Healthwatch England

Healthwatch England is the national patient watchdog for health and social care services in England. It gathers feedback from the public about their experiences with the NHS and social care, using this information to influence policy and improve services. Healthwatch England is currently newsworthy due to its recent findings highlighting significant issues within the NHS. Their research indicates a sharp rise in the number of people using private dentistry due to the scarcity of NHS dental care, with a disproportionate impact on poorer households. Furthermore, Healthwatch England has revealed that a substantial number of patients are not receiving needed hospital care due to lost, rejected, or delayed GP referrals, causing harm to their physical and mental health. These findings underscore the challenges patients face in accessing timely and appropriate healthcare within the NHS, making Healthwatch England's role in advocating for patient rights and service improvements critically relevant.