News and reports

We explain why it’s important to have a plan in place, should you or a loved one become critically ill.

Unions have announced a further round of strike action by junior doctors in February 2024.
The next junior doctors strike will run from 7:00am on Saturday 24th February until 7:00am on Thursday 29th February.

On 13th December 2023, Healthwatch Halton and Healthwatch Knowsley visited the A&E department at Whiston Hospital to gain experiences of patients and understand why they attended and how they thought services could be improved.

England’s top doctor has warned pressure on NHS hospitals this winter is “not letting up”, with thousands more patients in hospital compared to the same time last year.

New weekly figures show there were 3,372 more patients in hospital each day last week (97,934) than the same period in 2023 (94,562).

LGBTQ+ History Month is an important annual event recognising the history of LGBTQ+ civil rights movements, celebrating how far we have come in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality, and reflecting on the discrimination that many people in the UK and around the world still face today for their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Working alongside people and communities at National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE): a three-year strategy for involvement and engagement consultation is now open. This strategy describes how NICE plan to improve the way they capture the collective wisdom and experiences of the people and communities they serve by 2027.

With measles cases on the rise, thousands of school children aged 6 -11 years are being invited to attend appointments to be vaccinated against Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR).
A major drive has been launched to invite those not fully vaccinated to come forward and catch up on missed doses - with reminders being sent to families throughout February and March.

‘Share for Better Care’, a new campaign launched by Healthwatch and the Care Quality Commission, addresses health inequalities across England.

An innovative new service has launched in partnership with Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Halton Travel Well is being delivered by local social enterprise, Wellbeing Enterprises CIC and aims to improve people's health and wellbeing and promote the uptake of active travel options in work and leisure.

Tinnitus impacts 1 in 7 adults in the UK and severely diminishes the quality of life for 1 in 6 of those individuals. Tinnitus is unique to the person experiencing it. But ultimately it is the sensation of hearing a sound when there is no external source for that sound. There is no known cure and living with this condition affects so much more than ‘just’ hearing.

The NHS, National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Health Innovation North West Cost and Civic Data Cooperative (Liverpool) are running interactive workshops to explore the views of people in Cheshire and Merseyside, on the use of de-identified personal data for research and population health support without consent.

They are seeking members of the public across Cheshire and Merseyside to participate in online focus groups.

From 31 January, people across Cheshire & Merseyside can pop down to their local pharmacy for help with seven minor conditions which would previously have required a GP appointment.