News and reports

In the UK, the NHS is a publicly funded healthcare system providing medical care. It is often referred to as being "free at the point of use" which means the care is provided based on what the patient needs, rather than how able they are to pay for it. However, there are usually costs for some areas of care.

We are calling for ongoing public support as the national petition challenging government plans to abolish local Healthwatch services surpasses 10,000 signatures — the threshold that requires a formal government response.

What people tell us about why Surrey’s library independence courses and community centres go unused.

An opportunity for Surrey residents to have their say on Surrey County Council's 2026/27 Budget.

Due to changes in contractual arrangements early in 2025, Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board (ICB) commissioned Healthwatch Surrey to engage local residents and provide Information and signposting realting to the change. We did this in March 2025, and have returned in October 2025 to two venues to ask patients of the practice if they have noticed any changes. This report provides our findings.

An opportunity to become a Network35 Member for the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

As part of our work on access to primary care we wanted to speak to Surrey residents with low vision about their experiences of specialist eye care services, as well as the information and support they receive between appointments and following discharge.

Hillcroft is a registered social care home for men and women over the age of 50 with a learning disability and associated needs.
We were shown around by the manager of the home, with some input from the deputy manager. We were able to speak to another staff member and meet one of the individuals living at Hillcroft. Three staff members completed our staff questionnaire. A family member of one of the people also completed the friends and family questionnaire.

This report highlights our major impacts throughout our second quarter of 2025/26 (July to September 2025). This quarter 677 people shared their experiences with us. Our work covered a wide range of health and social care, including Continuing Healthcare funding, services provided for those unable to leave their home, mental health support for people with learning disabilities, and information provision. The report also highlights the support provided to individuals through our Helpdesk and Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service.

New research from Healthwatch England has found that one in five men are now using platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube - and almost one in 10 are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots - for information on staying healthy.

Our latest Insight bulletin highlights the key themes we’ve been hearing about recently from local people. We also highlight our latest news and opportunities to get involved.

Do you smoke?
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Is there anything that stops you reaching that goal?

If your answer is yes to any of these questions – Luminus would like to hear from you.