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We are thrilled to welcome the Government's announcement that Healthwatch England and local Healthwatch will not be abolished, as previously proposed eighteen months ago. This means Healthwatch Reading, alongside all 153 local Healthwatch organisations and our national body, Healthwatch England, will continue to be your champion for health and care, ensuring your voices, opinions and experiences help make systems and services work better for people and communities. Looking ah

Caring for a partner, parent, relative or friend can bring unique challenges. However, many men do not identify themselves as carers, which can make it harder for them to access the support, advice and information available to them. We are delighted to announce that we've been awarded funding through the Better Care Fund from Reading Council for our Men as Carers project. One of just 10 projects selected for funding, our project aims to better understand the experiences of ma

At our recent Racism in Care Forum, we heard about Operation Cavell, a national initiative that brings together NHS organisations and police forces to improve responses to violence, aggression, abuse and discrimination directed towards healthcare staff. Guest speaker Alison Drew, Associate Chief Nurse for Patient Experience, Workforce and Education, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, highlighted that everyone has the right to feel safe when accessing or delivering care. Wh

On Tuesday 13th October, the future of Healthwatch was a key topic during the House of Lords' second reading of the Health Bill. The Bill currently proposes the closure of Healthwatch at both national and local level. During the debate, Peers discussed key issues within the Bill and highlighted areas where they believe changes may be needed. There was strong support across political parties for keeping an independent patient voice, with many recognising the important role H

Why we held the forum On 1 October, more than 75 people attended our Racism in Care Forum, delivered through our Thinking Together community engagement model in partnership with Healthwatch Wokingham Borough and the Alliance for Cohesion and Racial Equality (ACRE). The forum brought together people with lived experience, community members, NHS trusts, councils, health and social care professionals, academics, and voluntary and community organisations to discuss racism, discri

We are pleased to share our summary report and infographic series from our NHS App project, in partnership with Healthwatch Wokingham Borough. Throughout the project, we listened to people across the borough and Reading about their experiences of using the NHS App. Through our joint survey, community conversations and engagement activities, we gathered a significant amount of feedback and insights from local people. Our summary report brings this together into four key he

Alongside completing our NHS App survey, residents shared their experiences of using the NHS App and accessing healthcare through other digital services during community conversations and engagement activities across the borough and Reading. A key theme that emerged from this feedback is a need for a simpler and more joined-up digital healthcare experience. While many residents valued the convenience of managing appointments, prescriptions and health records online, others de

Using the NHS App isn’t always straightforward. We wanted to hear from local people about their experiences of getting help with the App; who they turn to and what they need help with. During our NHS App project people Reading and Wokingham Borough told us about the different ways they get support, from family and friends, community groups to their GP surgery. But we also found that formal support, such as commissioned digital café sessions were rarely used because people di

The Big Conversation is your chance to share your views on the future of adult social care. Adult social care supports adults with care and support needs. This includes old people, disabled people and people with long term health conditions. Most of us will need care at some point in our lives or have a loved one who will. We pay for social care through our taxes. So care matters to all of us. The Big Conversation, led by Baroness Louise Casey, is part of the work being un

Following our first infographic exploring residents’ experiences of the NHS App, we’re sharing the next set of findings from our survey results and conversations with local communities. Our findings show that nearly 1 in 2 people surveyed across Reading do not currently use the NHS App. When responses from Reading and Wokingham Borough are combined, this figure is 1 in 3 people. People told us there are several reasons for this, including preferring traditional ways to access

Have you experienced racism, discrimination, prejudice, or unequal treatment in health and social care settings? This could include treatment because of your race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, culture, disability, age, gender, sexuality or any other aspect of who you are. If so, we want to hear from you. Click here to share your experience anonymously. Health and social care services experience Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity, respect and fairness when acces

A huge thank you to everyone who supported our NHS App project, completed our survey, left comments on our social media channels or spoke to our engagement officers at local community events – your voice matters and helps improve services and care. Between October 2025 and January 2026, we heard from 483 residents across Reading. In total, we received 1,436 responses, including 953 responses from Wokingham Borough. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be running a campaign to share

Last updated August 2026 Welcome to our NHS App information page. This is your one-stop page for support and guidance for using the app. Whether you're just getting started or want to learn more, we’ve got you covered. If you can’t use the NHS App on your mobile phone, you can still access the same services and information through the NHS website. You can log in online using a laptop, computer, tablet or phone with internet access: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-app/ You can also co

Healthwatch Reading is inviting local people to share their experiences of leaving hospital as part of a new survey to improve hospital discharge experiences across the country. Being discharged means leaving the hospital ward where you were being treated. This may include returning home, moving to a care home, to a community hospital bed, or somewhere else to continue your recovery. If patients are discharged too early without proper support, they may need to be readmitted t

Reading Borough Council (RBC) wants to hear your views on the draft Adult Social Care Strategy 2026 - 2031. Why should you respond? Your views will help RBC understand if the proposed priorities reflect what matters most to you and if there are any areas they should improve upon before the strategy is finalised. How to respond? Please click here to complete the online survey. The link will open in a new tab. Note, the survey closes on 31st August 2026. More information about

Last year, Healthwatch Reading brought local people together for our Dying Well community conversation. Residents, carers and professionals shared their experiences of end-of-life care, highlighting the need for earlier conversations, better information, clearer signposting and greater awareness of support available. These findings closely mirror the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's recent report, Conversations that Matter Most, which found that people and familie

Listening to your experiences and amplifying your voices to help shape local healthcare services. Each voice matters. Behind every experience is an opportunity to improve care not only for individuals, but also for communities across Reading. Thank you for sharing your experiences and views with us. We have shared them with key decision-makers g to ensure local services reflect lived experiences and local voices. "More recently, our role has matured further—from listening an

Our evaluation report, which features recommendations on Reading’s Community Wellness Outreach Programme, is now live. What is the Community Wellness Outreach programme? In 2022/23, only 6%* of eligible local people (aged 40–74 who hadn’t had a check in the previous five years) accessed a free NHS Health Check at their GP surgeries. It was also clear that some people from different communities across Reading were not attending their GP at all. To address this, the Community W

Opening hours for local pharmacies are listed below. The details are correct at the time of publishing but are subject to change. Please contact the pharmacy before travelling to ensure they are open and have the medication you need. Pharmacy Many local pharmacies will be closed or operating reduced hours throughout the Easter holidays. However, there are still some pharmacies in Reading and beyond you can visit if you want to speak to a pharmacist about any health concerns

In June 2025, the government announced plans to close Healthwatch England and local Healthwatch organisations, with responsibilities expected to transfer through legislation to other parts of the system (subject to confirmation). Following this announcement, The King’s Fund has published a report The Future of Patient Voice: Learning from the Healthwatch Model (commissioned in part by Healthwatch England but developed independently by The King’s Fund). The report looks at th