Healthwatch Redbridge

31/08/2026

Winter is when it's hardest to get seen, and a lot of us don't realise how much our local pharmacy can actually do.

Through NHS Pharmacy First, a pharmacist can assess and treat seven common conditions without you needing a GP appointment — sore throats, sinusitis, earache in children, shingles, UTIs and more. No appointment needed, just walk in. The consultation is free.

Many pharmacies across Redbridge also offer flu and COVID vaccinations, blood pressure checks and contraception.

We've put together a short guide on what your pharmacy can help with this winter, and where to go first: https://www.healthwatchredbridge.co.uk/advice-and-information/2026-08-26/your-local-pharmacy-winter

If you use your local pharmacy this winter, tell us how it went. Your experiences help us understand what's working locally and what needs to improve.

Winter is the busiest time of year for health services in Redbridge, and it is also when it can feel hardest to get seen. Your local pharmacy can often help sooner than you might expect, and for more than you might expect.

26/08/2026

Redbridge Forum's Walk and Talk group starts on Monday 7 September — for people with a learning disability, autistic people, and their family carers.

Five relaxed sessions between September and October, taking in The O2, Valentines Park, Camden, Barking Park and All Hallows by the Tower. A chance to get outdoors, explore somewhere different and meet other families. Come to one or come to all of them.

Full dates and meeting points: https://www.healthwatchredbridge.co.uk/event/2026-09-01/walk-and-talk-group-people-learning-disability-autistic-people-and-their-family

To book, email Naseem at [email protected] or call 07356 244447.

22/07/2026

Redbridge Council's annual Youth-Fest is back on Tuesday 18 August at Hainault Youth Centre (116 Huntsman Road, IG6 3SY). It's a free day for young people in the borough, pass it on to families who might want to come along.

Redbridge Council's annual Youth-Fest returns on Tuesday 18 August at Hainault Youth Centre. Run by the Council's Youth Service, it's a free day built around young people in the borough: a chance to try activities, meet local services and spend time together over the summer. We're glad to help sprea...

21/07/2026

Families across Redbridge are telling us what happens when support moves from children's to adult health and care services, and we're listening.

Turning eighteen can mean new teams, new assessments and new rules, often all at once and often just as a young person is leaving school. For families with a child who has special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), this moment can be one of the hardest parts of the whole system.

Our Research and Engagement team has been speaking with parents, carers and young people about their experiences. We'll publish what we've heard, and what we think needs to change, in September.

If your family has been through this move in Redbridge, or you're approaching it now, we'd like to hear from you. Your experience will help shape what we say to the NHS, the council and other local partners.

Get in touch at [email protected] — everything you share is treated in confidence.

Read more: https://www.healthwatchredbridge.co.uk/advice-and-information/2026-07-21/redbridge-families-are-telling-us-about-move-childrens-adul

Healthwatch Redbridge is speaking with parents, carers and young people across the borough about what happens when support moves from children's to adult health and care services. We will publish what we've heard, and what we think needs to change, in September.

20/07/2026

We'll be at Loxford Park this Thursday (23 July), 12–4pm, for the Loxford Primary Care Network Community Health and Wellbeing Event. Come and find us, we'd love to hear how local health and care services are working for you, and point you towards support if you need it.

Everyone welcome, just drop by.

📍 Loxford Park, Loxford Lane, Ilford, IG1 2PL.

We'll be at the Loxford PCN Community Health and Wellbeing Event on Thursday 23 July, 12pm to 4pm, at Loxford Park (Loxford Lane, Ilford, IG1 2PL). Come and say hello. It's a chance to tell us about your experiences of local health and care services, find out what we do, and pick up information abou...

11/07/2026

Our Mulberry Ward Maternity Report is now out.

Following a night-time visit to the maternity ward at Whipps Cross Hospital in February, we spoke with families about their care. Many welcomed the ward's refurbishment and the privacy of single rooms.

Families also shared honest concerns, including call bell delays at night, care that varied from shift to shift, and, for some, feeling that they weren't fully listened to at difficult moments. Families from minority ethnic backgrounds described additional barriers to being heard.

We've shared these findings with Barts Health NHS Trust, who have responded openly and already begun making changes, including recruiting more staff and improving support for partners. Their full response is included in our report.

Have you given birth or had maternity care at Whipps Cross? We would like to hear about your experience.

Read the full report and share your story:

Our Mulberry Ward Maternity Report is now published. It follows a night-time visit our team made to the maternity ward at Whipps Cross Hospital in February 2026, and sets out what women, partners and families told us about their care — the improvements they welcomed, the concerns they raised, and ...

09/07/2026

We are proud to hear our Chair, Gita Malhotra, on the latest episode of
Health on the Line 🎙️

Gita made the case for the local Healthwatch network, and why independent, community-rooted patient voice matters, backed by real examples of the difference it makes on the ground. She was also honest about where Healthwatch can improve, and pragmatic about reform.

At a moment when the future of local Healthwatch is being decided, it's a timely listen and watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgykXb2qEuE

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The government has decided to scrap Healthwatch in England. So what...

08/07/2026

The biggest national review of NHS maternity care in a generation has been published and it says too many women aren't listened to, and that racism and inequality affect the care families receive.

We have heard the same from families here in Redbridge for years. Lessons from national reviews and local engagement must now become visible change for mothers, birthing people and families, especially those facing racism, language barriers or other inequalities.

If you have given birth or had maternity care in Redbridge, we want to hear from you. Your experience helps us push for safer, fairer care, better signposting and advocacy, and stronger action when concerns are not being resolved.

Read our full statement and share your story 👉

One week on from the publication of the Independent Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England (June 2026), the immediate headlines have begun to pass. For Healthwatch Redbridge, however, this is the point at which the vital conversation begins.

30/06/2026

Our Annual Report 2025-26 is out now.

This is the story of what YOU told us about health and care in Redbridge this year, and how it led to real change.

Inside, you'll find our work on women's health, care for older people, maternity, accessible information, and getting a GP. There's good care to celebrate, real barriers still to tackle, and proof that local voices can shape services both here and nationally.

Have a read, and if you've got an experience to share, we want to hear it.

https://www.healthwatchredbridge.co.uk/report/2026-06-30/our-2025-26-annual-report-here

With thanks to the residents, volunteers, staff and partners who made this year's work possible.

Every year we set out what local people have told us about health and care in Redbridge, what we did with it, and the difference it made. Our Annual Report for 2025-26 is now published, and it's well worth a read.

27/05/2026

We've just published our NHS App Survey Report, and the findings are vitally important for anyone who cares about fair access to health services in Redbridge.

We spoke to 152 local residents about how they use the NHS App, what barriers they face, and whether they'd be comfortable using it to access care and leave feedback. Here's what stood out:

- Only 52% of people actively use the app, despite 72% having it installed
- Among those aged 80+, just 11% would feel confident using it
- The most common reason for not using it? A preference for speaking to a real person
- Over a third wouldn't use it to give feedback, mainly because they don't trust it will make a difference

With the Government planning to make the NHS App the main front door to NHS services by 2028, these findings matter, especially in a borough like Redbridge, where an estimated 35% of residents are digitally excluded and the app is only available in English.

Read the full report here:

The Government wants the NHS App to become the main way people access health services by 2028. That's a significant shift, and for a borough like Redbridge, it raises some important questions. We wanted to understand what that shift would actually mean for local people. So between November 2025 and....