn’t seek help earlier because he didn’t recognise his substance use as a problem.

KEY LEARNING:

👉 Young people not recognising their substance use as a problem can be a key barrier to getting help.
👉 Having a key worker who knows them, is supportive and is consistent is crucial to young people’s recovery.

*Name changed to protect identity

19/03/2026

If you're a researcher, find out how the Eastern England Secure Data Environment provides a user-friendly, controlled space to analyse and collaborate on health data at our launch event on 23 March. Register your interest here: bit.ly/4l1kuXa



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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.