1. Healthwatch signs up to Time to Change mental health campaign

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    We are supporting mental health in the workplace. At our annual general meeting (AGM) n Sawtry last week, we gave our backing to the Time to Change campaign to end mental health stigma and discrimination.

  2. Keeping mental health on the agenda

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    Mental health came under the spotlight at our annual general meeting (AGM) last week when an expert panel was invited to discuss service provision and support.

  3. Healthwatch raises concerns about proposed fertility service cuts

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    The proposed IVF funding cuts are against national guidance, will affect poor people the most and may not save the planned £700,000 per annum from local NHS budgets.

  4. Thank you to retiring board member Mike

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    We said a big thank you and a sad goodbye to Director Mike Hewins at our AGM this month.

  5. Extra money for local NHS dentists

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    NHS England has put extra money into Dental Access Centres in Peterborough and Wisbech after our report into dentist availability earlier this year.

  6. Local NHS-funded IVF treatment suspended indefinitely

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    Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has decided not to re-instate IVF on the NHS whilst they are still in debt.

  7. Improving wheelchair services for people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

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    We are helping to get wheelchair users and carers involved in making wheelchair services work better for them.

  8. Packed room for launch of new Healthwatch Accessible Information report

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    A successful launch event shows there is still much to do to achieve Accessible Information as Standard

  9. Healthwatch helps to improve accessible information for disabled people

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    Local NHS Trusts and care organisations are improving the information they give to disabled people.

  10. New autism service for young people to be introduced locally

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    A new autism service for young people is due to start in the autumn thanks to the lobbying of Pinpoint, our Healthwatch and the National Autistic Society.

  11. A long-term plan for your NHS

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    NHS England has launched its long term plan to help make the NHS fit for the future.

  12. Peterborough City Hospital quality rating falls

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    Peterborough City Hospital’s overall quality rating has gone down from good to requires improvement.

  13. Fertility service suspension to be reviewed

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    Healthwatch wants Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group to reverse its 2017 suspension of fertility services.

  14. Helping to tackle health inequalities

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    Information from our 2016 'Our Health Matters' project to listen to the health experiences of local Gypsies, Roma and Travellers, has fed into a new House of Commons Committee report, published last week.

  15. Playing the part in improving older people's care

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    More than 70 people came to an emotional performance of Phyllis, a play about an older woman’s experiences following a fall.

  16. Making choices about the end of life

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    Most people want to die at home, but the reality is that the majority of us are spending our last days in hospital.

  17. Wanted: health services closer to home

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    Poor travel and transport connections in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are affecting people's access to effective healthcare, a new Healthwatch report shows.

  18. Teething problems affect Trust IT change

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    Some patients have had problems with appointment bookings at Hinchingbrooke and Peterborough City Hospitals following a recent update to their IT systems.

  19. Mental health and parenthood

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    New mums and dads in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have contributed their personal stories to a new Healthwatch England report 'Mental health and the journey to parenthood'.

  20. New patient group gets policy change at hospital trust

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    A new patient group - recruited with help from Healthwatch - is up and running, aiming to help shape policy and services at local hospitals.

  21. Why mental health at work matters

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    What happens at work has a big impact on people’s mental health – and vice versa.

  22. Thank you to the dedicated team who saved my life

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    Today – October 10 – is World Mental Health Day. And we are telling the story of Bex Ward-Turner from Cambridgeshire.

  23. Responses to our What Would You Do? report

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    Responses to our What Would You Do? report from the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership and the Health and Wellbeing Partnership.

  24. Report on the state of health and care in England

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    A ‘perfect storm’ could be brewing for people using mental health, learning disability and autism services, warns the Care Quality Commission.

  25. Improving the NHS for people with autism and learning disabilities

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    People with autism and learning disabilities say they need much more support and help to live full, healthy and productive lives, reveals a new report from Healthwatch.

  26. New Directors join our Board

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    Two new directors have joined our Healthwatch Board. Nadia Emmony and Paul Jobling were endorsed at our Board meeting in Cambridge yesterday.

  27. Community Values Panel helps NHS

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    A unique approach to tackling funding issues in our local NHS has been highlighted in our newly-published Community Values Panel reports.

  28. Tracking patient experience in new A & E target trial at Addenbrooke's

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    Together with Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, we have taken part in a review of new Accident & Emergency targets.

  29. Report from our End of Life event

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    Today Healthwatch has published a new report Empowering people at the end of life.

  30. Local health and care commissioners face extreme financial pressures

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    Val Moore, Chair of our local Healthwatch, heard about the significant challenges our local health commissioners are facing, when she attended their Governing Body meeting last night.

  31. More than 900 waiting for NHS continuing health care

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    At their Governing Body meeting last night, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group said how they were going to tackle the huge backlog of people waiting for Continuing Health Care Assessments.

  32. A successful Annual Conference

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    It was wonderful to see lots of people at the Healthwatch Peterborough Annual Conference today (Thursday 8 June), giving us a chance to let people know how we have been serving them over them over the past year.

  33. Helping disabled people "Access Health" in Peterborough

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    Three young people from City College Peterborough are working with us on an important new project to help improve access to GP services for disabled people.

  34. Written statement of action for SEND services in Peterborough

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    Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission and Ofsted have issued a written statement of action following a visit to services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Peterborough.

  35. Non-essential appointments and procedures to be postponed

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    The local NHS is postponing all non-essential appointments from 20 March to help it deal with the pressures caused by COVID-19 coronavirus.

  36. Will’s story

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    South Cambridgeshire resident Will lost too much weight and became unwell with untreated Crohn’s disease after struggling to communicate with health professionals. Will is Deaf and uses British Sign Language.

  37. Virus forces changes to way hospital patients are discharged

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    The coronavirus crisis has put huge pressure on our local hospitals. To make sure they can look after people with acute needs, hospitals are changing the way patients no longer needing a bed are discharged.

  38. What we are doing to help tackle coronavirus

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    We are closing down all face to face activities for the next 12 weeks, whilst we work to support the local NHS and care organisations manage the coronavirus crisis in our area.

  39. Working with inmates at HMP Peterborough

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    We have worked with male and female inmates at the city’s combined prison to improve their health and wellbeing and engage with health and care users whose voices are often not heard.

  40. Covid-19: county council ups adult social care payments

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    People receiving direct payments for adult social care are to get a 10% rise from Peterborough City Council.

  41. Helping to talk about death and bereavement

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    Next week is Dying Matters Awareness Week - helping people to raise the conversation about dying, death and bereavement.

  42. Coronavirus government update May 11

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    A "conditional plan" to begin lifting England's coronavirus lockdown was announced yesterday by the government.

  43. Improving transition for young wheelchair users

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    Wheelchair users moving from children's to adult services are to be a focus for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Wheelchair Users' Forum.

  44. Skills website for Peterborough people shielding in the covid crisis

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    A new interactive website has launched for the 16,000+ Cambridgeshire and Peterborough people who are shielding during the covid-19 lockdown.

  45. Small reunions for family and friends - lockdown update

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    Groups of up to six people will be able to meet outside in England from Monday, 1 June.