News
Grab-a-jab in Bracknell’s town centre extended after hundreds vaccinated A grab-a-jab service set-up in The Lexicon, Bracknell has been extended by an additional five days to allow more people to be vaccinated.
Grab-a-jab in Bracknell’s town centre extended after hundreds vaccinated A grab-a-jab service set-up in The Lexicon, Bracknell has been extended by...
Annual Report 2020 - 2021
Through the Pandemic – Bracknell Forest Annual Report 2020 - 2021 It has been a year of change for all of us and at Bracknell Forest we adapted to...
Diabetes Awareness week
This week is Diabetes Awareness week, and Diabetes UK is encouraging those that have been affected by diabetes to share their stories using Hashtag #...
Bracknell Forest residents tell us What Matters Most when it comes to health and social care services
We asked Bracknell Forest residents to tell us W hat M atters M ost to them when it comes to health and social care services . The What Matters Most survey ran from March to May 2021 and 155 people shared their views and experiences with us. A big thank you to everyone who participated. This report...
Opt-out of GP Patient Data Collection – extended until September 2021
Why would the NHS want to share patient data? The data held in the GP medical records of patients is used every day to support health and care planning and research in England, helping to find better treatments and improve patient outcomes for everyone. NHS Digital is the national custodian for...
Making Caring Visible and Valued this Carers Week (7–13 June 2021)
During Carers Week 2021 Healthwatch Bracknell Forest is inviting health and care services, schools, employers and businesses across the community to recognise the vital contribution made by unpaid carers in Bracknell Forest. On behalf of the Carers Week charities, Helen Walker, Chief Executive of...
Your local NHS is here for you in a Covid safe way this Bank Holiday weekend
If you have a healthcare need this Bank Holiday weekend there are many ways you can access support. Pharmacy Please click here for details of which pharmacies will be open, and their operating hours. Pharmacists are qualified healthcare professionals who can offer clinical advice and over-the-...
Pride Month June 2021
“Pride is about communities coming together in celebration, protest, unity and solidarity” - Stonewall Throughout June we are celebrating Pride month. The purpose of Pride Month is to recognise the influence LGBT+ people have had across the world and celebrate achievements. The LGBT+ community have...
Twin crisis of access and affordability calls for a radical rethink of NHS dentistry
Access to NHS dental care continues to be a problem for people across England, with Healthwatch England recording a 22% rise in calls and complaints about dentistry between January and March 2021. Our review of 1,375 people’s experiences shared with Healthwatch found a lack of consistency across...
Help those with dementia lead better lives, this Dementia Action Week
One in three of us born in the UK today will go on to develop dementia in our lifetime, and there will be one million people living with dementia by 2025, making dementia care one of the greatest challenges facing our society. According to Alzheimer’s Research UK, there are around 820,000 people...
Dying Matters
Where people die is changing. More and more people have been dying at home in recent years and the pandemic has seen this number leap by tens of thousands. Where people die is changing. More and more people have been dying at home in recent years and the pandemic has seen this number leap by tens...
Get back to nature to support your mental health
Throughout the pandemic millions of us have been turning to nature to help us cope with all the challenges. Research from the Mental Health Foundation showed that going for walks outside was one of the biggest coping mechanisms. Their research revealed that 45% of people said being outside in green...
Maternal Mental Health Week 2021
Why is it important? Stigma causes 7 in 10 women to downplay the severity of their mental health issues, even to those who are closest to them. We know that seeking support increases the chance of recovery and helps improve the relationship between a Mum and her baby. By raising awareness, we hope...
#WhatMattersMost halfway results: GP services are main focus for Healthwatch in East Berkshire
Our survey has had over 200 responses within the first few weeks, with people telling us about both positive and negative experiences of health and social care services across East Berkshire, as well as what they think our work priorities should be going forward. We have received lots of examples...
Autism Awareness Week
Support for World Autism week is needed now more than ever. The coronavirus pandemic has been particularly tough for many autistic people and their families. Services have closed and many people have been left stranded. The ever-changing guidelines and restrictions can be confusing to understand...
COVID-19: What you need to know when visiting a care home
New Guidance from 8 March 2021 From Monday 8 March, residential care providers can arrange for visits to residents from single named visitors and essential care givers. Once the data shows it is safe, the Government also has plans to go further and allow more visiting - and more visitors. In mid-...
Healthwatch England Annual Report 2019 - 2020
Since COVID-19 struck, the work of the Healthwatch network to support and listen to local people became more crucial than ever. Find out more in Healthwatch England's 2019-20 annual report to Parliament about how we have helped make care better. Summary Read 'On Equal Terms', the Healthwatch...
Have your say on changes to the Mental Health Act
The government is planning to make changes to the Mental Health Act and is asking people to share their views on the changes, as part of an online consultation running until the end of April. In 2017 the government asked for an independent review of the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA), to look at how...
Eating Disorder Week 2021
We are supporting Eating Disorder week which is taking place 1-7 March 2021. Beat is hosting the campaign to create a future where people experiencing binge eating disorder are met with understanding and compassion. Binge eating disorder will affect one in fifty of us in our lifetime, it is the...
Sign up for the Healthwatch Bracknell Forest Newsletter
Sign up to receive a regular email newsletter highlighting all of the work and projects we have been carrying out in Bracknell Forest. The newsletter also features health news from around Bracknell Forest and East Berkshire. We are producing our newsletter on a regular basis - so why not sign up to...
Investors in Volunteers award (IiV)
We are delighted to share the amazing news that Healthwatch Bracknell Forest alongside Help & Care has achieved the Investors in Volunteers (IIV) award. We were assessed in 2020 by NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations) against key standards including: volunteer involvement,...
Households across Berkshire will soon be asked to take part in Census 2021
The census is a once-in-a-decade survey that gives us the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in England and Wales. It has been carried out every decade since 1801, with the exception of 1941. It will be the first run predominantly online, with households receiving a letter with...
Help Us, Help You Lung Cancer Campaign
NHS England and NHS Improvement, together with Public Health England, are launching the ‘Help Us, Help You’ lung cancer campaign to encourage people with a cough lasting three weeks or more and who don’t have COVID-19, to contact their GP practice. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, some members...
Make a difference to Bracknell Forest - Become a Healthwatch BF Board Member
Are you passionate about health and care? Do you want to see services meet the needs of those who use them? Healthwatch Bracknell Forest, your local champion for health and social care, is looking for new voluntary Board Members for our local leadership board. As a Board Member, you will have a...
Coping guides to help support families and young people
During times of uncertainty – like when we all have to stay safe at home because of the coronavirus – it’s even more important to look after our wellbeing. Our colleagues from the NHS (East Berkshire Clinical Commissioning Group) have now released a series #Coping guides to pull together the best...
Find new ways to express yourself this Children’s Mental Health Week
Children and young people are being encouraged to explore different ways of expressing themselves for this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week (1-7 February). Run by children’s mental health charity Place2Be, Children’s Mental Health Week highlights the importance of looking after your wellbeing...
LGBT+ History Month
The purpose of LGBT+ History Month is to raise awareness of, and combat prejudice against, the LGBT+ community while celebrating its achievements and diversity and making it more visible. The LGBT+ community have made significant contributions to society, but there have been times where the...
Ask for Ani
The Government have launched a new code word scheme, where if you are experiencing domestic abuse and need immediate help, you can ask for ‘ANI’ in any participating pharmacy. ANI stands for Action Needed Immediately but is pronounced Annie. If a pharmacy has the ‘Ask for ANI’ logo on display, it...
