News and reports

Healthwatch Kingston upon Thames responds to recent announcements made about the future of the Healthwatch network.

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.

Inclusion and amplifying the voices of people with a learning disability is a key priority for the work of Healthwatch Kingston and the All Age Learning Disability Board.

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.

This report from Healthwatch Kingston explores the health and care needs of socially isolated, physically Disabled adults through a series of four community engagement workshops. We worked collaboratively with the Kingston Centre for Independent Living (KCIL) to ensure our community engagement was inclusive of Disabled people. Our findings highlight the barriers to inclusion, such as transport, accessibility, and lack of support, and reinforce the need for equitable opportunities to connect, participate, and feel part of the 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.