News and reports

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."

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)

We have published our Annual Report for 2024/25, showcasing the voices of local people and the impact of their feedback on health and social care services. From GP access to SEND support, the report highlights the real experiences of Sandwell residents and how their views have helped shape improvements across the system.

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.

Inside this pack, you will discover a wealth of valuable advice and information that you can effortlessly share to raise awareness about the various support options provided by HEAT for UK households.

Sandwell All Age Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Directory for 2025

This is the 3rd edition of the directory for children, young adults, and families.

The services listed have confirmed their funding for 2025-2026, ensuring their availability and support throughout the year.

At the beginning of this year, we conducted our listening survey. We listening to peoples experiences of health and social care services and asked them what they think our priorities should be for 2025/26.

“At Let’s Talk we support anyone 18+ that’s feeling lonely/isolated in the Black Country. I cover the Sandwell area. We offer up to 6, 1-1 sessions tailored to each individual. These are focused on building up their confidence/tackling barriers they are facing by signposting towards social activities, services and volunteering. We also support them into these by attending with them if needed.

We also have our own virtual and face to face group sessions and walks. There is no end date to these and they can attend for as long as they like!

Participants can self-refer/be referred into the service by using the referral form attached and forwarding this to our inbox - bchft.letstalk@nhs.net

For more information please contact
M: 07909 934159
E: arfan.zaman@nhs.net”

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