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Most NHS care is free at the point of use, however, in some situations, people may be asked to pay for certain types of treatment. This is known as NHS overseas billing. The rules can be complicated, so any charges must be handled carefully and clearly explained. When there are billing errors, it can be confusing, distressing and upsetting for patients and their families. People across Reading told us about being wrongly billed for NHS care at the Royal Berkshire Hospital (RB

Sue Ryder has been awarded a major new NHS contract to grow its compassionate palliative and end-of-life care services across Wokingham Borough, Reading, Newbury and South Oxfordshire.    Starting in January 2026, the new services will help more local people living with life-limiting conditions access palliative and end-of-life care to manage their symptoms, provide comfort, and improve their quality of life, often in their own home.  These services include: o        A new Si

Share your anonymous feedback with us, and we’ll pass it on to the CQC. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated My Homecare Reading and Bracknell as inadequate and has placed it in special measures to protect people following an inspection which ended in September.  My Homecare Reading and Bracknell, run by an organisation of the same name, is a home care agency which provides personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of this inspection, 25 people were rece

The Healthwatch Reading office has now closed for Christmas and New Year. Our phone lines are closed  and will reopen at 10am on Tuesday 6th January, 2026. Our office is closed  and will reopen at 9am on Monday 5 th  January, 2026 You can contact us online and leave any feedback: Have Your Say | Healthwatch Reading | Reading . We also have information to help you during the holiday season: https://www.healthwatchreading.co.uk/post/useful-information-for-the-christmas-holida

Below we feature local pharmacy opening times, who to call for non-emergency health concerns, including mental health support, and dentistry. In an emergency People experiencing a genuine, life-threatening health emergency, such as heavy bleeding, significant chest pain or loss of consciousness, should seek help straight away by calling 999 or by visiting the nearest hospital emergency department. Get medical and mental health support help with NHS 111 NHS 111 can also be use

Resident doctors (previously known as junior doctors) are taking industrial action from Wednesday 17 December 2025 to Monday 22 December 2025, locally and nationally. Whilst Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust is putting plans in place to reduce the impact this will have on the running of Royal Berkshire Hospital and its other services, some appointments may need to be changed. If your appointment is impacted by this, you will be contacted by the Trust to reschedule your app

Healthwatch Reading is delighted to see the launch of a new free supervised toothbrushing programme that will support 1,800 children across Reading and help tackle rising levels of tooth decay among young children. Figures from an oral survey published in 2022 revealed that over a third of five-year-olds in Reading experience tooth decay, a rate significantly higher than the national average. 2.5% of two year olds in Reading have had one or more teeth extracted due to denta

Health leaders across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West have issued an urgent plea for eligible people to get their flu vaccine now. With flu cases already increasing rapidly nationwide and the worst of winter only weeks away, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB) is calling on eligible people - especially those at risk due to an existing condition - to get vaccinated without delay. Flu vaccine helps protect against flu,

From 1 December 2025, Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has temporarily stopped accepting new referrals to their Adult ADHD service. The trust said: "This difficult decision has been made in discussion with our local Integrated Care Boards (the organisations responsible for planning health services in their local area) to make sure we can continue to provide safe, effective and sustainable care for people who already use the service." "We know this news may be worryin

The Government has responded to the petition to save Healthwatch, after plans were announced earlier this year to close down Healthwatch England and the local Healthwatch network as part of the NHS 10-Year Health Plan. The petition, which is open until  7 February 2026, calls on the Government to: •  Revisit its decision to abolish local independent services that speak up for the public •  Consult with the public to codesign a service which meets their needs and supports the

As part of the Government's 10-year plan to help improve healthcare in England, some significant changes are taking place. These changes will affect how local services are planned and delivered across Berkshire. Local Changes A new NHS Thames Valley ICB (Integrated Care Board) is being developed. This will involve merger of BOB (Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ) and Frimley ICBs to form a larger body covering much of the Thames valley. Thames Valley ICB will

Are you referred to hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostic test? Was this referral made by a doctor, dentist or another primary healthcare professional? If so, you may be able to claim a refund of reasonable travel costs under the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS). Here are some examples of diagnostic tests: Blood tests Heart tests (ECGs, echocardiograms, and stress tests) Imaging tests (X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and ultrasounds) Lung tes

Welcome to our NHS App information page. This is your one-stop page for support and guidance. 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 a mobile phone, you can still log in through the NHS website. This lets you access NHS services on a laptop, computer, tablet or phone using the internet. You can also still contact your GP practice by phone or in person. What can you do on the NHS app Order repeat prescr

Alice Kunjappy-Clifton, Healthwatch Reading and Healthwatch Wokingham Borough Lead has been appointed to the NHS Race and Health Observatory (RHO) Stakeholder Engagement Advisory Group. This group brings together individuals from across the NHS and wider communities to support the Observatory’s mission to address race and health inequalities. The group meets quarterly to help ensure the RHO’s work remains grounded in the lived experiences of patients, service users, and hea

Covid vaccine eligibility has changed from last winter. For more information, please click here to visit the NHS website, or ask your GP surgery or pharmacy. As we spend more time indoors, winter is the perfect season for illnesses like flu, COVID-19 and RSV(Respiratory, Syncytial Virus) to spread easily from person to person. The cold, damp weather makes it harder to fight off infections as it puts extra strain on your body. Vaccination prevents you from becoming unwell. If

Our NHS app survey is now open. Share your feedback with us today! The Government’s 10-year NHS plan aims to improve healthcare access...

When people can’t understand or be understood by health and social care professionals, their safety and well-being are put at risk. Back in 2022, the Lost for Words   report (in collaboration with different Healthwatch, and the previous Healthwatch Reading team) highlighted how language barriers were affecting people in local health and social care services. We have revisited this report, and what we found is deeply concerning; many of the same issues continue, with very litt

The government has now published its 10-Year Health Plan for England setting out a long -term vision for transformation of health and...

You can save Healthwatch Reading from closing down by signing a petition for the Government to review its decision to abolish independent...

Healthwatch Reading has signed a powerful open letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. What is the purpose of this...