Speaking up for better care: Healthwatch Kingston upon Thames annual report 2025-2026

Healthwatch was established under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to act as the independent and impartial champion for public voice. In this role, we have supported Kingston residents to have their say, empowered local people to make informed decisions about their health and care needs, and made a seat at the table for those who are too often sidelined. This year has been no different. Facing the uncertainty of current government proposals and with limited resources, our team has continued to not only deliver on our mission, but exceed our previous achievements.

Stephen Bitti, Chief Executive of New Dialogue, the home of Healthwatch Kingston said: “This year has been one of both achievement and uncertainty for Healthwatch Kingston upon Thames.

Government proposals to amend legislation to abolish local Healthwatch have been destabilising, and they risk the loss of the trust we have built with local communities over the past 13 years…Despite all the challenges ahead, I am once again immensely proud of what we have achieved together this year. Our commitment remains unwavering.

We will continue to stand alongside our communities, ensuring their voices are heard, valued, and acted upon while ‘decision makers’ debate our future.”

Our impact in 2025-2026

Throughout the year, thousands of people came to us to share their experiences of health and social care, we heard about residents fears and hesitations of the rush to rely on digital access, the health issues that matter to young people, the experiences of bereavement of adults with autism and ADHD, and much more.

We’ve continued to support resident’s participation in decision making through the All Age Learning Disability Partnership Board, Kingston Safeguarding Voices, the Kingston Mental Health and Wellbeing Group and our Public Meetings. Connecting services, frontline professionals and decision makers with local people, we have pushed for shared accountability across the system.

Our extended Enter and View programme has taken a dedicated look at the quality of life for social care residents across the borough, and training Authorised Representatives has given our volunteers opportunities for new skills, and a chance to shape the services that play huge roles in people's lives.

Acting on what we’ve heard, we have worked in partnership with the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, service providers and voluntary and community sector organisations to make key recommendations for change.

This report about our work during 2025-2026 is informed by 4,049 people (almost 3 times more than last year) and throughout the period:

• We published 22 reports
• 10,625 people (up by 84% from 2024-2025) came to us for clear advice and information
• 8,985 different people viewed different pages on our website 28,833 times 
• Our 57 fantastic volunteers gave 1488 hours to support our work