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.

Life in Lockdown

On the 23rd March 2020 residents of the United Kingdom were asked to stay home as the Country entered lockdown.

Following Government advice, a considerable number of people began ‘shielding’ because people who are clinically vulnerable may be at a higher risk of serious illness if they catch coronavirus. They were advised to stay at home as much as possible and keep interactions to a minimum.

This meant that many people were isolated within their local community and had limited contact with their relatives, friends and neighbours.

Change was inevitable and had to happen rapidly to respond to the pandemic – new ways of working and living were introduced across the country. Support services changed how they delivered services, and priorities were reassessed to help form an NHS, and social care service, that could respond to the COVID-19 emergency.

At Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire (HWCB), we adapted too; staff worked from home to provide the most effective and supportive service to the local community.

Prior to the formal lockdown, health services had begun limiting physical access to buildings. HWCB therefore worked with providers to ensure the public had the most up to date information about changes to individual premises, such as GP surgeries and Accident & Emergency (A&E), via various methods of communication including social media and regular e-bulletins.

The priority was to ensure patients were able to get the support they needed, whilst minimising pressure on frontline activity which had begun to gear up for the Covid-19 crisis to come.

For more information on how HWCB supported the local community, please read our full report here.

Just Ask in Lockdown

This is the time we would have been on the road for our outreach programme, ‘Just Ask 2020’. Talking to the community, providing information, advice and guidance about local social care, health, housing and additional services.

We still want to hear from you during lockdown:

• use our feedback centre to tell us about your experience of health and social care
• complete our short survey above, on the affects of Covid-19
• read our special edition of our newsletter to hear more about what we are doing during lockdown

Giving children and Young People a voice

Young Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire gains Investing in Children Membership Award

Young Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire (YHWCB) are delighted to gain this recognition from Investing in Children.

Like to learn more about Young Healthwatch?

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