Find out how Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire can help you by watching this video

Our aim is to improve health and social care services in Central Bedfordshire.

To do this we need your feedback about local GP surgeries, hospitals, dentists, pharmacies, opticians, social care, emergency care and community based health teams. With this, we are able to inform, liaise, influence and, if necessary, challenge decisions and plans.

For all of this, we need your help!

Please help us by sharing your experiences of all or any of these services by clicking on the button below.

Tell us when things are going well and when they’re not, so we can do something about it.

Have your say on the future of the NHS in Central Bedfordshire today

The NHS in Central Bedfordshire is changing, and it needs your help.

The Government is investing an extra £20bn a year in the NHS as part of the NHS Long Term Plan.  Now you can help your local NHS invest in the right support by sharing your ideas with us.

Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire has launched ‘What Would you do?’ to gather feedback from the public on ways to improve local NHS services.

Your views matter.

Take part in our short survey and share your views about what would make health services in Central Bedfordshire better.

There is a large print format of the general survey here, and for the long-term condition survey.

There is an easy read format of the general survey here, and for the long-term condition survey.

We want to know the following:

• How would you help people live healthier lives?
• What would make health services better?
• How would you make it easier for people to take control of their own health and wellbeing?
• What would you do to make support better for people with long-term conditions?

Thank you very much for taking part in the survey, if you have any additional comments please talk to us at info@healthwatch-centralbedfordshire.org.uk or call 0300 303 8554 and speak to a member of the team.

Your views count – make sure you have your say.

To find out more about the NHS Long Term Plan, please read here

Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire Board Meeting Held in Public

The next Board Meeting that is open to the public takes place on Tuesday, 12th March 2019, from 6.00pm at The Incuba Centre, 1 Brewers Hill Road, Dunstable, LU6 1AA.

Guest speaker is Simon King, Bedfordshire Sector Head, EEAST Ambulance.

All are welcome.

Healthwatch Network Awards

Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire has received a Highly Commended award in the ‘Giving people the advice and information they need’ category at the annual network awards 2018 held at the Healthwatch Annual Conference.

A record breaking 170 entries from over 100 local Healthwatch teams were submitted this year. These were then whittled down to 35 shortlisted entries across seven categories.

The ‘JUST ASK’ project had been nominated for an award in the ‘Giving people the advice and information they need’ for ensuring communities get the advice and information they need to make decisions about their wellbeing, care and the services that support them.

The winner in this category was Healthwatch Wirral for their Infobank Service. Helen Parker, award judge and Healthwatch National Committee Member, said: “Healthwatch Wirral mixed collaboration, information and providing advice to deliver significant improvements in the numbers of people they engaged with over the last year. Patients, families and friends, NHS staff and other professionals have all benefited from this central point of support and information.”

Our congratulations go to Healthwatch Wirral and all the other award winners and nominees.

Festival for Older People

Did you visit the Festival for Older people this year? We’ve put together a video of some of the highlights from the day.  Julian Polhill, High Sheriff of Bedfordshire, opened the festival. Listen to him talking about the event “I think it’s an absolutely brilliant event as it brings together so many different sides of life, from the fun side of being an older person to the needing help side, just a great place to come and gather all the information you could possibly want” and hear the views of both the exhibitors and the many visitors.