Who are we?
Healthwatch Surrey gathers the views of local people on health and social care services in the county. We are an independent organisation listening to experiences from people in Surrey and providing evidence-based feedback to commissioners and providers to influence, inform and, if necessary, challenge decisions and plans.
You can help to shape, improve, and change local services by sharing your feedback. So, whether you have had a good or bad experience, your views can help to make changes to services in Surrey. Our work covers all areas of health and social care. This includes GPs, hospitals, dentists, care homes, pharmacies, opticians and more. Join the conversation by sharing your experience.
We can also provide, or signpost to, information about local services and how to access them and offer a free, independent advocacy service for people wishing to make a complaint about NHS care.
Latest Reports and Papers
Our latest Insight bulletin, this month focusing on what local people have shared with us about GP Practices.
We are working with Surrey County Council, Surrey Heartlands and CQC on our programme visits to care homes across Surrey and we will be carrying out one visit per month during 2022/23.
One of the statutory duties of Healthwatch is to obtain the views of local people regarding their needs for, and experiences of, local care services and importantly to make these views known.
This briefing summarises key themes we’ve heard throughout June 2022.
Seeking people to join our focus group
Seeking people for a focus group
Do you live or use services in Surrey? Would you like to take part in an online focus group to … Read more
The power of your feedback
As well as letting local health and social care providers and commissioners know what you are telling us in our … Read more
What’s Healthwatch Surrey to me? Our work experience student’s blog
Healthwatch Surrey is a welcoming place, which is open to all residents of Surrey. It helps to improve health and … Read more
Information on the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme
Jin’s* son requires hospital treatment and has been told he now needs to go from Woking to a London hospital, for an appointment. He is in receipt of Universal Credit and will struggle to pay the cost of getting to London. He has been unable to get any information from anyone at the hospital or DWP regarding help with the travel costs, so our adviser signposted him to information on the NHS website regarding the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS). He was relieved to know that he could get help with the cost of travel to his appointments.
*Names have been changed to protect identities
Help with funding for long term care at home
Gabriel’s* mother, who is severely disabled and living with the family at home, is receiving care in the home funded by Surrey County Council. However, Gabriel has been told by Surrey County Council that his mother should go into a care home and part-funding would be provided. Neither Gabriel nor his mother wants this to happen, particularly with the current situation and the fact that no visitors are allowed at the care home, so Gabriel wanted to find out about funding for long term care. We provided him with website links to information that would help him ascertain what funding should be available and he now feels empowered to use information to help secure future care for his mother which meets her needs.
*Names have been changed to protect identities
Providing details of emergency dental hubs
Saanvi* was having problems with a wisdom tooth and was in some pain, however she was having difficulty finding an NHS dentist. She had tried searching online and calling, but the dentists she had spoken to told her that they had filled their quota for new patients. We advised Saanvi on how to access dental information on the NHS website, including the customer contact centre. She was also advised of the emergency hubs put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic and how to access them. Saanvi felt she had enough information to be able to access treatment.
*Names have been changed to protect identities
