Annual Report 2022/23

Healthwatch Bolton report on its key achievements for 2022/23.  It:

• Helped improve access to cervical screening through the Smears Means Years project, which delivered 75 community-based smear tests, 259 health checks and 168 COVID vaccinations for people in deprived and seldom-heard communities. The project received a Highly Commended Impact Award from Healthwatch England. 
• Influenced the development of extended primary care services by gathering public feedback on evening and weekend appointments. Recommendations were incorporated into the implementation of the service. 
• Contributed to the development of Bolton’s new Carers Strategy, ensuring carers’ experiences and priorities were reflected in future support planning. 
• Carried out research on virtual healthcare appointments, making recommendations to ensure patients retain a choice of face-to-face appointments and that older people, disabled people and those without digital access are not disadvantaged. NHS partners committed to responding to the findings. 
• Continued to raise concerns about access to NHS dentistry, submitting evidence to the Health and Social Care Select Committee enquiry into NHS dentistry and using residents’ experiences to highlight the impact on health and wellbeing. 
• Helped secure new free PSA (prostate cancer) screening sessions in Farnworth and Westhoughton after raising concerns from local support groups about access for men from ethnically diverse communities.
• Used public feedback on the cost-of-living crisis to inform local authority work on community support initiatives and wider health and wellbeing planning.