Welcome to your latest edition of the Healthwatch Hertfordshire Newsletter!

Data Sharing and Health - get involved!

We are working with the University of Cambridge, Public Health England and other local Healthwatch across the East of England to find out what people think about using health data to inform care, public health and research.

At present, much of the data relating to people’s health is held separately by different organisations.  Joining up data has the potential to benefit patient care, meaning that patients would not have to constantly retell the same information to different care providers.

Joining up data can also provide a complete picture of the health of the community, which can help improve provision of health and social care services. This can also provide a source of information for public health research.

Before joined-up data can be developed, the public needs to be confident that any information that they share is held securely and used appropriately. This work will discuss:

• What kind of data we are talking about
• How joined-up data can be used to improve health
• Who can share and who can use your data
• What are your expectations and concerns about joined-up data

You can have your say by taking part in our online focus group on Wednesday 25th November. You can also get involved by taking part in our 1:1 phone interviews! We are particularly keen to hear from people who live in Stevenage, so please get in touch.

For more information or to get involved, contact Chloe on 01707 275978 or email info@healthwatchhertfordshire.co.uk

Mount Vernon Cancer Centre Review - Engagement Events

We need your help to plan the future of Mount Vernon Cancer Centre services.

The NHS in the East of England and North London is working together to review the services at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre to resolve concerns around the ageing estate, the support facilities and patient pathways.

To decide what the best options might be for the future, NHS England is looking at each cancer pathway and wants to hear from patients and carers about what does and does not work well for you, and what your priorities would be.

They also need your input into decisions they need to make about the location of additional radiotherapy services for the North Hertfordshire and South Bedfordshire populations, and the way the whole service is organised.

Interested in helping to shape Mount Vernon Cancer Services? Click the button below to find out more.

Covid-19 Patient Experiences: What can Hertfordshire learn?

We undertook three surveys between May and July 2020 to understand people's experiences of health and social care services during the pandemic. One survey looked at how Covid-19 had affected mental health, another asked about shielding, and the last focused on health and social care more generally. People told us poor access to dental services, an increase in mental health problems, communication failings, and overuse of technology were key health issues that needed to be addressed going forward.

For the full findings, please click here.