News and reports

In January 2019, our enter and view authorised representatives visited all inpatient mental health wards at the IOW NHS Trust as part of our focused work on mental health.

This visit was arranged as part of an ongoing mental health work plan. The visit was designed to
look at experiences of people who spend time as inpatients on local mental health wards
either voluntarily or under sections of the Mental Health Act.

The Care Quality Commission, in partnership with Healthwatch Isle of Wight are holding a focus group on Wednesday 22nd May at 11am at the Riverside Centre, Newport.

People have told us they can have problems registering with a GP. This article explains more about your rights and what do to if you are refused the right to register.

Health issues unfortunately don't leave us alone at the weekend and people are often in need of medical assistance out of hours. Using NHS guidelines, we have provided some advice and information on where you can go for help when your GP is closed.

In October 2017 Healthwatch Isle of Wight staff and volunteers visited ten dementia-focussed community groups across the Island, including all the Alzheimer cafes. People were informed of discussion sessions to be held and were invited to take part.

Do you need to see a healthcare professional but struggle to attend during the day?

In 2017 the IW Clinical Commissioning Group asked Healthwatch Isle of Wight to carry out a survey and engage with the public to find out what local people want and need regarding primary care.

In 2016/17 cancer services were again identified by Healthwatch Isle of Wight as a topic for special attention. In mid-2017 people were invited to take part in a survey if they had used cancer services since January 2016.

This year Healthwatch Isle of Wight's 'Mate Crime' film was presented at the Royal College of Medicine Conference in November 2017 and has been viewed over 1000 times.

The topic of dentistry was supplementary to Healthwatch Isle of Wight's workplan for 2017, undertaken due to a consistently high volume of feedback relating to dentistry services.

Our Empowering Engagement event that we hosted in March is the first of its kind on the Island.