Not sure what the NHS app is or how it works? This information is for you. By downloading the NHS app on your mobile phone or using it online through a laptop or computer (more details below), you can: Access your health record and test results (notes related to GP appointments, test results and letters). Order repeat prescriptions and nominate a pharmacy where you would like to collect your prescriptions. Book and manage GP appointments and referrals. View and manage your hospital and other healthcare appointments. View useful links your doctor or health professional has shared with you. Access other NHS services. View and manage care plans. Use NHS 111 online to answer questions and get instant advice or medical help near you. Get your NHS Covid Pass for travel. Book your COVID-19 Vaccine. Register your organ donation decision. Choose how the NHS uses your data. If you are a carer you can request to be linked to the records of the person you care for by directly contacting your GP surgery. How the app works The NHS app has been created for anyone aged 13 years old and over who is registered with a GP surgery, to access a range of NHS services. Patients under the age of 13 cannot use the NHS App at all. Under the age of 13, parents or guardians can request for their child’s record to be linked to their account. To access the NHS App, you will need to set up an NHS login and prove who you are. Your NHS App then securely connects to information from your GP surgery. If your device supports fingerprint detection or facial recognition, you can use it to log in to your NHS App each time, instead of using a password and security code. These app services are also available in a web browser using a laptop or computer too, by logging in through the NHS website, here. You can contact your doctor's surgery to learn more about the NHS app or you can download, learn more and get help with the app, by clicking here. Other information If you are worried someone is/or could be accessing your phone or might force you to show them your records, please contact your doctor's surgery to request that these are NOT shared via the app. ------------------ Please contact us to tell us what you think of the app (good or bad) and we'll use your feedback anonymously to inform NHS England, here. We are discussing the app and other services that are available to you at your local doctor's surgery, along with gathering feedback on your experiences at your doctor's surgery (the good or bad) for our ongoing project. You are welcome to join us to share your views with us: Wednesday 29th Nov: 7.00pm-8.30pm - Online community event: Healthwatch Reading and Healthwatch Wokingham Borough are hosting an online event where locals from both areas will come together to discuss services at local doctor's surgeries. Click here to register for the online event. If you’d like more information or want to join the conversation in person or online, we’d love to hear from you: Email: info@healthwatchreading.co.uk Call: 0118 214 5579

Rosebank House on Lower Henley Road, Caversham has been rated " requires improvement" in safety and effectiveness. Rosebank House provides services and care for adults under the age of 65 years old: Treatment of disease, disorder or injury Assessment or medical treatment for persons detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 Caring for people whose rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act Mental health conditions The CQC report states: "Our rating of this location went down. We rated it as requires improvement because: • Care plans and risk assessments were generic and not person-centred. This meant not all individual needs were being met. • Some patients told us they were not involved in their care planning and decisions about their care and treatment. • Staff did not ensure that medical equipment was suitably maintained, and a record kept of this. • Blind spot audits were not being carried out as per the ligature risk management policy. • There was not a full Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT). There was no occupational therapist and no psychologist. • Staff did not provide meaningful activities suitable for a long-stay rehabilitation service. • Staff did not ensure that patients received one-to-one time with their named nurse. You can read the full report published on 4th November, here. If you wish to share feedback with us on Rosebank, please contact us here. We will share this information with the CQC anonymously.

Dr Amit Sharma, GP Partner at Brookside Group Practice, talks about how the doctor surgeries across Berkshire West are trying to improve services for everyone, and how you can also take charge of your care. What are your views? What are your experiences at your local doctor surgery? Come and meet the team to share your views and experiences (good or bad) at events across Reading this month, listed below. You can read more about our project and how we are trying to improve services for everyone, here. Everyone is welcome to come along and join Reading locals to discuss local doctor surgeries: Wednesday 29th Nov: 7.00pm-8.30pm - Online community event: Healthwatch Reading and Healthwatch Wokingham Borough are hosting an online event where locals from both areas will come together to discuss services at local doctor's surgeries. Click here to register for the online event. If you’d like more information or want to join the conversation in person or online, we’d love to hear from you: Email: info@healthwatchreading.co.uk Call: 0118 214 5579

People across the UK continue to experience problems registering with a doctor. We explain your rights and what to do if you're refused the right to register with a doctor, using NHS guidelines. Do I need proof of address to register with a doctor? NHS guidelines state that you do not need proof of address, immigration status, ID or an NHS number to register with a doctor. Some doctor surgeries may ask for supporting documentation. They might have a few reasons to do this: It can help the surgery find or transfer your medical records from another practice. It confirms that you live in the surgery's practice area if they do not accept patients from outside this area. If you don't have a permanent address, you can still register using a temporary address or the address of the doctor's surgery. Do I need identification to register with a doctor? No, you do not have to provide an ID when registering with a doctor, but it can help. Below is a list of documents that you can use as ID if you want to: Passport Birth certificate Biometric residence permit Travel document HC2 certificate ARC card Utility bill What could stop me from being able to register at a doctor's surgery? A doctor must explain why they refuse your request to register in writing. The doctor has the right to refuse if: The practice isn't currently accepting new patients. The practice only accepts patients living within its practice area. What to do if you're refused the right to register There could be several reasons a doctor may refuse your registration. But they must explain why in writing within 14 days. If you have problems registering with a doctor's surgery: Call Healthwatch Reading: 0118 937 2295 Call the NHS England Customer Contact Centre on 0300 311 22 33 Here are some ways that you can make a complaint: Contact Healthwatch Reading, here. By post: NHS England, P.O. Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT By phone: NHS England: 0300 311 2233 (Telephone Interpreter Service available) This information can be made available in alternative formats, such as easy-read or large print and may be available in alternative languages upon request. To receive this, contact 0300 311 2233 or send an email to NHS England. I want to change my doctor's surgery. Do I have to give a reason? No, you don't have to tell your practice why you want to change or your new one why you made that decision. You'll need to fill in a registration form. A request will then be made to your current doctor to transfer your medical records to the new doctor's surgery. Read more information on registering with a practice further away from your residence. Registering as a temporary patient You can register with a doctor's surgery as a temporary patient. You can register as a temporary resident with a doctor's surgery for up to three months. To register, you must fill out a temporary services form (GMS3) from doctor surgeries. After three months, you must reapply to register as a temporary resident or become a permanent patient. More information can be found by clicking here. Accessing doctor's care as a student If you become unwell or need other medical treatment when you're at home or not staying near your university doctor, you can contact your nearest practice to ask for treatment. You can receive emergency treatment for 14 days. After that, you will have to register as a temporary resident or permanent patient. You can also visit an NHS urgent treatment centre. You don't need an appointment, and you don't need to be registered. They can treat minor injuries or illnesses such as cuts, and bruises. They aren't designed for treating long-term conditions or life-threatening problems.

NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB) is looking to redesign its non-emergency patient transport services. The Board want to hear from Reading locals, carers or family members of those who use the service to inform the redesign. What is non-emergency patient transport? Non-emergency patient transport services provide free transport services for people who need to travel to or from a hospital or a medical appointment but are unable to travel without specialist support. For example, for people with severe mobility difficulties or who need extra support during a journey. How to give your feedback? Online: Click the link to complete the online survey - https://yourvoicebob-icb.uk.engagementhq.com/non-emergency-patient-transport-services-in-bob/survey_tools/nepts-survey Hardcopy of the survey: Please contact engagement.bobics@nhs.net for a print copy of the survey or if you require the survey in a different language. Post: You can also share your views by writing to: Freepost BOB INTEGRATED CARE BOARD (When using this address, please ensure you write in capital letters)

It’s well known that doctor surgeries are extremely stretched not only locally in Reading but also across the UK. Three Healthwatch (Reading, Wokingham and West Berkshire) have joined forces after hearing locally, across different communities, that people registered with local doctors are not aware of the new ways doctor surgeries are working. The Healthwatch project will focus on understanding what local people know about doctor surgery services, where there are information gaps and how communication can improve to inform local people about services available. With the anonymous information gathered, Healthwatch want to be able to support doctor surgeries to improve their communication with their patients to reduce the number of complaints received about access to services. Healthwatch wants to also increase awareness of other services available to help locals including self-help. For example, getting more people to use the NHS App, which in turn can also help reduce phone wait times. As part of the project, Healthwatch Reading is asking people from all communities to join focus groups across Reading to talk about experiences and views on local doctor surgeries. Everyone is welcome to come along and join Reading locals: Wednesday 29th Nov: 7.00pm-8.30pm - Online community event: Healthwatch Reading and Healthwatch Wokingham Borough are hosting an online event where locals from both areas will come together to discuss services at local doctor's surgeries. Click here to register for the online event. If you’d like more information or want to join the conversation in person or online, we’d love to hear from you: Email: info@healthwatchreading.co.uk Call: 0118 214 5579

This week the NHS opened up bookings for anyone eligible for the Autumn Covid vaccine (including carers, over 65’s, pregnant women). You can now book your vaccine via the NHS website, NHS app or by calling 119 (free of charge). GP practices and other local NHS services will also be contacting people to offer both flu and Covid vaccines, and people can book the flu vaccine by searching online for a local pharmacy. Covid vaccinations for those aged under 18 years will begin later in the year – the NHS will let eligible families know when this offer opens. The Autumn Covid and Flu vaccine programmes have been brought forward on the advice of scientists following the emergence of a new Covid variant (BA.2.86), which has a high number of mutations. On 11 September, care home residents and people who are housebound began receiving their Covid and flu vaccinations with visits from their local NHS team. To find out more, please visit Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB) website.

The UK government has confirmed it will introduce ‘Martha’s rule’ to ensure people can quickly access a second opinion in hospital during serious illness. Health Secretary Steve Barclay told the BBC he was ‘committed’ to introducing the measure, after he met Merope Mills to hear her calls for change. She has spoken publicly about how she believed the failure of doctors to listen to concerns about her daughter Martha, led to the 13-year-old’s death in hospital from sepsis. The health secretary has now asked the Patient Safety Commissioner to explore how ‘Martha’s rule' would work in practice. Similar schemes running abroad allow people to directly trigger a second opinion, rather than having to persuade doctors or hospitals to obtain an independent clinical view on someone’s care and treatment. Our chief executive Louise Ansari welcomed the government’s commitment to introducing the rule and called for a uniform scheme in all hospitals that was simple for people to understand. You can read more here, about Martha's Rule.

Want to make a difference to how health and social care services are delivered to local people? Interested in a varied role where your input matters with an employer who is committed to flexible working? We're currently looking for passionate and innovative people to join our team: Healthwatch Officers (Engagement) - Healthwatch Reading and Healthwatch Wokingham Borough Healthwatch Officer (Communication) - Healthwatch West Berkshire Senior Healthwatch Officer (Engagement) - Healthwatch across Berkshire West (Reading, West Berkshire and Wokingham Borough) Area Director - Healthwatch across Berkshire West (Reading, West Berkshire and Wokingham Borough) The three Healthwatch in Berkshire West are hosted by The Advocacy People who would be your employer. For more information and how to apply, head to their website here.

Following recent industrial action by junior doctors, for the second time hospital consultants – including those at hospitals across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB) – are taking industrial action for 48 hours from 7am on Thursday 24 August to 7am on Saturday 26 August. The Trusts affected by this action in our area are: Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust Oxford University Hospitals NHS FT Oxford Health NHS FT Royal Berkshire NHS FT Berkshire Healthcare NHS Trust South Central Ambulance Service NHS FT Although our local hospitals will continue to provide urgent and emergency care they have had to reschedule appointments and elective inpatient and day case procedures to ensure they keep patients who are currently in hospital safe. To help the NHS safely manage the impact of industrial action, some routine and non-urgent appointments and procedures, day surgery and some elective surgery across all hospitals in BOB on Thursday 24, Friday 25, and Saturday 26 August have been rescheduled. Some appointments before and after the days of industrial action may also be affected. All patients who are affected are being contacted directly. This period of industrial action is taking place during the peak of the summer holidays and leading up to the bank holiday weekend so there is significant pressure on our services. Urgent and emergency care services will be affected by the upcoming industrial action in terms of waiting times. Emergency Department colleagues will be working exceptionally hard and will have to prioritise patients who genuinely need emergency care. Patients with appointments booked on strike days will be contacted by the NHS if their appointment needs to be rescheduled. If they have not been contacted, they should attend their appointment as planned. The NHS is doing everything possible to prioritise patients with the highest clinical needs, including patients who have already waited a long time for their treatment and cancer and dialysis patients. Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward as normal, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases - when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk. If a patient’s condition is less serious, they are likely to face a very long wait, or will be asked to find help elsewhere – whether that be a local Pharmacy or Minor Injuries Unit. If people need medical help or advice or are unsure about whether they should go to hospital, they are advised to contact NHS 111 online unless it is a life-threatening emergency when they should still call 999. Patients should take advice from 111 / 999 call-handlers on whether there are circumstances where it is suitable for them to make their own way to hospital. During strike days, it is likely 999 and 111 call handlers will be very busy, this may mean longer call response times. As a result, the NHS is urging anyone with non-urgent care need to first seek help from NHS 111 online. In the meantime, people can help by ensuring prescriptions are up to date and looking out for vulnerable family and friends. People are reminded to: Continue to access GPs as normal Call 111 to get the right service for their needs Make sure prescriptions are up to date Stay safe and look out for vulnerable family and friends Keep appointments unless contacted by the NHS with alternative arrangements Remember A&E is for emergencies and life-threatening situations NHS staff are working extremely hard during a very challenging time – please do treat them with respect. We appreciate people's understanding and co-operation during this time. Dr Nick Broughton Chief Executive

Healthwatch Reading are pleased to share our plans for what we will be working on over the coming months. Our major project will be around GP practices, exploring how they now work and how much patients and the public know about what they now offer. We'll be running a series of focus groups in the autumn so if you'd like to be involved keep an eye on our website and social media. You can download the full plan here:

The pharmacies listed here should be open as shown but this may be subject to change. Please contact the pharmacy before going to check they are open and have the medication you require. Asda Pharmacy, Chalfont Way, Lower Earley, Reading, RG6 5TT Tel: 0118 987 0310 Open: 10:00-16:00 Asda Pharmacy, Honey End Lane, Tilehurst , Reading, RG30 4EL Tel: 0118 951 4710 Open: 10:00-16:00 Boots the Chemists, 47-48 Broad Street, Reading, RG1 2AE Tel: 0118 957 1135 Open: 11:00-17:00 Tesco Pharmacy, Napier Road, Reading, RG1 8DF Tel: 0118 990 4507 Open: 09:00-17:00 Tesco Pharmacy, Portman Road, Reading, RG30 1AH Tel: 0118 990 4803 Open: 09:00-17:00