News and reports

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.

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

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.
The term wayfinding describes the processes people go through to find their way round an environment. The wayfinding process is fundamentally problem-solving and is affected by many factors, people’s perception of the environment, the wayfinding information available, their ability to orientate themselves spatially, and the cognitive and decision-making processes they go through, all affect how successfully they find their way.”

Healthwatch Sandwell held a focus group to understand how their stakeholders perceive Healthwatch Sandwell and the delivery of the service. The discussion was based upon the five values that were developed by Healthwatch England and local Healthwatch aim to embody. Stakeholders were invited by email to take part in the online focus group and this report outlines the themes from the discussion that took place.

This report evaluates patience experiences across three separate visits at the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital to:
➢ The Main Emergency Department (ED)
➢ The Children's Emergency Department (CED)

In 2024–2025, Healthwatch Sandwell reached an incredible 24,117 people through outreach, face-to-face engagement, and digital platforms. We continued to listen to local people, amplifying their voices across health and social care. Our team has worked consistently to ensure that the experiences and concerns of Sandwell residents help shape and improve local services.

Take a look at what Healthwatch Sandwell have been doing during March !

Here are the meeting minutes from our Independent Advisory Board Meeting, which was held 4 December 2024

We will be holding our ISAB meeting on 9th April, to join, please contact us at info@healthwatchsandwell.co.uk for teams invite!