Local voices echo national concerns: What the CQC's State of Care report tells us
The report, published on 23 October, highlights persistent concerns around access to care, growing demand, mental health services, workforce pressures, and deep-rooted health inequalities.
The CQC's report provides an important national overview of the challenges facing health and social care. But these challenges are lived realities for our residents and communities in Hounslow.
Healthwatch Hounslow are hearing directly from carers who are exhausted and overwhelmed, diminishing their ability to advocate for themselves and the person that they care for, often not fully informed of their rights and ways to access support.
Through delivering local services and community engagement projects, Healthwatch Hounslow hears directly from thousands of residents every year. Local people consistently tell us about the challenges they face navigating health and care services, the barriers experienced by marginalised communities, and the impact of long waits for support.
The CQC report highlighted a number of themes that are particularly familiar to Healthwatch Hounslow’s work, and the views shared by residents. Here are two examples of areas mentioned by CQC, where Healthwatch Hounslow has made a difference locally.
1: Access to care remains a major concern
Access to care is an overarching theme, with ongoing difficulties accessing GP services, long waiting times, and growing demand across the system. Residents repeatedly tell Healthwatch Hounslow what barriers they face, helping us work locally to improve access.
Our Healthwatch Hounslow Enhanced Patient Access to GP Practices report explored residents' experiences of booking appointments and accessing primary care.
Participants described frustrations with long telephone waits, difficulties securing appointments, concerns about online and telephone consultations, and challenges associated with the well-known "8am rush" for appointments.
The report highlighted the importance of improving telephone systems, ensuring equitable access regardless of age or digital confidence, and gathering patient experience data to complement operational performance measures. The findings helped inform local efforts to improve access through enhanced opening hours and more flexible appointment options.
Listening to people's experiences helps identify the specific barriers faced and generate practical ideas for improving services and systems. By understanding health systems and working with decision-makers, Healthwatch Hounslow translated this into more accessible and effective health and care services in its local patch.
2: Health inequalities continue to shape people's experiences
The CQC reports that where people live affects access, waiting times, quality and outcomes, with poorer access and outcomes in more deprived areas.
Our Improving the ability of BAME individuals to access and obtain support from Health and Social Care Services report echoed this. Participants reported difficulties booking appointments, using digital services and accessing translation, and many preferred face-to-face GP appointments.
Evidence showed mistrust of health and social care services. Many residents believed greater BAME representation in the sector would help reduce health inequalities in Hounslow.
Community organisations and members also described discomfort discussing mental health and reluctance to seek support because they feared Social Services involvement could disrupt families or lead to children being taken away.
The study led Healthwatch Hounslow to recommend better information in community languages, including Somali, on mental health, diabetes and family planning.
We also recommended wider BAME representation in health and social care, better access to translators, employability training, and, where funding allows, spaces and activities for BAME community groups.
Listening to local voices
The voices of local communities remain one of the most valuable tools for shaping better health and care services for all, often the voices in greatest need are not at the table they need our support to be represented and heard.
You can read the CQC-State of Care Report by clicking on the ‘Find out more’ pink button below:
