Quotes from Healthwatch Dorset student volunteers from Bournemouth School for Girls:

• “Being a second-generation immigrant myself, I’m really interested in finding out more about how both first and second-generation immigrants experience using NHS services. Since such a large part of the UK population [around 16–18% in the 2021 Census] is made up of people born outside the UK. I think it’s important to understand whether things like language, culture or background make a difference in how people access care.”
• “The project went beyond my expectations, I did not think we would get as many responses to the survey and I didn’t expect the project to become so important and valued.”

Announcing the report, Louise Bate, Healthwatch Dorset Manager, said: “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who shared their personal experiences with us – carers, patients and staff – that gave us valuable insights of the service. We will be sharing our findings with the Dorset Hospital at Home Steering Committee and leading consultants to help their development of better services in the community.“

What people told us

While many people shared positive experiences of kind and supportive NHS staff, others described avoidable barriers that made getting care more difficult. Feedback centred on several key themes:

• Difficulty navigating the NHS system and lack of clear information
• Language barriers and limited access to translation
• Digital barriers
• Cultural needs not always recognised
• Lack of trust in the healthcare system
• Long wait times for GP, dental and emergency care.

Despite these challenges, the majority of respondents felt they could get NHS services when needed, and many praised staff for treating them equally and helping to reduce anxiety.

Recommendations: What needs to change

Participants were clear about the improvements they would like to see. Their recommendations focus on clarity, accessibility, and ensuring that NHS services understand and respect cultural differences.

1. Make interpreter and translation services clear and consistent

People told us they are often unaware interpreters are available. We recommend ensuring interpreter needs are clearly recorded and acted upon, and that NHS staff check who the appointment is for when it is booked by someone else.

2. Clearer, jargon-free communication in multiple languages

Those who answered the survey wanted more accessible information about how the NHS works, how to access different services, and what to expect. This includes increasing multilingual resources, offering non-digital options, and ensuring consistency across GP practices, hospitals and other services.

3. Greater awareness and understanding of cultural needs

Building a more culturally competent NHS — supported by training and awareness of inclusive policies — would help increase trust and improve patient outcomes for diverse communities.

4. Better information for people waiting for care

Long wait times were the most common difficulty reported. Respondents said they need clearer, culturally relevant information about waiting lists and what support is available while they wait.

Putting people’s voices at the heart of change

Commenting on the findings, Louise Bate added: “People from immigrant communities bring invaluable insights into how the NHS can better meet the needs of all residents. Our young volunteers have shown how listening to peoples’ lived experiences can highlight simple, practical improvements — from clearer communication to culturally aware support — that would make a real difference.”

The report is shared with NHS partners across primary and secondary care to support ongoing work to improve access, communication and trust.

Read the full report

Navigating the NHS: Voices from immigrant communities in Bournemouth

Key findings of the report

• Overwhelming support for the service: 83% of carers rated Hospital at Home as very good, with none rating it as poor.
• Better patient outcomes: Carers reported that patients benefited from faster care, more comfort, and reduced risk of infection compared to hospital stays.
• Improved communication: 89% of carers said they were kept fully informed about treatment and knew where to access further support.
• Increased burden on carers: Many carers described emotional stress, disrupted sleep, financial pressure, and a lack of aftercare. Some felt more joined-up services and clearer communication would improve their experience.

Case studies in the report highlight both the benefits and the challenges. One mother described how her child could keep attending school thanks to Hospital at Home, reducing disruption for the whole family. Another carer, herself a health professional, said how quickly her father received care and pain relief, which would have taken longer in hospital:

“It was stressful initially as Dad suddenly became unwell on a Friday when GP services might have been out of the question and he needed to be seen face-to-face. It was positive that there was reassurance there would be help on the weekend. Dad was given stronger pain relief and a Hospital at Home ward.“

Report recommendations:

1. Better public information and dedicated NHS webpages on Hospital at Home.
2. Stronger involvement of carers in care planning and communication.
3. Consistent identification and support of unpaid carers.
4. Ongoing collection of feedback from carers and patients to shape the service.

Announcing the report, Louise Bate, Healthwatch Dorset Manager, said: “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who shared their personal experiences with us –carers, patients and staff – that gave us valuable insights of the service. We will be sharing our findings with the Dorset Hospital at Home Steering Committee and leading consultants to help their development of better services in the community.“

Cliff Kilgore, Consultant Practitioner for Older People at Dorset County Hospital NHS Trust, welcomed the report, saying: “There is significant evidence that inpatient care can lead to deleterious effects. Therefore, we should provide high levels of medical care outside of hospital when we can.“

Read the full report

Hospital at Home Service: Understanding the impact on family carer’s in Dorset

For Healthwatch, at this stage, while no official timeline has yet been confirmed, it is business as usual and your voice still matters.

Since the formation of Healthwatch in 2013, we’ve helped many thousands of people raise concerns, access vital advice, and influence real change in the local services they rely on. The legal duty of Healthwatch – to listen to your experiences and make sure your voice shapes the care you receive – currently remains unchanged.

What facts we know

The government has announced that it wants to change the law to:

1. Transfer the work of Healthwatch England to the Department of Health and Social Care.
2. Transfer the work of local Healthwatch services to the NHS and local authorities.

Until legislation is passed, the Department of Health and Social Care will advise local authorities to continue commissioning local Healthwatch services. We will work with commissioners, system partners and community stakeholders on a smooth transition in due course.

What does this mean right now?

While these changes will happen over time, the law has not yet been changed. This means local Healthwatch is still here, open, and working for you. Our teams will continue to:

1. Listen to your experiences of health and social care.
2. Share what we hear with those in power to help improve services.
3. Provide advice and information to help you find the support you need.

We remain dedicated to championing people’s voices in health and social care and will provide updates on our local Healthwatch work as more information becomes available.

Evolving Communities Chief Executive, Lucie Woodruff, said:

“As an organisation we remain committed to our purpose of ensuring patients and the public have meaningful opportunities to speak out, be heard and influence health and care services through the important work of our Healthwatch teams. This remains our number one priority at this challenging and uncertain time. I want to thank our staff and volunteers who have worked tirelessly over the past 12 years to champion and support local people and their communities, working with their local health and care systems to ensure views and experiences make a difference.”

• Accessing health and care while homeless or vulnerably housed: Based on feedback from service users, health professionals and support workers in Bournemouth, their report highlights the concerning disparities in health outcomes for people experiencing homelessness and is rich with firsthand and poignant accounts. The recommendations are being reflected in the NHS Dorset Homeless Health Plan that is under review for publication later this year. Read the report
• Shaping better health and social care in Dorset’s local communities: They spoke with over 180 people in the Boscombe area about their experiences, whose stories highlight the need for Improved access to GPs and NHS dental services, stronger community mental health services and more continuity in social care. The findings have helped Our Dorset, the Integrated Care System, shape the Integrated Neighbourhood Team for Boscombe to ensure it meets the community’s needs effectively. Read the report
• People’s experiences of using pharmacy services across Dorset: The views of over 900 local residents who responded to a survey gave greater understanding of the impact of pharmacy closures, medicine shortages and awareness of Pharmacy First. Their findings are being used by Public Health Dorset to inform the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment due to be published later this year and by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pharmacy. Read the report
• Supporting carers at Dorset County Hospital: Change takes time and Healthwatch Dorset maintained work behind the scenes with services to raise issues and bring about change. They followed up their previous recommendations made for hospitals to better support unpaid carers to reveal the local NHS has implemented training, named Carers Leads alongside promotion of Carers Passports. Read the blog
• Raising awareness to improve support for vulnerable people and communities: They established further new partnerships and worked together with local health, care and community groups to raise awareness of the challenges impacting people’s health and wellbeing and the support that makes a positive difference. Read our blogs

Healthwatch Dorset projects for 2025-26

In 2025-26, Healthwatch Dorset will continue to engage with communities across the county, and make sure those in power hear the views and experiences of our diverse communities. The top three priorities for the year are:

• Working with young people to learn how they search for and access care.
• Reaching out to diverse groups across Dorset to learn about the digital divide.
• Gathering in-depth interviews to inform urgent care improvements.

Announcing the annual report, Viv Aird, Chair of the Healthwatch Dorset Board, said: “Our focus this year has been on responding to everything you have told us about your experience of local health and care services. Thank you to everyone who has supported and contributed to our work, including those who have acted on our recommendations, and to all of you who have so generously shared your experiences with us in order to help to make services across Dorset better for others.”

More information

Read the full Healthwatch Dorset Annual Report 2024-25 to find out more about their work.

Keep up to date with Healthwatch Dorset’s news and events and get involved:

• Sign up for regular updates
• Visit our website, where you can also share your feedback about Dorset’s health and care services: Share your views

Healthwatch Dorset spoke to Reverend Jonathan Herbert about his work in supporting the local Gypsy, Roma and Travellers communities across Dorset. He explained the significance of recognising Gypsy, Roma and Traveller history and heritage: “It’s so important that we educate and take the opportunity to host events, so that people can meet others from that vibrant community. It’s important to celebrate any kind of cultural diversity and heritage because not only does it enrich us, but more importantly, we need to push back against prejudice.”

To better support the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community, Reverend Herbert said: “A crucial aspect is building trust with health professionals because the community tends not to trust people in authority due to past negative experiences. Some people have been told that they can’t register at a GP Surgery without a fixed address, the health staff use long words, or they are given a form to fill in by someone unaware that their literacy skills are quite low.” He added that Kushti Bok, a Gypsy, Roma and Traveller organisation in Dorset is working hard to raise awareness and encourage people to go for scans and check-ups. Read the full blog

Healthwatch Dorset has also produced a video of their chat with Susan, who shared her experience and insight of what it was like for her growing up in the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller culture, and later being moved into housing.

This work builds on Healthwatch Dorset’s engagement with the settled Gypsy, Roma and Travellers community in the Bourne Valley area to gather their feedback as part of the NHS 10 Year Plan national consultation. Read the full blog

Healthwatch England included local feedback from Dorset as part of their submission setting out the four things people want from the 10-Year NHS Plan. This highlighted that people who already face inequalities, such as ethnic minority backgrounds, are more likely to be affected by problems in the NHS which ‘exacerbate the lack of trust many communities feel in health and care services, including a reluctance to give feedback on experiences and to engage with services.’ Read the full blog

Share your story

Get in touch with Healthwatch Dorset to share your experiences of local health and social care services, good and bad, to help make care better for all Dorset residents. Complete their feedback survey

Healthwatch Dorset is supported by 70 volunteers, who contributed 548 hours of their time over the last year. To thank them for their support, this Volunteers’ Week Healthwatch Dorset will be running a number of events. These include holding a celebration afternoon tea, an online get together, an opportunity for volunteers to demonstrate their communication, organisation and community engagement abilities through a five-task fun challenge, plus a public engagement event at a local Food Bank. In addition, to say thank you, Healthwatch Dorset has successfully nominated two of their volunteers for Room to Reward’s Hidden Hero recognition award where they will receive a free hotel break.

Healthwatch Dorset Volunteer Officer, Lindsey Fish, said: “Volunteers are crucial to what we do, especially as we are a small team. Volunteers’ Week is a chance to celebrate and recognise the fantastic contribution our volunteers make. Thanks to them, the local community has benefited from improved information about urgent care following our A&E project, raised awareness of the local issues around NHS dentistry and better access for carers, just to name a few.”

Imogen is one of the growing number of local youth volunteers who commented: “I find being a volunteer at Healthwatch Dorset to be a really enriching opportunity because it’s nice to know that your research and time goes towards causes that have real life applications. So for example, knowing that our current investigation to learn about experiences those who are new to the UK of health communications and information will potentially have an impact on health services and possibly make access easier, is exciting and rewarding.”

Volunteers’ Week is led by the UK Volunteering Forum, a partnership between Volunteer Scotland, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) and Volunteer Now in Northern Ireland.

The UK Volunteering Forum said: “Volunteers bring a richness to organisations across the country. There is no better time to recognise the diversity of our volunteers and celebrate the difference that volunteering makes than during Volunteers’ Week. Without volunteers many charities just simply could not function, with so many people giving up their time and going above and beyond. The week is a chance for all of us to show just how vital they are to charities and communities everywhere.”

More information

Find out more about volunteering opportunities with Healthwatch Dorset:

• Website: healthwatchdorset.co.uk/volunteer
• Email: enquiries@healthwatchdorset.co.uk
• Freephone: 0300 111 0102

According to the Healthwatch Dorset survey, the majority of respondents found their local pharmacy easy to access, with particularly positive experiences reported for online pharmacies. However, the data also uncovered concerning challenges in more rural areas, where some pharmacy closures, reduced hours and supply issues are having a significant impact on people’s ability to obtain necessary medications.

The report details troubling accounts of medication shortages leaving people feeling anxious and unsupported. These supply chain disruptions not only inconvenience patients but can also have serious consequences for their health and wellbeing.

Boscombe is the second pilot area identified by Dorset’s Integrated Care System (ICS) for the development of INTs. Census data identifies areas of Boscombe as being among the most deprived in Southwest England, and high levels of deprivation play a significant role in health inequalities.

During summer 2024, Healthwatch Dorset engaged with around 180 Boscombe residents at local community groups and settings, gathering valuable feedback on their experiences with local services; several themes emerged.

Key findings

• Difficulty booking appointments: Long phone waiting times and a lack of available appointments make it challenging for residents to access primary care.
• Lack of face-to-face GP appointments: Many patients prefer in-person consultations but are often only offered phone appointments or referred to a nurse instead of a GP.
• NHS dental care shortages: Residents are struggling to find NHS dentists and cannot afford private care.
• Specialist services access issues: While some specialist services work well, such as drug and alcohol support and postpartum care, access to community mental health support and treatment for leg ulcers remain difficult.
• Social care challenges: Frequent changes in social workers and their lack of local knowledge are impacting families in need of consistent support.

Recommendations for change

Healthwatch Dorset has used these findings to outline recommendations to help the ICS shape the INT for Boscombe and ensure it meets the community’s needs effectively:

• Improve access to GPs and NHS dental services: INTs should enhance access to primary care and provide clear, understandable information about available services.
• Strengthen community mental health services: Greater collaboration with the local voluntary sector is needed to improve information and access, and ensure continuity of care for mental health support.
• Ensure continuity in social care: Stability and continuity of social workers is essential to build relationships and provide better support for families.
• Commit to ongoing community engagement: Continuous involvement of residents in shaping local services will help deliver proactive and personalised care in the community.

Making a difference

Announcing the report, Louise Bate, Healthwatch Dorset Manager, said: “This report is an important step in ensuring that local services are designed with the needs of the community in mind. We have shared our findings with Our Dorset and the Integrated Care Board (ICB) to amplify the voices of Boscombe residents and inform the development of INTs. I’d like to thank everyone who shared their story with us and to all the local community groups who supported this project.”

Jack Blankley, Community Development Manager at BCP Council, welcomed the report: “It’s clear from this report how accessing services is a real issue for residents in Boscombe and that local services need to reconsider how individuals access their support. It also raises important questions for policymakers on how best to invest in preventative services within neighbourhoods to address the wider social determinants of health to try and reduce the demands on both local council and NHS services. Without trying to understand the perspective of people who live and work in local communities, INTs will not be able to deliver the change that the NHS desperately needs.”

Sally Northeast, Associate Director Communications and Public Engagement, Dorset HealthCare University NHS Trust said: “This engagement with the community in Boscombe is incredibly helpful and is in line with the way we plan to work with local people around the county to shape services in their area. The themes identified here will be included in the information pack which will help us tailor the INTs work around the needs people have identified.”

Read the full report

Boscombe Voices: Shaping better health and social care in Dorset’s local communities

They will use your feedback to identify common concerns and challenges and to make recommendations to NHS Dorset for improvements to local services.

Louise Bate, Healthwatch Dorset Manager, explained why your feedback matters: “Local pharmacies are a vital part of our primary care service. People rely on them for essential prescription medication, and they are often the first place we go for advice and treatment when we develop symptoms of ill health or experience minor injuries.

“We’ve heard from over 700 people so far, so we know that Dorset residents are finding it difficult to get some medications, and there are concerns about pharmacy closures, opening hours and prescription costs. We want to gather a diverse range of views from across Dorset, including from more younger people, so do please get involved to help improve local pharmacy services.”

Dorset resident, Jamie, told Healthwatch Dorset about the problems he has getting his medication from his local pharmacy and how this affects his health: “My ADHD medication is often not available and hasn’t been for over two years. The pharmacists don’t even seem to know why… they always say it will be next week. I’m reluctant to start taking the medication because of the ongoing shortages – it’s so sporadic as to when it is available and once you start taking it you have to carry on. Without medication, I have to deal with the symptoms of ADHD which can be pretty severe. There are times when I feel very agitated and frustrated and the medication calms that down; without it I’m not very good at focusing on tasks and getting them started or finished.”

Share your views

They want to know how you use your local pharmacy (chemist), including what works well and what could be improved to make it easier to get the care you need. They also want to find out how you get and pay for your prescriptions, and if you have heard of the NHS Pharmacy First scheme.

In January 2024, NHS England launched Pharmacy First to make it easier for patients to get care through their local pharmacy without needing to see a GP. You can now get medicines (either prescription or non-prescription), and advice and treatment for a range of minor illnesses. You can also get referrals to other services, and some pharmacies offer vaccinations and free blood pressure checks.

Research published by Healthwatch England in April 2024, shows that local pharmacies are widely used and valued by their communities, but there are several challenges, including closure of local pharmacies, shortages of medicines, and public awareness of the Pharmacy First scheme.

Louise Bate, Healthwatch Dorset Manger, explained why they are investigating the situation locally and why your feedback matters: “It is clear from the feedback we receive that Dorset residents sometimes find it difficult to get the medication they need from local pharmacies. We have also heard concerns about pharmacy closures, opening hours and prescription costs. Our survey is quick and easy to complete, and we’ll use all the feedback we gather to help improve local services.

“The successful rollout of Pharmacy First will rely on addressing the challenges facing local pharmacies and local people and making sure that patients know about and support the scheme. Tell us what you think to improve patient access and experience across Dorset.”

Share your views