Advice and Information -
Health issues unfortunately don't leave us alone at the weekend and people are often in need of medical assistance out of hours. Using NHS guidelines, we have provided some advice and information on where you can go for help when your GP is closed.Advice and Information -
We've pulled together a number of services for parents in need of support for their mental health. Read more to find out where you can go to get the help you need.Advice and Information -
Take a look at our advice article on the organisations and groups that can support you if you’re grieving.Advice and Information -
If you are experiencing or feel at risk of domestic abuse, or are worried about someone who might be, find out where you can go for advice and help.Advice and Information -
With more and more appointments happening online, we've put together some tips on how to get the most out of the virtual health and care appointments both for patients and health and care professionals.Advice and Information -
Many people who provide unpaid care are unaware of their rights. Find out more about the help and support you are entitled to.Advice and Information -
Waiting for planned medical care or surgery can be a frustrating time. That’s why it’s so important that while you wait, you get regular, clear and accessible updates so that you can plan your next steps.Advice and Information -
Your mental wellness is as important as your physical health but seeking help can be daunting. Here's what to expect when you seek support for your mental health.Advice and Information -
Do you or a loved one need help with social care? Read the article below and find out answers to key questions about who can access adult social care and how to pay for it.Advice and Information -
The current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may cause you to feel worried, anxious, or scared. Read our tips to looking after your wellbeing when self-isolating.Advice and Information -
With all the changes to health and care services, it's not always clear where you should go to report an urgent issue, to make a complaint or for further information.News -
Walk the Walk is looking for amazing people to volunteer at The MoonWalk London, a breast cancer charity night walk, 14 - 15 May 2022.News -
Consider taking part in a research study to help identify gambling harms for individuals and others affected by gambling for the King’s College London, Bet Know More, GamCare and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).Advice and Information -
Find out how health services are changing in response to coronavirus (COVID-19) and what that means for your care.News -
The UK Government has agreed to introduce legislation for advance statements. Because Black people experience more forced care, it is important to work with Black people to introduce advance statements in a way that works for them.Advice and Information -
Find out why vaccinating yourself against COVID-19 is important, how you can get vaccinated in Lewisham, and more.Report -
We visited Penerley Lodge to talk to staff and residents about the care on offer. This report contains our findings and recommendations to the service after our visit.Report -
Between January and March 2021, our Youth Board engaged with young people to understand their emotional wellbeing needs and how they would prefer to access support.Report -
This report focuses on Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority experiences of hospitals in the London Boroughs of Bromley, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hounslow, Lewisham and Waltham Forest between April 2020 and March 2021.Report -
We carried out a virtual Enter & View visit to the Swallows Care Home in January 2021. During our visit, we spoke with staff and family members about what life has been like in the care home for residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Find out what they said by downloading our full report.Advice and Information -
The Care Act 2014 is a law that came into action in April 2015 that sets out how people’s care and support is approached by councils.Report -
we teamed up with our Healthwatch colleagues in Bexley and Greenwich to be part of the first ever joint Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham Learning Disability Big Health Day. Read our report to find out what people think of mental health services.Report -
Last year, residents told us that under the NHS Long Term Plan they would like better access to trustworthy information about health and wellbeing issues. Find out what we learnt when we mystery shopped local libraries.Report -
The aim of the research was to obtain the views and (LTP) experiences of Lewisham residents to support the local implementation of the NHS Long Term Plan. We carried out local engagement and enabled people including seldom heard communities to have their say in how the NHS can better take care of them and how the care they received can be improved.Report -
We visited Fieldside care home to talk to staff and residents about the care on offer at the home. This report details our findings and recommendations for improvements.Report -
We visited The harbour mental health crisis cafe to talk to staff and visitors about the care and service on offer. This report details our findings.Report -
The six Healthwatch in south east London engaged with residents to ensure their voices will help shape the local implementation of the NHS Long Term Plan. The public were asked to give their views on improving local services; share their ideas on how people can live healthier lives and what improvements they think could be made to help people access services quickly.Report -
Exam stress is the biggest concern for young people in Lewisham. Children and Young People’s (CYP) mental health and wellbeing is a national and local priority. Find out what people told us in our latest report.Report -
Last year, Beechcroft Care Home received a "requires improvement" rating by the Care Quality Commission. The care home was also flagged up by the Lewisham Safeguarding Adults Board. Therefore, we decided to carry out an Enter and View there to gather the views of the residents and staff members.Report -
In our role as the patient voice we know that men share less feedback about health and care services than women.
We ran this project to find out how men in Lewisham look after their mental health and what stops them from speaking up about their issues.Report -
/report/2018-07-31/men-talk-healthReport -
We embarked on a project which built on our previous work, to see whether patient experience has improved following the introduction of AIS. We also assessed local implementation of the Standard.Report -
We carried out Enter and View visits at University Hospital Lewisham (UHL) to assess how the AIS has been implemented. We made two separate visits to the Accident & Emergency, Ear, Nose and Throat, Ophthalmology and Ambulatory Care departments at UHL.Report -
During the last year, we carried out Food for Thought - a project wanting to find out how much young people in Lewisham understood about healthy eating. Residents had told us that they felt this was a major issue for us to look into. The borough has a high proportion of children identified at risk of obesity.Report -
We visited Brymore House to talk to residents and staff about the care they received. This report contains our findings and recommendations we put to the service after our visit.Report -
Across Lewisham, there is a growing demand for residential and nursing provision for older people, as well as ‘considerate unmet need’ around carers’ provision in the borough. In light of this we embarked on a project across the London Borough of Lewisham looking into the social care needs and experiences of the population.Report -
We carried out a visit looking at the care and support provided at 55 Broadfield Road, Catford by Waterfield Supported Homes. The service provides personal care, support and accommodation for five people with mental health needs. We spoke with residents, family members and staff about their experience of the residential care home.News -
Research published in March 2022 by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found that two thirds of unpaid carers view a lower standard of care during the COVID-19 crisis as unacceptable, even with the massive pressures that care services and carers are under.Advice and Information -
All London residents can now create a personalised care plan that works for them.Report -
We delivered a workshop around the Five Ways to Wellbeing and the importance of mental health. Evidence suggests that these five steps can help to improve our mental wellbeing. Here is what we found out.Report -
We visited Manley Court to talk to staff and residents about the care and service they offer. This report contains our findings and recommendations we put to the service after our visit.Report -
We visited Penerley Lodge care home to talk to staff and residents about the care and service they offer. This report contains our findings and recommendations put to the service after our visit.Report -
We visited Welcome Care home and spoke to staff and residents about the care and service they provide. This report contains our findings and recommendations put to the service after our visit.Report -
We carried out a research project to assess patients’ and carers’ experiences of being discharged from hospital. We made three separate visits to the discharge lounge at University Hospital Lewisham (UHL) where we spoke with staff, patients, carers and family members.Report -
We explored young people's attitudes and experiences toward sexual health and healthy relationships, in the hope that it would raise awareness around the services that are available, the laws around healthy teenage relationships.Advice and Information -
The Lewisham Wellbeing Map is an interactive, community-led tool to help people find local locations and activities where they can connect, socialise, be active or learn in the London Borough of Lewisham.Report -
We joined forces with Healthwatch Bromley to host a self care matters event to raise awareness of the importance of self care and managing health conditions. Read our report on the day.Report -
This study was conducted by Healthwatch’s Community Engagement Officer, who visited 5 food banks across the boroughs of Bromley and Lewisham. Those in attendance were informally interviewed about their experiences of accessing health and social care services and the circumstances which has caused them to access community services in the borough.Report -
In late 2015, Healthwatch Lewisham engaged with communities that don’t speak English as their first language including Vietnamese, Tamil, Polish, Turkish and Refugee groups. We engaged with 95 individuals which covered a broad range of demographics. Many people engaged with were parents or carers and many recognised themselves as being disabled.