News and reports

Our Enter and View visit focused on The Poplars Nursing Home, owned by The Poplars Care & Support Services Limited.

The Poplars Nursing Home is a large, family-run care facility located at 66 South Road, Smethwick, West Midlands, B67 7BP. It provides accommodation and nursing care for up to 58 residents, catering to both older adults (65+) and younger adults with a range of needs including dementia, physical disabilities, and chronic health conditions.

This project is looking at the experiences of people from vulnerable and marginalised groups who reside in Sandwell wayfinding around the hospital.

Why the views of People who are Visually Impaired / Blind Matter?

Sandwell MBC had 951 people registered as sight impaired as of February 2025. According to RNIB (Royal National Institute of the Blind) statistics, Sandwell would be expected to have an estimated 9,150** adult residents living with some level of sight loss.

We visited MMUH to listen to the patient experience and hear what users had to say.

Dr N U Haque & Partners are thrilled to share that they raised over £500 from our recent event! All donations will go directly to Neuroblastoma UK at the patient engagement event.

The Midland Metropolitan University Hospital (MMUH) opened on 6 October 2024.
With such a huge change in patient service delivery locations, there are challenges for patients, visitors, and staff wayfinding around the hospital. The usefulness and effectiveness of hospital signage is a key part of the experience people receive.

This report evaluates patient experience of a knee arthroplasty, referred to as total knee replacement (TKR) if the whole joint is replaced, or partial knee replacement (PKR)/unicompartmental knee replacement if only part of the joint is replaced.
This is an operation where the damaged parts of the knee joint are replaced with artificial components (prosthesis)

Our role is to understand what matters most to our community and to make recommendations that help improve care and support for everyone.
This short report focuses on carers in Sandwell. By listening to their stories, we gain valuable insight into the challenges they face, the support they value, and the improvements that could make a difference.

Part of Healthwatch Sandwell remit is to carry out Enter and View visits. Healthwatch Sandwell Authorised Representatives (AR) will conduct these visits to health and social care premises to find out how they are being run and make recommendations where there are areas for improvement.

We want to hear from you!

Are you aged 55 or over and living in Sandwell?
We’d like your views on the kind of support that can help people stay healthy, active, and independent for longer – and what would make it easier to access this support.
Your answers will help us understand local experiences, identify gaps, and inform the way services are planned and developed.

Healthwatch Sandwell is working to understand the experiences of people affected by cancer in our area. By sharing your story through our survey, you can help us identify what's working well and where improvements are needed in cancer care and support services.

Do you qualify for free NHS prescriptions?

Healthwatch England says "Most adults in England have to pay for their prescriptions. The NHS prescription charge is usually £9.90 per item. Some items, like contraceptives, are free.

Some people get their prescriptions for free. A lot of people know they get free NHS prescriptions if they're under 16 or over 60. But you can also qualify for free prescriptions for other reasons, such as if you have certain medical conditions or receive certain benefits."

Join us for our July ISAB meeting to see team updates and news about your local health and social care services.

Our Insight Report is now LIVE! See what the team have been doing during April - June this year!