News and reports

Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham has launched a new survey to hear about how people are accessing social care, whether they know where to go, and how the public feel about accessing social care if they had a need. The survey is open to everyone, even if you've never had social care before.

On October 10th, many people took a moment to think about mental health as they marked World Mental Health Day.

In June 2024, Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham published an Engagement Summary on Mental Health and Wellbeing. Our findings revealed that many individuals were unaware of the services available or how to access them.
With World Mental Health day coming up on 10th October, we’ve decided to share some thoughts and local initiatives to inspire our community to take care of their mental health by taking time to themselves or trying something new. This blog will cover Physical Activity.

Earlier this month, GOV.UK announced their newly-named Best Start in Life brand and website. The new initiative brings together all services, offers and support available across the country to help guide and support parents from pregnancy, through to toddlerhood and childcare, to starting school and beyond.

The Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham Annual Report 2024–2025 showcases our ongoing work to amplify community voices, influence health and social care services, and tackle health inequalities across the borough.

The NHS 10-Year Health Plan was published in July and launched from northeast London. The large document is ambitious and radical, but it will take time to work through the detail over the coming years.

In June 2024, Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham published an Engagement Summary on Mental Health and Wellbeing. Our findings revealed that many individuals were unaware of the services available or how to access them.
In response, we’ve decided to share some thoughts and local initiatives to inspire our community to take care of their mental health by taking time to themselves and trying something new. This blog will cover Arts, Crafts and Creative Practices, and how you can get creative.

Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham is pleased to announce the completion of its latest project exploring how leisure and spiritual activities in care homes support residents’ wellbeing. The project involved in-person visits and face-to-face surveys with residents and their relatives

The Kallar Lodge Enter and View Report presents the findings of a Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham visit to Kallar Lodge, a residential dementia care home in Dagenham. The visit aimed to understand how well leisure, educational, and spiritual activities support residents' well-being and how much residents are involved in co-designing these offerings.

The Enter and View report by Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham details an unannounced visit to Alexander Court Care Home on 5 March 2025 to assess the quality of resident activities and spiritual inclusion.

The Department of Health and Social Care has published the Review of Patient Safety Across the Health and Care Landscape, led by Dr Penny Dash. It highlights the increasing complexity of the current system and recommends major changes, including dismantling local Healthwatch in its current form and integrating its functions into Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and Local Authorities.

Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham has launched a new survey to hear directly from family carers about their experiences with health and care services — and how support for carers can be improved.