News and reports

Our 'You said, we did' report for October 2025 is now available.

This month we were heard from 78 people who either shared their experiences of health and social care services, or asked for information and signposting help. Our report highlights some of the things we heard and some of the actions we have taken, as well as some of the feedback given to us. We had a massive response at our outreach engagements totaling 275 people seen!

During several public engagement sessions conducted by Healthwatch Rotherham, concerns were raised about hospital referral waiting times. A number of individuals reported experiencing delays of several weeks for their referrals, with some expressing that they felt abandoned by the NHS during this period of uncertainty.
In response to these concerns, Healthwatch Rotherham launched a web-based SmartSurvey to gather data on patients' experiences of "waiting well" and to explore whether this approach had been recommended or supported by their healthcare professionals.

Healthwatch Rotherham has been engaging with local people to understand their experiences of menopause — a natural stage of life that can have wide-ranging physical, emotional, and social effects.

The September "You said, we did" report is here!
It's been a busy month with engagement events, the annual Rotherham Show and our very own "Health in our Community" event hosted alongside the Rotherham Cancer Advocacy Service at Rotherham Minster.
Read our report to see how many people we have provided information to and signposting.

On 4th July 2025, trained representatives from Healthwatch Rotherham visited the Acute Medical Unit at Rotherham Hospital to carry out and Enter and View visit.

The impact ADHD has on people’s lives can be profound and can be spread across multiple areas of their life. Our new report highlights these impacts and the changes we are calling for to ensure everyone gets the support they need.

Our 'You said, we did' report for July 2025 is now available.

This month we were heard from 74 people who either shared their experiences of health and social care services, or asked for information and signposting help. Our report highlights some of the things we heard and some of the actions we have taken, as well as some of the feedback given to us.

On Thursday 19th June, we were part of Let's Talk "Preparation for Adulthood" event at The Willows School in Thurcroft.
Through networking over the last couple of years, we were able to signpost the school to some services that provide our Rotherham people with some excellent support and information.

Following a conversation recently with some people who access support from Headway Rotherham, we felt it necessary to look into the challenges that people with an Acquired Brain Injury face regarding their healthcare on a regular basis.

Our new research shows how important choice is to people when it comes to their care, and makes recommendations to help ensure they get those choices.
What choices do patients want when they book GP appointments? And are they getting those choices?

Our latest research aims to answer these questions. Our nationally representative polling and interviews with people who have used GP services show how much they value choice in their care. But it also shows evidence of a “choice gap”, where people are not always getting the choices they want and may even be entitled to.

This month we were contacted by 45 people who either shared their experiences of health and social care services or asked for information and signposting help. Our report highlights some of the things we've heard and some of the actions we've taken.

On 14th April and 13th May 2025, trained representatives from Healthwatch Rotherham visited Swallownest Court to carry out an Enter and View visit.

The purpose of the visit was to:
● collect the views from patients, families, volunteers and staff on services
● observe how the facility operates and provides its services
● identify ‘Best Practice’ and highlight any areas of concern

We spoke to staff and patients and you can find out about our observations, survey results and recommendations in our report below.