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Advice and Information -
Health issues unfortunately don't leave us alone at the weekend and people are often in need of medical assistance out of hours. Using NHS guidelines, we have provided some advice and information on where you can go for help when your GP is closed.Advice and Information -
The new Pharmacy First scheme enables your local pharmacy to treat some common conditions with prescription-only medicines, without you visiting your GP. Find out everything you need to know.Report -
On this page is our national partner Healthwatch England’s pharmacy closures briefing report, after they sent a Freedom of Information (FoI) request to all 42 Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in England to investigate the issue of pharmacy closures. Read a brief summary of the key findings and recommendations for healthcare leaders below.Report -
Our report on Patient Experiences of Pharmacy Services, detailing a total of 141 experiences about Pharmacy Services across Devon, Plymouth and Torbay during the 18-month period. Issues raised by those surveyed include medication delays and supply problems that affect the prescription/repeat prescription service, patients not knowing when their medications are ready for collection, and phone calls going unanswered. We have shared the report and its findings with NHS stakeholders in Devon and made key recommendations for them.
By Healthwatch in Devon, Plymouth, and TorbayReport -
This Patient Experience Summary covers the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022.
This summary will focus on the feedback raised in Plymouth. The data for Torbay and Devon for the last 12 months is not sufficient to draw conclusions or observations, but issues raised have been similar. When looking at the Plymouth data specifically and comparing the amount of feedback received since 1 April 2018, we have seen an increase year on year.Response -
Healthwatch England responds to the National Pharmacy Association's call to reduce services.Response -
Read Healthwatch England's response to the news that more funding will be made available for community pharmacies.News -
NHS prescription charges in England will be frozen for the first time in 3 years, keeping the cost of a prescription below ten pounds.News -
The General Pharmaceutical Council has launched its new strategic plan at a UK Parliamentary event attended by the UK Pharmacy Minister.News -
A year after the launch of Pharmacy First, the NHS scheme designed to speed up treatment for common conditions, our national partners Healthwatch England have published a new poll of over 7,000 adults’ experience of using pharmacies.Report -
In January 2024, Pharmacy First went live, helping people get treatment for seven common conditions faster without seeing a GP. Our new report examines people's experiences with pharmacy services one year later, identifying what's working and the remaining challenges.Response -
The annual GP Patient Survey is out today. It highlights improvements to how people access care from their GP, pharmacy, dentistry, and other primary care teams. Read the response of our national partner Healthwatch England.Advice and Information -
The wait for planned medical care or surgery can be frustrating. That’s why you must get regular and accessible updates while you wait.Advice and Information -
The usual processes the NHS follows to discharge you from hospital have changed since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s what you can expect when it’s time to leave hospital.Report -
In October 2023, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust’s (UHP) Royal Eye Infirmary (REI) service moved from its location at Derriford Hospital to a new purpose-built building in the International Business Park near to the Derriford Hospital Site. Earlier this year Healthwatch Plymouth (HWP) conducted visits to the REI to engage with patients around their experiences of the new facility. This engagement report collates and summarises this patient feedback.News -
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust is proud to announce details of its annual Our People Awards celebration event, thanks to the generosity of its corporate sponsors.News -
Nearly a fifth of people who have experienced trauma say they often avoid health services. Healthwatch England have called on the NHS to adopt pocket-sized trauma cards for patients to show during appointments, following a successful pilot.Report -
In the Spring and Summer of 2023, independent consumer champion Healthwatch in Devon, Plymouth, and Torbay (HWDPT) were commissioned by NHS Devon to visit Emergency Departments (EDs) across Devon’s four Acute Hospital sites to speak to patients to better understand what informed and influenced their decision to attend ED. 511 people conversed with HWDPT during 34 visits at various times and days, which included daytime, evenings and weekends.
By Healthwatch in Devon, Plymouth, and TorbayReport -
This Healthwatch England briefing discusses people’s experiences of urgent and emergency care (UEC) services from December 2020 to August 2022.
It mentions how Healthwatch in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay reported on four Emergency Departments across Devon in September 2021. At all four hospitals they found that people had gone to the emergency department because they could not access another service, such as the GP or NHS 111. In one visit to one of the emergency departments they found that over half (51%) of patients attending were there because they couldn’t see their GP.Report -
In 2022, Healthwatch in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay held a series of meetings with the South West representative of the Royal Association for Deaf People to discuss various concerns that were being raised around access to British Sign Language (BSL) qualified interpreters. These concerns include:
• Interpreters to support appointments in hospital and GP surgeries
• Interpreters to support complaints process
• Access to informationReport -
Building on previous pieces of work on the NHS 111 services provided by Devon Doctors in Devon and Somerset, Healthwatch in Devon, Plymouth, and Torbay (HWDPT) and Healthwatch Somerset (HWS) worked together to find out whether people’s experiences with the 111 service had improved or changed since the previous research was carried out.
This report highlights our key findings and detailed responses.Report -
In October 2023, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust’s (UHP) Royal Eye Infirmary (REI) service moved from its location at Derriford Hospital to a new purpose-built building in the International Business Park near to the Derriford Hospital Site. Earlier this year Healthwatch Plymouth (HWP) conducted visits to the REI to engage with patients around their experiences of the new facility. This engagement report collates and summarises this patient feedback.News -
A Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust team has been shortlisted for its work on digital literacy and inclusion in the prestigious Health Services Journal (HSJ) digital awards 2025.News -
Want to find out more about heart health? Join Naing KoKo, consultant cardiologist, at a free health talk on Tuesday 29 April 2025, from 5.30pm-6.30pm at TREC, Torbay Hospital (or online).News -
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust have confirmed that they have secured £7.3million from the estates safety fund to reduce their critical infrastructure risks at Torbay Hospital, helping to prevent cancelled appointments and operations.Response -
Patients are being promised better, faster and more appropriate emergency care under government reforms to shorten waiting times in A&E.News -
NHS England has published a refreshed version of the Accessible Information Standard (AIS) which was first released in 2016. Here we look at what the standard means for you and and how this has changed with the refreshed version.News -
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has upgraded Surgery Services at Derriford Hospital to Good across all five key questions: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, and Well-led.Response -
Read Healthwatch England's response to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report, The Safety Gap, on the accessibility of medicines for people with sensory impairments.News -
The NHS in Devon is preparing for the start of the holiday season, as the first of many visitors start to arrive for the Easter weekend.Report -
Research from our national partners Healthwatch England has found that costs for additional services when visiting opticians are a barrier to care for people on low incomes.News -
Ahead of the bank holiday weekend, the advice is to:
• Order and collect any repeat medicines
• Make sure your medicine cabinet is well-stocked
• Make use of community pharmacies
• Look after yourselves and loved ones - check in on vulnerable family members and neighbours.
Report -
The impact ADHD has on people’s lives can be profound and can be spread across multiple areas of their life. Healthwatch England's new report highlights these impacts and the changes they are calling for to ensure everyone gets the support they need.News -
The Torbay Health and Wellbeing Voluntary Sector Network has released its second annual report showcasing an “extraordinary year of community collaboration, impact, and resilience in the face of ongoing economic and social challenges”.Response -
The ADHD taskforce have today published the first part of their report. The final report will be available later this year.Response -
Our national partner Healthwatch England's response to the latest NHS waiting times data.Response -
The Government has announced measures to improve women's experiences with cervical screening. Booking screening should be easier, and lower-risk people will attend fewer appointments.News -
Record numbers of patients in Devon are now accessing healthcare services through the NHS App.Blog -
People in Torbay have improved access to low-level healthcare support after we led on a collaborative Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) prevention project offering free blood pressure and health checks in the local community.News -
The NHS App will be updated to 'democratise' healthcare by giving all patients more access to triage tools and comparison information about providers from the NHS App.News -
NHS England has published the long-awaited updates to the Accessible Information Standard. Read our response.News -
Are you a refugee or seeking asylum in England? Learn about how to access NHS care and what services you’re entitled to.News -
Our national partner Healthwatch England's self-selecting survey of nearly 1,400 trans and non-binary adults highlights that only 53% rate their GP practice as 'good' for general care.Report -
Latest research shows the barriers that trans and non-binary people face when seeking care.Blog -
Our insights into people's experiences of using community-based care.