News and reports

Read October's edition of Healthwatch BANES news bites and find out the latest on musical tea, self-care, and the impact of COVID on cancer patients.

People living in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire are being advised to stay on top of their health and wellbeing by continuing to use the NHS throughout the next period of national lockdown.

Healthwatch Bath and North East Somerset gather feedback about a wide range of health and care services. This briefing highlights what Healthwatch Bath and North East Somerset have been hearing from local people about dental services during 2020.

It will come as no surprise that COVID-19 has changed the way that people are accessing NHS services. A recent survey of 2,178 people found that almost half (48%) of the public would delay or not seek medical help at all.

Kooth, a digital mental health and wellbeing service, that offers support platforms for young people and adults, is looking to redesign their services to reduce the time between sign up and receiving support.

Playlist for Life, a Music and Dementia charity, has launched a Musical Tea Campaign to help people stay connected while social distancing continues. The charity is asking people to hold various virtual musical tea events throughout October.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the way cancer patients attend appointments with their cancer teams. The SWAG Cancer Alliance Patient Representatives want to understand what it is like from a patient's perspective.

Yesterday evening (Monday 10 October) the Prime Minister announced a new three-tiered system of COVID Alert Levels in England. Healthwatch BANES asks, what is an alert level, and how it will affect you, and your family?

In this month's newsletter, we will share how your experiences prompted a review of dental services, our version of 12 days of Christmas, updates on the COVID vaccine rollout, and much more.

The RUH is seeking to improve the TV, radio, and internet facilities available to patients, their carers, and families. To do so, they are asking for your help.

As of Monday 5 October, Self-injury Support will be offering self-harm information and navigation service open to anyone over 18 affected by self-harm.

People who are most at risk of flu are recommended to get a flu vaccine every year. This winter is especially important with flu and coronavirus (COVID-19) both in circulation.