1. Where can I go to get help for my health out of hours?

    Advice and Information -

    Health issues unfortunately don't leave us alone at the weekend and people are often in need of medical assistance out of hours. Using NHS guidelines, we have provided some advice and information on where you can go for help when your GP is closed.

  2. Start breathing this Stoptober

    Blog -

    In 2012 adults around 459,000 adults smoked in the North East. Now it’s around 325,000 – a drop of around 134,000.

  3. Don't forget to order your repeat prescriptions

    Blog -

    With Christmas just around the corner, we're reminding patients to order and collect repeat prescriptions in good time for the holiday period.

  4. Get help and support on No Smoking Day

    Advice and Information -

    Wednesday 9 March is No Smoking Day.

  5. Pharmacy services in Newcastle

    Blog -

    Newcastle City Council wants to hear what you think of pharmacy services.

  6. Newcastle ranks as the 12th ‘least healthy’ area in England

    Blog -

    Newcastle ranks as the 12th ‘least healthy’ area of England according to the Office for National Statistics' Health Index. The Health Index score measures factors such as access to health services, living conditions and behavioural risk factors.

  7. Attention on prevention: flu vaccinations in Newcastle

    Report -

    The take up of flu vaccinations in Newcastle for people aged 65 and over is above the national target of 75%. However, for other people considered at risk, it is below the national target of 75%. Towards the end of 2017 we gathered the views of people living in Newcastle (who are over the age of 65 or considered at risk) about the flu vaccination.

  8. Someone I love has died - where can I find support

    Advice and Information -

    Take a look at our advice article on the organisations and groups that can support you if you’re grieving.

  9. What to expect when waiting for care

    Advice and Information -

    Waiting for planned medical care or surgery can be a frustrating time. That’s why it’s so important that while you wait, you get regular, clear and accessible updates so that you can plan your next steps.

  10. What is Long Covid and what help is available?

    Advice and Information -

    Confused about Long Covid? Find out the common symptoms and how to get support.

  11. Plan B to tackle the spread of the Omicron variant

    Blog -

    The government has announced a Plan B for England to tackle the spread of the Omicron variant. What does that mean for us?

  12. COVID-19 update - 23 December 2021

    Blog -

    The discovery of the Omicron variant led the government to recently announce a new vaccination challenge. The Prime Minister set out a commitment that all adults in England would be offered a booster jab by the end of the year. However, even with the additional protection that vaccine boosters will give, the threat from Omicron remains serious.

  13. Confirmatory PCR tests temporarily suspended for positive lateral flow tests

    Blog -

    From 11 January 2022, people who receive positive lateral flow (LFD) results for COVID-19 will have to self-isolate immediately and won’t be required to take a confirmatory PCR test.

  14. If you have COVID-19 symptoms

    Advice and Information -

    If you have COVID-19 symptoms, you can take a PCR test by booking online at www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or calling 119 between 7am and 11pm and self-isolate until you get your results

  15. Recovering from COVID-19

    Advice and Information -

    Your COVID Recovery is an NHS website that helps you to understand the illnesses and what you might expect as part of your recovery.

  16. Understanding carers’ experiences during the pandemic

    Blog -

    We wanted to gain a greater understanding of carers’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. We included a short evaluation for people who had used Newcastle Carers’ services.

  17. COVID-19: your experiences of health and social care - May

    Report -

    We launched a survey in May 2020 titled ‘COVID-19: your experiences of health and social care’. This is the report on the responses we received up to the end of May.

  18. COVID-19: your experiences of health and social care - June

    Report -

    This is the COVID report on the responses we received up to the end of June 2020.

  19. Healthwatch - COVID-19 survey results July 2020

    Report -

    This is the final COVID report on the responses we received up to the end of July 2020.

  20. Newcastle Outer West PCN patient survey

    Report -

    Six GP practices in Outer West Newcastle - Denton Park Medical Group, Denton Turret Medical Group, Newburn Surgery, Parkway Medical Group, Throckley Primary Care Centre and Westerhope Medical Group - partnered with Healthwatch Newcastle to run a survey gathering patients’ views on additional services, accessing the practices and how COVID-19 affected their experience.

  21. What people think about the COVID19 vaccine

    Report -

    In early 2021 Healthwatch England designed a survey to help local services and national policymakers understand how they can improve the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

    We used the survey to support local services to adapt and improve the delivery of the vaccination programme locally.

  22. Getting Vaxed: Understanding User Experiences of the COVID-19 Vaccination Process in Newcastle upon Tyne

    Report -

    Healthwatch Newcastle engaged with local people to understand their experiences booking and
    receiving all of their Coronavirus vaccination(s). The project was prompted by feedback from a
    small number of local residents who shared their experiences of the Coronavirus vaccination
    process. Read the full report here :-