News and reports

A new NHS centre to investigate the effects of race and ethnicity on people’s health has got the go ahead after Covid 19 helped to focus minds on the continuing problem of racism in medicine.

Lu, who suffers from chronic condition fibromyalgia, tells us how her family stepped up to look after her when she suffered a distressing fall and how she struggled to get help for severe shoulder pain.

First Do No Harm is a report published last week of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review. Read more to learn more about the report, why it was commissioned and its findings.

Read our report on Elgar House, Southmead Hospital, where we observed the facilities and spoke to patients on the wards. We found delays in sorting patients' care at home leading to prolonged stays.

Read all about how we expanded our geographical area, our staff team and developed new work areas to ensure we continue to make an impact on health and social care services near you.

Healthwatch wants its feedback to help understand the experiences of all communities. Death rates in Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Groups from Covid 19 are higher than white British people, according to researchers based in Bristol.

Large scale research and data collection is needed to tackle “humbling inequalities" in Covid-19 death rates, according to the new Public Health England report. We want our feedback to build an understanding of health experiences of BAME groups.

Police are warning of a new scam where callers pose as NHS Track and Trace advisors who ask the householder to pay £500 to be tested or face a “penalty.”

Thanks John your work is helping ensure patients' voices are heard by key decision makers at local hospitals.

A new review has shown the risk of dying from Covid-19 is higher among Black and Asian Minority Ethnic Groups compared to white groups. Healthwatch awaits recommendations from these findings which will really benefit BAME staff and patients.

Age UK Bristol have launched a support hub to help older people and their families cope with the impact of Coronavirus in Bristol.

We are celebrating Volunteers' Week June 1st to 7th by saying a big thank you to our 30 volunteers and 7 trustees who help us at Healthwatch Bristol, North Somerset and South Glos.