News and reports

South West London Healthwatch have brought together resources to help health and care providers improve their ability to meet patients' communication support needs.

Our 2024-2025 annual report outlines how the public's stories have changed care for the better and the work we are doing to make sure that the health and care system puts the needs and experiences of local people, sometimes the most vulnerable and digitally excluded, at the very heart of NHS and social care decision-making.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC), has rated the Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames as good, in how well they are meeting their responsibilities to ensure people have access to adult social care and support under the Care Act (2014).

Community health services cover a wide range of services and provide care for people from birth to the end of their life. Community health teams play a vital role in supporting people with complex health and care needs to live independently in their own home for as long as possible.

Healthwatch Kingston CEO, Stephen Bitti, featured in The Podiatrist magazine, offers expert guidance on how health services can take a more compassionate and effective approach to handling complaints.

Social isolation can have a profound impact on mental and physical health. When we spoke to local Disabled adults, they told us about the obstacles to participation they experience. Inaccessible public transport, poor communication of what is available and stigma are just some of the factors that limit physically Disabled adults' ability to be part of the local community.

This report by Healthwatch Kingston explores the health and care experiences of families with children aged 0–5 across Kingston upon Thames. This engagement has highlighted the value of early years services and the persistent challenges families face, particularly around fragmented support, long wait times, and navigating care for children with complex or neurodiverse needs.

This report presents anonymised feedback from people who have experienced the adult safeguarding process in Kingston, as part of the borough’s commitment to Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP). The approach places individuals at the centre of safeguarding enquiries, focusing on the outcomes they want and working to ensure these are met.

Building on earlier findings, Healthwatch Kingston and partners worked to engage underrepresented groups through community workshops, surveys, and youth-led creative projects, to better understand experiences of grief and the accessibility of bereavement support across south west London.

We asked young people in Kingston how they feel about social media and health. Their answers showed a mix of connection and concern—social media is where they go to talk, learn, and express themselves, but it also brings pressure, doubt, and anxiety. What they want most is honest, accessible support from people they can trust—delivered in ways that fit their world.

Feeling lonely is something we all experience from time to time. You might feel lonely while scrolling social media, even when you're with others—or when you're on your own. It’s nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of. The important thing is to talk about it.

Local voices are helping to shape a more inclusive Kingston, with the publication of a new five-year all-age strategy to improve support for autistic people and those with ADHD.