Reports Hub

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 January 2022.

We are consistently hearing from people across Surrey who are struggling to access NHS dentistry and are finding that the advice on how to access treatment on NHS.uk is incorrect or not up to date.

This report highlights some of the stories we have heard in 2021.

People have been telling us about the frequency in which they are needing care which is putting additional pressure on the patient as well as the services they are using. People are also trying to access treatment at settings which are not the most appropriate to their needs.

The pandemic triggered a rapid switch to remote consultations and an increased use of online communications in health and social care. While this has worked well for some people and some services, there have also been frustrations, worries and difficulties for some in accessing care.

People have increasingly been telling us about their experiences of seeking treatment for problems with their eyes and how different health services integrate. This report is designed to highlight the difficulties that people have shared in receiving care for their eye conditions.

Between January-May 2021, we have heard from 72 people about their experiences of accessing and receiving dental treatment.

This report has been grouped into themes arising from insight shared with Healthwatch Surrey and contain some examples of each theme.

Since the start of the pandemic, we have seen a marked increase in enquiries about dentistry. This report highlights the themes we’ve been hearing about.