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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.

Postponement of Healthwatch activity during the coronavirus outbreak

This article has been updated in line with Healthwatch England Guidance as of 17th March 2020.

In light of recent Public Health and Healthwatch England advice we have been reviewing our activity in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

As you are probably aware, Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire is part of a national network and we receive advice from Healthwatch England, the overseeing body nationally, in response to national developments.

Healthwatch England has advised that we review our face to face public engagement work that we have planned over the next ten weeks (up until the end of May), especially when this:

• Involves service visits or events with people who could be considered vulnerable
• Might place additional burdens on NHS or social care services

We have also decided to postpone training and meetings that would fall within one or both of the above categories which you may have been due to attend. For your information we have also postponed our planned Enter and View visits this month.

We hope this postponement doesn’t cause any difficulties for you and hope you see this as the right decision at this time.

We will keep reviewing the situation and will keep you informed on alternative dates for events and our activity as the position becomes clearer. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or wish to discuss any of the above by emailing info@healthwatch-centralbedfordshire.org.uk or by calling us on 07548 228023 or 07867 670953.

About Young Healthwatch

Our Young Healthwatch volunteers have been busy working on a number of projects since they came together almost a year ago. They have also recently received appropriate ‘Enter & View’ training and are keen to put their learning into practice by visiting health and social care services such as hospital wards, surgeries and care homes. The young people will then be able to report their findings from their unique perspective.

If you would like a group of young Healthwatch volunteers to visit your service please contact Amy.Eymor@healthwatch-centralbedfordshire.org.uk.

Bedford Hospital 15 Steps Project Report

During 2019, Young Healthwatch took part in an Enter and View training session to prepare for visiting the children’s wards at Bedford Hospital and other local healthcare establishments that Young People access.

In September 2019, the young volunteers also took part in a training programme called ‘15 Steps’.

I can tell what kind of care my daughter is going to get within 15 steps of walking on to every new ward.

This powerful statement, from a mother whose daughter needed frequent inpatient stays, inspired the development of the ’15 Steps Challenge’.

The 15 Steps Challenge focuses on seeing care through a patient or carer’s eyes, and exploring their first impressions.

In October 2019 a group of Young Volunteers visited Bedford Hospital and put their training into practice.

This report has been written by Young Healthwatch volunteers in their own words and expresses their own opinions. It is based on their observations and those of the people they spoke to – patients and staff. The content has not been altered by Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire or Bedford Hospital, except for clarification.

To read the report, please visit the Young Healthwatch website.

Like to learn more?

There is a lot more information on the Young Healthwatch website, including the great achievement of one of our volunteers who has secured a fantastic apprenticeship with Cancer Research UK.

If you are under 25, why not consider becoming a member of Young Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire? Get in touch for more information.