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Advice and Information -
People have told us they can have problems registering with a GP. This article explains more about your rights and what do to if you are refused the right to register. -
Advice and Information -
Find out what support is available to help you when travelling to your GP, hospital or other NHS services. -
Advice and Information -
With more and more appointments happening online, we've put together some tips on how to get the most out of the virtual health and care appointments both for patients and health and care professionals. -
Report -
Our report looks at what you told us about whether you could access your GP and the barriers you faced. -
Report -
Read about our biggest projects over the last year and the engagement we have done to find out what matters to you and how you want to see services improve. -
Report -
Read our report into the consultation we conducted with carers about health and social care issues that have an impact on their wellbeing. -
Report -
Find out about the problems people are facing when trying to get an appointment with their GP. -
Report -
Read our report into the barriers faced by deaf people who are trying to access health and social care services across Hartlepool. -
Report -
Read about this years successes and highlights in our annual report, as well as the biggest projects we have worked on over the last financial year. -
Report -
Find out about our year and the projects we have undertaken in our latest annual report. -
Report -
Healthwatch Hartlepool recognises that many people in Hartlepool are significantly affected by health inequalities and high levels of ill-health. -
Advice and Information -
To book an appointment for the 7 Day GP Access Service, please contact your own GP surgery first! -
Advice and Information -
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, The NHS bowel cancer screening kit detects signs of cancer before you notice anything wrong. Detecting it at the earliest stage makes it up to 9 times more likely to be successfully treated. So if you're aged 60 to 74 (lowering to 50 by 2025), live in England and registered with a GP practice, you’ll be sent a kit in the post automatically, every two years. The kit is quick and simple to complete and can be done in the privacy of your own bathroom using the step-by-step instructions on the box. You only need to collect one tiny sample of poo using the plastic stick provided, pop it in the sample bottle and post it for free, to be tested.
The test works by checking for tiny traces of blood, which may not be visible to the naked eye. Blood in your poo is one of the signs of bowel cancer but does not always mean cancer. Instead, it could be a sign of piles or polyps (growths in the bowel). Polyps are not cancer but could develop into cancer over time.
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News -
Are you aged 16-25?
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Advice and Information -
Independent NHS Complaints Advocacy supports people to raise their concerns and complaints about NHS care and treatment.
Call our helpline on 03003 038037 for information, guidance and support. 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday.
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News -
Healthwatch Hartlepool Newsletter for September is now available to download
Click on the link! -
News -
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has launched an NHS campaign to encourage members of the public who could be living with undiagnosed high blood pressure to get their blood pressure checked at a participating pharmacy.
The campaign, backed by British Heart Foundation, Stroke Association, Heart Research UK, Blood Pressure UK, May Measurement Month, British Society for Heart Failure, and more, warns that there are often ‘no clues’ about who might have high blood pressure.
Who can get a free blood pressure check
You can get a free blood pressure check if you:
are aged 40 or over and live in England
You cannot get a free blood pressure check if you:
already have high blood pressure and have had your blood pressure checked by a healthcare professional in the past 6 months
What happens when you get your blood pressure checked
A pharmacist, or member of the pharmacy team, will wrap a blood pressure cuff around your upper arm to measure your blood pressure. They will then share the result with you.
Depending on the result, they might:
give you advice to support healthy living
give you a blood pressure monitor to take home with you and return later advise you to see a GP
If you’re registered with a GP surgery, your GP health record will be updated.
To find a pharmacy near you that offers free blood pressure checks, click on the link below!
Or pop into your local pharmacy and ask about a `Free blood pressure check.`
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Advice and Information -
GP Practice services have changed to meet increasing demand and respond to local health care needs.
Healthwatch Hartlepool have produced a booklet called "Top Tips for Accessing your GP Practise", that gives advice and information on the many services available at your local GP practice.
Click here to download our booklet! -
Advice and Information -
Do you struggle to speak to your doctor about your medical concerns? You’re not alone. Take a look at our top tips to make the most out of your GP appointment. -
Advice and Information -
Take a look at our advice article on the organisations and groups that can support you if you’re grieving. -
Advice and Information -
Waiting for planned medical care or surgery can be a frustrating time. That’s why it’s so important that while you wait, you get regular, clear and accessible updates so that you can plan your next steps. -
Advice and Information -
The current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may cause you to feel worried, anxious, or scared. Read our tips to looking after your wellbeing when self-isolating. -
Report -
We are the independent champion for people who use health and social care services in Hartlepool. Find out about our year in our annual report. -
News -
The Healthwatch Hartlepool Newsletter for September is now available to download. Please click on the link below -
Report -
Find out more about our Enter & View visit to Stichell House Care Home and the recommendations we put to the service following our visit. The visit to Stichell House was the first actual visit conducted by Healthwatch Hartlepool since the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020. -
Advice and Information -
Contracting COVID-19 can be a distressing experience that affects people differently, meaning you may have different care and wellbeing needs to others. Although most people who have a mild case of COVID-19 recover quickly, around one in ten patients will report prolonged symptoms that can last for several weeks or even months. These symptoms can include chronic fatigue, shortness of breath, a cough and loss of sense of taste and smell, among others. Where symptoms persist past twelve weeks, this is known as post-Covid syndrome. If your symptoms last for more than twelve weeks, you may require support to ensure that you recover well. NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) have compiled a variety of self-help resources, as well as information on the services available locally that can assist you with post-Covid syndrome. This information covers things like diet, exercise and smoking (if applicable), getting back to work and when to seek further support.