News and reports

At Healthwatch Surrey we are keen that everyone can get the health services they need.

GP practices are the ‘front door’ to the NHS – this means they are often the first place a person may visit when they have a health care need or are seeking advice regarding a health matter.

Both urgent and emergency care services play an important role in ensuring patients receive the right care, from the right person, at the right time. But knowing exactly what these services do, which one you need and how to use them can be confusing.

Understanding who local commissioners are and how they work can sometimes feel confusing. Healthwatch Surrey are here to help explain the role of local commissioners in health and social care, and how they make decisions and plan services to meet the needs of people in our communities.

We are pleased to bring you our new public newsletter - keeping you informed of our latest work.

Many people think we help only with issues relating to health, but if you have concerns about social care services and need assistance or advice, Healthwatch Surrey are here for you.

Research from the Kings Fund and Healthwatch England have both looked at finance and it's impact on health - but we wanted to find out the impact financial concerns and constraints have on people’s emotional wellbeing.

The latest Sexual Health Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) for Surrey highlights a need to improve engagement and understanding of sexual health & contraception needs in younger people. Against this backdrop and in discussion with Public Health, Healthwatch Surrey (who has been part of the Surrey Sexual Health Outreach Group since 2019) wanted to amplify the voice of under 25s in relation to sexual health services in Surrey.

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.

This report highlights our major impacts throughout our first quarter of 2025/26 (April to June 2025). This quarter 989 people shared their experiences with us. Our work covered a wide range of health and social care, including children’s eye care, mental health in prisons, sexual health, domestic abuse and patient transport to and from hospitals. The report also highlights the support provided to individuals through our Helpdesk and Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service.

Opportunities to get involved include joining the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) Public Panel and joining the GPhC Patient and Public Voice Forum.

This report explores 6 students’ understanding and awareness of mental health services.