News and reports

While we await the outcome of proposed changes to the Health and Social Care Act currently before Parliament, it is becoming increasingly clear that the local Healthwatch network will close as part of national reforms.

Read the latest statement from Jess Slater, CEO at Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Between April and June this year, 659 people across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough shared their experiences of local health and care services with us. Thank you to everyone who got in touch—your feedback helps us raise concerns, highlight good practice, and push for better care across the system.

Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve heard over the past three months.

Read our response to the Government’s NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England, which sets out big changes for the NHS but also proposes the closure of Healthwatch as the independent patient voice. We know many of you will have questions and concerns about what this means, and the timescales involved. Here is a summary of what we know so far.

Jess Slater, CEO of Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough issues statement on the proposed closure of Healthwatch.

Receive £20 an hour for formal meetings! We are working with NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough to recruit 8-10 local people to share lived experiences and local voices. Your insight will help to influence priority areas for your local NHS to focus on. You’ll help review NHS service proposals, offer insight into how changes might affect different people and communities, and advise on how the NHS can better involve and engage local people in meaningful, inclusive ways.

Our Annual Summit event, held on Wednesday 8th October 2025 at the Delta Marriott Hotel, Huntingdon, will place mental health firmly under the microscope. Hear from mental health services and people with lived experiences as we discuss what is working well and what needs improvement.

People across parts of East Anglia have had their say on the way the NHS uses and shares their personal data, in a new report published by Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and Healthwatch Norfolk.

We’re proud to share our Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Annual Report for 2024–2025.

This year’s report highlights a selection of the real difference your voices have made to health and care services across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. From shaping improvements in mental health support, to making services more accessible for people with additional needs, your feedback has helped drive meaningful change.

We have appointed a new Chair to succeed Stewart Francis, who is stepping down this month after nearly four years as strategic lead of Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Looking after your mental health, physical wellbeing, and emotional needs is important — and you're not alone. Whether you’re feeling anxious, need support with school, are caring for someone, or just want to learn more about health and wellbeing, there are services and tools out there to help.

We’ve brought together some of the best resources and websites to support children and young people across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. These are free to access and full of useful, trusted information.

Thanks to your feedback, we’ve helped bring about meaningful improvements to local health and care services. Here are some of the ways your voice has made a difference:

Our June 2025 Board meeting will include an update on our activity since our meeting in March. Our Annual General Meeting will follow this Board meeting.