Investigations
Your experiences prompt and lead our activities and reports, which focus on improving services for everyone. If we hear of something that needs further investigation, we explore the issue with the help of patients and the public. We also talk to key professionals at the service we are investigating, encouraging them to make positive changes.
We follow up our investigations with impact reports to see if services have improved, and hold services to account for changes they stated they would make. If Healthwatch Birmingham & Solihull finds no improvement, we may escalate the issue to Healthwatch England and local regulators. We also monitor the changes to ensure people experience sustained improvements.
Investigations
Every care home has its own story, shaped by the people who live and work there. As demand for care continues to grow, it’s more important than ever to understand what life is really like for residents.
Our new report shares the voices of Solihull care home residents and their families, highlighting what’s working well and where improvements are still needed.
Healthwatch Birmingham and Solihull heard from over 1,000 people about their experiences of Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs).
We partnered with the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB) to support their review of UTCs, and your feedback is already making a difference. Our findings are shaping how urgent care will be delivered in the future by directly informing the ICB’s review and upcoming consultation.
This report explores women’s experiences of menopause advice and treatment from GP practices in Solihull. It highlights inconsistent information, limited access to specialist support, and a lack of awareness among some healthcare professionals. Healthwatch Solihull will continue to work with NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB and other partners to raise awareness, improve service accessibility, and support the development of better menopause care across the area.
Impact reports
Our latest report shows how families’ experiences have driven real improvements in autism and ADHD services across Birmingham—supporting the NHS 10-Year Plan’s ambition for more personalised, preventative, and joined-up care.
Impact Report: This report describes the changes that Birmingham NHS BSOL has made following Healthwatch Birmingham’s 2024 report ‘Local people’s views on the referral process from general practice to secondary care’.
This report describes the changes that Birmingham NHS BSOL has made following Healthwatch Birmingham and Healthwatch Solihull’s 2024 report ‘Access and barriers to NHS Community Pharmacies’ .