People's experiences of health and care services and accessing information

Healthwatch Wokingham Borough carried out research into people’s experiences of health and care services as well as accessing information. To collect the views of residents in Wokingham Borough, they ran a survey between May and July 2020. They received 173 responses from people across the Borough.

From the comments and experiences shared with Healthwatch Wokingham Borough, it is clear that people are hugely grateful to the NHS and social care and their dedication during the pandemic to take care of people. Whilst there were lots of examples of where services were working well, there were things that could be improved on. For example, some people found it difficult to find information about services, service change and how to access services. There were also problems accessing certain services, especially dental care and phlebotomy.

Health Wokingham Borough recommends that all health and care services need to provide timely up to date information about any changes to services and how they are delivered. Services need to provide information that is easy to find and presented in formats for those who are disadvantaged or don’t have English as a first language. They also recommend that commissioners need to make timely provision for any increase in need for mental health services as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.